Guru Gobind Singh left Anandpur Sahib on the night of 5-6 December 1705, accompanied by Baba Ajit Singh and Baba Jujhar Singh, his sons, then 18 and 14 years old respectively. Along with them rode a band of faithful but tired Khalsas, including the Panj Piare.
Garhi Sahib
He reached Chamkaur, 56 kms from Chandigarh on 6 December and stopped at the house of a local landlord for refuge. Gurdwara Damdama Sahib, marks this spot. Gurdwara Garhi Sahib, a double-storeyed house on high ground, was that which the Guru used during the unequal battle on the following day. When the Sikhs started running out of ammunition and arrows, small groups of them started coming out to engage the enemy in hand-to-hand battle. The two Sahibzadas fell fighting here and by evening there were only five Sikhs left. They persuaded Guru Gobind Singh to escape so he could rally people and continue the fight. Exchanging clothes with one Sangat Singh, the Guru left under the cover of darkness, taking three soldiers with him. The act of accepting the advice of the five Singhs (Khalsa) was symbolic of vesting authority in the Guru Panth.
The gurdwara is four storeys high, with a large divan hall. Broad steps under a double gateway lead up to it. The lotus dome is covered with white glazed tiles, while the pavilions at the comers and the frontage are plain. Tiles with floral patterns also cover the inner walls. The arches forming the sanctum square are decorated with mirror work with bird motifs at the ends.
Facing the Guru Granth Sahib, the central arch has inscribed across it a couplet from the Zafurruumah: It is Guru Gobind Singh’s challenge to Aurangzeb: When all other means fail, resort to the sword is justified:
Chu Kaar az hama. heel te
darguzasht halal ast burdan
b’shamsliir dast
Another couplet also by Guru Gobind Singh is inscribed, in mosaic minor work, on the arch behind the Guru Granth Sahib
Dhanur baan dhaare,
chakke chail bhaare
Laye khag aise Mahabir jaise
Gurdwara Shahid Burj Bhai Jivan Singh is adjacent to Gurdwara Garhi Sahib at the head of a narrow lane. It marks the entrance to the old fortress- like house but is named after Bhai Jaitha (baptised as Bhai Jivan Singh) who was killed in a rearguard action. In 1675 when he had brought the head of Guru Tegh Bahadur to Kiratpur, Guru Gobind Singh had embraced him, saying ‘Ranghrete Guru ke Bete’
Gurdwara Qatalgarh Sahib, also known as Shahid Ganj, on lower ground, is where the thickest hand- to-hand fighting took place on 7 December 1705. Standing on a high base, the large divan hall has an 8 metre-square sanctum. Instead of flowers placed before the Guru Granth Sahib are weapons of resolve: swords and an array of steel chakkars worn on the turban to defend the head.