5/5 Amrit S. 2 years ago on Google
GOINDVAL
(31°22'N,
75"9'E),
the
firstever
place
of
Sikh
pilgrimage
so
designated
by
its
founder,
Guru
Amar
Das.
This
in
fact
was
the
spot
where
the
ancient
eastwest
highway
crossed
the
River
Beas.
With
the
renovation
of
the
highway
by
Sher
Shalh
Suri,
the
Afghan
ruler
of
north
India
(1540-45),
this
ferry
site
became
an
important
transit
point.
This
led
one
Goinda
or
Gonda,
a
Marvaha
Khatri
trader,
to
plan
establishing
an
habitation
at
the
western
end
of
the
ferry.
Thwarted
in
his
endeavour
by
natural
calamities
which
Goinda
attributed
to
evil
spirits,
he
repaired
to
Khadur
to
seek
Guru
Angad's
blessing.
The
Guru
deputed
his
devoted
disciple,
(Guru)
Amar
Das,
to
help
Goinda.
Amar
Das,
who
knew
that
track
very
well
as
he
had
been
carrying
river
water
from
this
place
to
Khadur
daily
for
his
Master's
ablutions,
laid
the
foundation
of
a
village
which
was
named
after
Goinda.
After
his
apointment
as
Guru
in
1552,
Guru
Amar
Das
shifted
from
Khadur
to
Goindval.
In
1552,
Guru
Amar
Das
commenced
the
digging
in
Goindval
of
a
baoli,
i.e.
a
well
with
steps
descending
down
to
water
level
which,
when
completed,
attracted
pilgrims
from
far
and
near.
Goindval
also
became
,in
the
time
of
Guru
Amar
Das,
the
centre
of
an
annual
fair
on
the
occasion
of
Baisakhi.
Even
after
Guru
Amar
Das's
successor.
Guru
Ram
Das,
had
built
up
Amritsar
and
made
it
his
permanent
seat,
devotees
continued
to
visit
Goindval
to
have
a
dip
in
the
sacred
baoli
and
pay
homage
at
other
local
shrines.
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