Gurudwara Guru Chaunki Jhira Sahib, Bassali

BASALI, Village about 20 km southwest of Kiratpur (31° ll`N, 76° 35`E) in Ropar district of the Punjab, has a historical shrine, Gurdwara Guru Chaunki Jhira Sahib, dedicated to Guru Gobind Singh who after the battle of Nirmohgarh in October 1700 stayed here for several days at the invitation of the chief of Basalt. The original shrine inside the haveli or fortified house of the chief is no longer in existence. The present complex of the Gurdwara, south of the Village, was raised in 1982. It has two separate three storied domed structures and a flat roofed hall. The Guru Granth Sahib is seated in one of the domed buildings, and the other contains a relic, a chaunki or low wooden seat, believed to be the one on which Guru Gobind Singh used to sit for meditation or while preaching. The Gurdwara is maintained by the local sangat, i.e. Sikh community.