The School of Sikh History
By Suneet Kaur

JUST 15 miles away from Jagraon in a small village of Manuke, is Gurdwara Mehdiana Sahib which is famous for its architecture and monuments depicting important events in Sikh history. The gurdwara is also commonly known as the School of Sikh History. A beautiful sarovar and greenery all around with birds chirping on the tall trees have made this place a heavenly abode for pilgrims.

The gurdwara is built in the memory of Guru Gobind Singh. During the reign of the Mughal dynasty, the Guru travelled on horseback through Roykot, Jatpure and Manuke and reached Mehdiana. Impressed by the beauty of that place and the pure water of its pond he decided to rest there for a few days.

A few years ago the Mehdiana complex looked like a forest with dense trees and bushes growing all around the place of worship. The gurdwara was not developed and maintained properly and there was no habitation within a distance of two to three miles. Later Jathedar Jora Singh Lakha took the responsibility for its development and made Mehdiana Sahib a popular destination for pilgrims. In 1972, when Lakha started the work, only a few acres were attached to the gurdwara but slowly the gurdwara complex covered 25 acres.

In the vicinity of this gurdwara are the sculptures and statues of Sikh warriors who not only laid their lives for the sake of the religion but also endured torture at the hands of the Mughals. These statues depict soldiers, women and children being cut to pieces. Some sculptures show Bahi Kanya, one of the soldiers of Guru Gobind Singh, serving water not only to the wounded soldiers in their own army but also to wounded enemy soldiers.

Through these sculptures Lakha not only aimed to depict history but also to educate people that religion was more important than their lives.He felt it was better to sacrifice one’s life than to accept injustice and cruelty and lose one’s self-respect. He has tried to show that the Sikh religion was born from the sacrifices of our ancestors and that religion should not be taken for granted. The importance of preserving one’s self respect and the triumph of good over evil have been beautifully depicted in the sculptures and paintings.

The gurdwara is a fine specimen of Sikh architecture. Crores of rupees have been spent on its construction. Exquisite meenakari work can be seen here. On the door of the eighth floor of the building is engraved the picture of Bhai Gurdas who is dictating the bagtan di bani to the fifth guru. On the walls of the gurdwara are engraved the pictures of Guru Gobind Singh’s miracles along with his hymns and on the main door is shown Bhai Daya Singh Hura holding the horse of the Guru. Inside the main building of gurdwara a beautifully decorated Guru Granth Sahib is kept.

The gurdwara complex has its own Dasmesh Public School. Around 500 children from surrounding villages come in this school. To the right of the gurdwara building is a museum which houses beautiful paintings depicting the journey of Guru Gobind Singh from Patna to Anandpur Sahib.

Near the main building of the gurdwara, is Baba Farid’s asthan. This asthan looks like a small fort with a beautiful and realistic sculpture of Baba Farid and the pictures of different birds like crows, eagle etc. surrounding him.

For the entertainment of children there is a mini zoo which houses rare animals. This zoo is in the form of a fort. There is also a modern sarovar, the foundation stone of which was laid by Sadhu Singh Bhora. Langar is served 24 hours a day.