Gurdwara Baba Deep Singh Ji Shaheed

This shrine is built in the honor and memory of Shaheed Baba Deep Singh ji, a great Sikh warrior who sacrificed his life for the dignity of Sri Harmandir Sahib fighting the Mughals. In 1757, Sri Harmandir Sahib was invaded by Ahmed Shah Abdali and his forces. This news sent shock waves through the hearts of brave Sikhs. At the age of 75 years, Baba Deep Singh ji declared to take revenge for this brutal and unholy act of enemies. Sikhs in large number joined Baba ji in this mission. Mothers blessed their young sons, wives took vows from their husbands and sisters tied rakhi to their brothers and sent them happily to punish the Mughal rulers.

Many brave Sikhs with whatever weapon they had with them left and gathered at Sri Damdama Sahib. Baba Deep Singh ji drew a line on the ground with his Khanda (double edged sword) weighing more than sixteen kilograms and said that only those Sikhs should cross the line who are prepared to die but not turn back to the enemy in the battlefield. Almost five hundred Sikhs crossed the line drawn by Baba Deep Singh ji and started towards Amritsar under his leadership. Many more joined them on the way and when they reached Tarn Taran Sahib, they had an army of five thousand brave Sikhs.

The news of protest of these brave Sikhs determined to take revenge for the disrespect of their holiest shrine and to restore its sanctity, reached the rulers in Lahore. Jahan Khan commanding an army of 20,000 soldiers proceeded towards Amritsar. The two forces faced each other near the village of Goharwal, five miles from Amritsar. The Sikhs fought with such bravery that Jahan Khan's army ran for their lives. Hundreds of soldiers from both sides fell in the battle field.

The Sikh forces fought with courage and defeated the Mughal army but then Mughal commander Jamal Khan arrived with another army of soldiers at the battle scene to help the Mughal forces. Baba Deep Singh ji attacked the enemy with his Khanda (double edged sword) and kept moving forward killing enemy soldiers. Jamal Khan moved forward to stop Baba ji and after a long battle, both swung their swords with all force giving each other a severe blow on the neck. The blow was so strong that it separated their heads from their bodies. One of the close sikhs to Baba ji, reminded him of his promise to lay down his life only in the premises of Sri Harimandir Sahib. Baba ji immediately got up, holding his severed head with his left palm and fighting Mughals wielding the double edged sword with his right hand more severely than before. When Baba ji finally reached Sri Harmandir Sahib, he bowed and laid his head on the parkarma near the sarovar and sacrificed his life for the cause of maintaining the holiness of Sri Harmandir Sahib.

This way Baba Deep Singh ji and his army of brave Sikhs killed thousands of cruel soldiers and took revenge for the disrespect of the holy shrine. They showed to the world that Sikhs do not tolerate disrespect of their holy shrines and are always ready to sacrifice to maintain their sanctity even against superior numbers. In the honor of great warrior, two shrines are built, one on the terrace just next to the location where Baba ji and his head fell on the parkarma of Sri Harmandir Sahib and another is famously known as Gurdwara Shaheed Ganj Baba Deep Singh ji near Chattiwind Gate where his body was cremated.