It takes a short drive from Ludhiana-Chandigarh highway to reach Ghulal, a quiet village near Samrala, which holds a powerful story from Sikh history. Gurdwara Shastar Bhet (Patshahi Dasvin) here marks the spot where Guru Gobind Singh halted briefly in December 1704 and blessed this village forever.

According to local tradition, Guru Gobind Singh, dressed as “Uch da Pir” to evade the Mughal forces after the Battle of Chamkaur Sahib, along with Bhai Daya Singh, Bhai Dharam Singh, Bhai Maan Singh, Bhai Ghani Khan and Bhai Nabi Khan, reached Ghulal on 11 Poh (December 1704).

At Ghulal village, in those days, lived a Sikh named Bhai Jhanda ji, who was blessed with exceptional craftsmanship. He had the knack for crafting some of the finest weapons, which few could match. His devotion towards the Guru was complete. He used to send his best-crafted arrows to Anandpur Sahib as an offering to the Guru. Despite his offerings, he never had the opportunity to have the Guru’s ‘darshan’ and yearned to see him once in his lifetime.

When word spread that Guru Gobind Singh had reached his village, Bhai Jhanda ji could not hold back his joy. He rushed for the Guru’s ‘darshan’, carrying a beautiful bow, two kirpans and twenty-two arrows he had made with his own hands. With tears in his eyes, he placed them at the Guru’s feet. Guru Gobind Singh accepted this heartfelt offering of weapons with deep affection, subsequently blessing the artisan and his family.

Since then, the place has come to be known as Gurudwara Shaster Bhet. Though the Guru rested only briefly before resuming his journey under cover of darkness towards Lall Kalan and Sri Katana Sahib, those crucial hours sanctified Ghulal forever. The original site where this historic meeting took place has been carefully preserved in the gurdwara complex. The spot gives devotees a sense of connection with the place.

A senior member of the gurdwara management committee Baba Jagroop Singh shared that the villagers had an emotional bonding with the place. “Not even for one single day have we forgotten the absolute surrender of Bhai Jhanda ji to the Guru. As he offered his best, every villager tries to keep the spirit alive and reflect it in their actions. Every single household in Ghulal contributes ‘maya’ (funds), milk and ration for the langar and the joy of our children knows no bounds while serving thousands of pilgrims who come from far and wide to visit the sacred spot,” he said.

But the story of the village goes beyond faith alone. The elders of the village showed the same spirit of surrender as Bhai Jhanda ji. They surrendered their means for the greater good. Village elders, including Babu Hira Singh, Daya Singh, Giani Harchand Singh and Bhai Ishar Singh, began working to promote education with the sangat’s offerings. In the early 1900s, they set up Khalsa High School, which ran solely on donations collected during religious congregations. It was, however, taken over by the Punjab Education Department in 1988-89.

At Gurdwara Shastar Bhet, ‘shastar’ (the sword) and ‘shaastar’ (the scripture) live side by side. The gurdwara and Khalsa High School are not two separate stories for Ghulal. The weapons of Bhai Jhanda ji indicate that courage is essentially required to protect dharma, but that courage must be guided by knowledge and reason. The villagers of Ghulal seem to have imbibed the Guru’s philosophy in its truest sense, which says that faith without action is incomplete and action without wisdom is blind.

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