Around 1590 Guru Arjan Dev set out on a tour of the country between the rivers Ravi and Beas. Here Guru Arjan Dev bought some land and laid the foundation of a Gurdwara in honor of Guru Ram Das and started the excavation of a tank even bigger than Amritsar.
The Gurdwara has one of the largest tanks and resembles the Golden Temple, except that it is built on the side of the tank and has a marble exterior. Guru Arjan Dev also established the first home for lepers in India at Tarn Taran.
There's a temple, which was constructed by Ranjit Singh. Fairs are held here on every 'Amavas' dark night of the month This is another gurudwara and tank built in 1768 by Guru Arjun Dev, in the town of Tarn Taran.
The holy building commemorates Guru Ram Das (the Sikh guru who founded the city of Amritsar) known to have selflessly slept alongside a leper once. Though there is no scientific evidence that the water cures leprosy, it is said to have healing properties.
It is built along the same lines as the Golden Temple though the Parikrama around the still waters of the tank takes much longer. The gurudwara provides fairly decent, free accommodation in the large yellow building next to the west entrance. There are buses to Tarn Taran every half-hour from the main bus stand.
Significance
It is believed that any leper who can swim across the tank will be miraculously cured.
|