The Harmandir Takht, the gurudwara that commemorates Guru
Gobind Singh, is a sacred place of pilgrimage for the Sikhs.
To the Sikhs this holy place is reverentially known as Patna
Sahib.
Regarded as one of the holiest of the five takhts, it
is situated in one of the old quarters of Patna City. The
place once known as Kucha Farrukh Khan is now known as Harmandir
Gali. Two of the five Takhts are located outside Punjab
and are Takht Sri Harmandir Sahib, Patna in Bihar, and Takht
Sri Hazoor Sahib at Nanded in Maharashtra. Three Takhts
are in Punjab. These are Akal Takht Amritsar, Keshgarh Sahib
Anandpur and Sri Damdama Sahib at Talwandi Sabo Bhatinda
district.
Salis Rai Johri, a great devotee of Guru Nanak was so much
influenced by his teachings that he converted his opulent
haveli into a dharamshala where Guru Tegh Bahadur also stayed.
This is the place where the holy shrine of Harmandir Sahab
is now located.
The work of reconstructing the Harmandir in 1839 following
destruction by fire was started by Maharaja Ranjit Singh
started who did not survive to see the new structure. In
1934, when an earthquake rocked the entire Bihar some portion
of Harmandir fell down. Construction of the present building
was taken up on November 19, 1954 and was completed in about
three years.
Quite a few relics of the Guru Govind Sahab are also preserved
in this shrine that include a ‘pangura’ (cradle)
with four stands covered with golden plates, four iron arrows,
sacred sword of the Master and a pair of his sandals. ‘Hukamnamas’,
the written orders of Guru Gobind Singh and Guru Tegh Bahadur
contained in a book are also kept in this holy Gurudwara.
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