Takht Sri Patna Sahib

Takht Sri Patna Sahib, also called Takht Sri Harimandar Sahib, stands in Patna, Bihar. The Encyclopaedia of Sikhism says the house where Guru Gobind Singh was born is now the site of the Takht. With Takht Sri Hazur Sahib at Nanded, it is one of two Takhts outside Punjab. The Encyclopaedia says it was recognised as a Takht in the Sikh Gurdwaras Act of 1925.

Key moments

• Bihar's tourism department says Patna was visited by Guru Nanak, and lists Gurdwara Gai Ghat, dedicated to him.
• About 1666: Guru Tegh Bahadur left his family at Patna and travelled east. His son Gobind Rai was born at Patna on 22 December 1666, while the Guru was at Monghyr.
• Late 1669 to 1670: the Guru rejoined his family, and was received by the Patna sangat at what is now Gurdwara Guru ka Bagh. In 1670 he directed the family to return to Punjab. Gobind Rai reached Anandpur in March 1672.
• Early 19th century: Wikipedia says Maharaja Ranjit Singh rebuilt the shrine after a fire, and Bihar's tourism department says he built it.
• 1934: an earthquake damaged the building. Wikipedia says the present shrine was rebuilt between 1948 and 1957. Bihar's tourism department says it dates from the 1950s.
• 30 December 2016 to 8 January 2017: Bihar hosted the 350th birth anniversary of Guru Gobind Singh, with 5 January the main day. National Herald reported that the state expected about half a million pilgrims and planned to spend over Rs 1,500 crore.
• December 2022: the Panj Piare of Takht Patna Sahib issued an edict against Giani Harpreet Singh, the Akal Takht's officiating jathedar. The Takht's management board declared it invalid, saying three granthis had signed it posing as Panj Piare. The district administration backed the Akal Takht and ordered fresh board elections for 1 to 15 January 2023.
• 2025: Patna Sahib's Panj Singh Sahiban (the five Sikh high priests, as the press calls them) issued edicts on 21 May and 5 July declaring Sukhbir Singh Badal, the Akal Takht jathedar and the Damdama Sahib jathedar tankhaiya. On 14 July, after Patna Sahib's management apologised and withdrew the edicts, the Akal Takht's Panj Singh Sahiban accepted the letter and withdrew its own edicts against the management (The Tribune).

Who runs it. Wikipedia says the Takhat Sri Harimandir Ji Patna Sahib Prabandhak Committee manages it, with a jathedar and a head granthi.

What it means to the Panth. It is the birthplace of the tenth Guru and a reminder that Guru Tegh Bahadur's family lived for years in Bihar, far from Punjab. Its own committee runs it, and its relations with the Akal Takht have twice broken into public rows.