Anandpur Sahib

Founding

Guru Tegh Bahadur bought land at the foot of the Shivaliks in 1665 and founded a settlement, first called Chak Nanaki after his mother. It became the seat of the Guruship, and it was from here that he travelled to Delhi and his execution in 1675.

Under Guru Gobind Singh the town was fortified with a ring of forts, of which Keshgarh at the centre is now one of the five takhts.

The Khalsa

On Vaisakhi in 1699 Guru Gobind Singh assembled the community at Anandpur and founded the Khalsa, initiating the Panj Pyare with amrit and taking initiation from them in turn. The site of the ceremony is marked by Takht Keshgarh Sahib, and the anniversary draws very large gatherings.

The sieges

The Guru's establishment at Anandpur — fortified, armed, and drawing followers from across the Punjab — brought conflict with the hill rajas and with Mughal forces. The town was besieged more than once. In the final siege of 1704, after a prolonged blockade, the Guru left under terms that were broken as soon as his party crossed the Sarsa river in flood.

The family was separated. Two of his sons died at the battle of Chamkaur; the two younger, aged around nine and seven, were captured with their grandmother and executed at Sirhind for refusing conversion. These events are commemorated annually and are among the most emotionally charged in Sikh memory.

Today

Anandpur Sahib remains one of the principal Sikh centres, and hosts Hola Mohalla, the martial gathering instituted by Guru Gobind Singh the day after Holi, at which Nihang orders display horsemanship and weapons.