Takht Sri Keshgarh Sahib

Takht Sri Keshgarh Sahib stands on a hillock at Anandpur Sahib, Punjab, on the site of Kesgarh Fort, the main fort of the town. It is the place where Guru Gobind Singh created the Khalsa. The Encyclopaedia of Sikhism lists it as one of the five Takhts, recognised as such in the Sikh Gurdwaras Act of 1925.

Key moments

• 30 March 1699 (Baisakhi): at a large gathering at Kesgarh, Guru Gobind Singh asked for volunteers willing to give their heads. Five came forward, Daya Ram, Dharam Das, Mohkam Chand, Himmat and Sahib Chand. He baptised them as the Panj Piare and founded the Khalsa.
• Spring 1701: the Guru started Hola Mohalla at Holgarh, the day after Holi, with mock battles instead of colours.
• 5 to 6 December 1705: after months of siege, the Guru and the Sikhs left Anandpur at night. Wikipedia gives December 1704, with 1705 as an alternative; the Encyclopaedia of Sikhism gives 1705.
• 12 January 1923: Akalis occupied the Anandpur shrines. On 15 March 1923 the local Sodhi family formally handed them to the SGPC.
• 1936 to 1944: the present white marble complex was built under Sant Har Singh Kaharpuri. The sanctum shows relics from the Guru's time, among them a khanda, a kataar and a saif. A 55-metre square diwan hall was added in the 1980s, and a sarovar lies to the west.
• 2018: Sikh high priests banned political conferences at Hola Mohalla, The Tribune reported in 2026.
• 7 March 2025: the SGPC appointed Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargaj jathedar of Takht Kesgarh Sahib with officiating charge of the Akal Takht, after removing Giani Sultan Singh from Kesgarh and Giani Raghbir Singh from the Akal Takht. The Tribune reported that the Kesgarh ceremony on 11 March was moved to about 2:30 am, citing a call by some Nihang and Damdami Taksal bodies to disrupt it, and that the Golden Temple's head granthis, who by tradition present the turban, were absent.

Who runs it. The SGPC manages the shrines through an appointed manager. The jathedar of the Takht is an ex-officio member of the SGPC, as are the jathedars of all five Takhts.

What it means to the Panth. Sikhs call Anandpur the birthplace of the Khalsa, and Keshgarh is the spot. Every spring Hola Mohalla fills the town: the Tribune reported in February 2026 that lakhs of devotees were expected, with the Punjab government and the SGPC planning a tent city, parking and shuttle buses. The procession begins at this Takht and ends at Holgarh.