Raikot

Tehsil Raikot, District Ludhiana, Punjab, Bharat.

RĀIKOṬ (30º-39'N, 75º-37'E), a municipal town in Ludhiāṇā district, is sacred to Gurū Gobind Siṅgh. He came here on the invitation of Rāi Kalhā, the local Muslim chief, and encamped under a shīsham or ṭāhlī tree at the site of Gurdwārā Ṭāhliāṇā Sāhib, 1.5 km to the west of the town. According to local tradition, it was here that Gurū Gobind Siṅgh heard the news of the martyrdom at Sirhind of his two younger sons brought by Rāi Kalhā's messenger.

The older building of the Gurdwārā, a square domed room with a verandah around it constructed in the 1920's, is still used as the prakāsh asthān. Its floor is paved with glazed tiles and the lotus dome above it is topped with an ornamental golden pinnacle and an umbrella-like finial. To this, a rectangular dīvān hall and a verandah on three sides were added later. A small rectangular sarovar is next to the dīvān hall on the right as one enters. The Gurdwārā is managed by the Shiromaṇī Gurdwārā Parbandhak Committee through a local committee. The most important annual event is a three-day fair held on 19, 20 and 21 Poh (first week of January)to commemorate Gurū Gobind Siṅgh's visit.