Punjab: As the Sikh community across the world remember the sacrifice of the 'chaar sahibzade', Parivar Vichora Gurudwara deserves a special mention, as this is where the family of Guru Gobind Singh's family got separated.
Unfortunately, this holy site situated on the banks of river Sarsa became the site where the family became estranged. In the second part of this 'journey of martyrdom', ETV Bharat recalls the story of separation of the Tenth Guru and his sons, the Sahibzadas.
After leaving Anandpur Sahib and the Anandgarh Fort, and after having fought tooth and nail with the Mughal forces and the Pahari Rajas, the Tenth Guru’s army reached the banks of Sarsa River.
The Guru and his family were performing their daily rituals and offering prayers when the joint forces of the Mughal army and Ajmer Chand's league of Rajput hill chieftains or the 'Pahari rajas' attacked the Sikhs, who were immersed in reciting Gurbani.
Some Sikh soldiers, particularly the contingent of Bhai Uday Singh, and Sahibzada Baba Ajit Singh, marched ahead and confronted the enemy. It was there, that upon the conclusion of the recital of 'Asa di Var,' a collection of 24 stanzas written by the founder of Sikhism, Guru Nanak, that Guru Gobind Singh ordered his followers to cross over to the other side of the Sarsa river.
It is believed that Guru Gobind Singh had intended to march ahead with his family and his followers after crossing the river. But as Sirsa was in spate, and the weather, too, was inclement, the family of the Tenth Guru got separated and dispersed in different directions.
A large number of Sikhs have lost their lives fighting, while many others swept away by the rushing water of the Sarsa. While Guru Gobind Singh’s two wives, Mata Sahib Kaur and Mata Sundari accompanied Bhai Mani Singh to Delhi, his two sons, Sahibzadas Baba Ajit Singh and Baba Jujhar Singh, after successfully crossing Sarsa, reached a place near Ropar, which is now known as Gurudwara Bhathha Sahib.
Moreover, Mata Gujari, the mother of Guru Gobind Singh, and his two younger sons Sahibzadas Baba Zorawar Singh and Baba Fateh Singh also got separated.
Sardar Sohan Singh, the Manager of the Gurudwara Parivaar Vichhoda Sahib, said that the Gurudwara marks the place where the Tenth Guru’s family, once parted, never met again. Parivaar Vichhoda is hence a land of longing as well as mutiny. It holds the memories of a tragic longing and a forceful separation.
The three-day annual Shaheedi Sabha is being held to commemorate the martyrdom of the 10th Sikh Guru's youngest sons Zorawar Singh and Fateh Singh, who were bricked alive during the regime of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb.
Read: Anandpur Sahib, where the martyred sons of Guru Gobind grew up
