| Fatehgarh Sahib | |
| Settlement Type: | City |
| Image Alt: | Fatehgarh Sahib Gurdwara |
| Pushpin Map: | India #India Punjab |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in Punjab, India |
| Coordinates: | 30.6472°N 76.3931°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: |  India |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Type2: | District |
| Subdivision Name1: | Punjab |
| Subdivision Name2: | Fatehgarh Sahib |
| Named For: | Baba Fateh Singh, son of Guru Gobind Singh |
| Unit Pref: | Metric |
| Elevation M: | 246 |
| Population Total: | 50,788 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Demographics Type1: | Languages Punjabi |
| Demographics1 Title1: | Official |
| Timezone1: | IST |
| Utc Offset1: | +5:30 |
| Postal Code Type: | PIN |
| Postal Code: | 140406,140407 |
| Area Code: | +91-1763 |
| Area Code Type: | Telephone code |
| Registration Plate: | PB-23 |
| Footnotes: | http://www.fallingrain.com/world/IN/23/Fatehgarh.html |
| Demographics1 Info1: | Punjabi |
| Leader Party: | MLA of Fatehgarh Sahib is Kuljeet Singh Nagra from Congress Party |
Fatehgarh Sahib (in Panjabi; Punjabi pronounced as /fə.t̪éː.gə́ɽᵊ sä́ːbᵊ/) is a city and a sacred pilgrimage site of Sikhism in the north west Indian state of Punjab. It is the headquarters of Fatehgarh Sahib district, located about north of Sirhind. Fatehgarh Sahib is named after Fateh Singh, the 7-year-old son of Guru Gobind Singh, who was seized and buried alive, along with his 9-year-old brother Zoravar Singh, by the Mughals under the orders of governor Wazir Khan during the ongoing Mughal-Sikh wars of the early 18th century.[1] [2] The town experienced major historical events after the martyrdom of the sons in 1705, with frequent changes of control between the Sikhs and Mughals.[1] [3]
The town features historic Gurdwaras, including the underground Bhora Sahib marking the location where the two boys refused to convert to Islam and fearlessly accepted being bricked alive.[1] [4] In contemporary times, the town is the site of educational institutions such as the SGPC run Guru Granth Sahib University and Baba Banda Singh Bahadur Engineering College.[5]
The city is a historically important settlement north of the city of Patiala and 42 kilometers (26 mi) west of Punjab's capital, Chandigarh. It is a major pilgrimage center in Sikhism.
The Gurdwara Fatehgarh Sahib is the major landmark in the town. It marks the location where two youngest sons of Guru Gobind Singh Ji – 7-year-old Baba Fateh Singh Ji and 9-year-old Baba Zorawar Singh Ji– were betrayed by their cook and servant Gangu to the Mughal army, seized, asked to convert to Islam and when they refused they were buried alive under the orders of Wazir Khan.[1] [6] Their martyrdom on 9 December 1705 has been remembered by the Sikhs by naming the site as Fatehgarh after the youngest boy killed, and by building a large Gurdwara in 1843.[1] The town is also the location where the Sikhs took revenge by capturing it from Wazir Khan in 1710 and killing him.[1] [3] However, the Sikh militia was defeated again few years later and the town remained in the control of Muslim rulers, including later an appointee of Ahmed Shah Durrani till 1764, when Khalsa recaptured it by defeating and killing the appointee Zain Khan.[1] [3]
The town is home to major Sikh Gurdwaras:
There also exists remains of an ancient Royal inn in the city named Aam Khas Bagh that was initially built by Akbar and rebuilt by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan.
Shaheedi Jor MelEvery year between 11th and 14th of the month of Poh (usually about 25 to 27 December), Fatehgarh Sahib is the pilgrimage site for many Sikhs who visit it to remember the martyrdom, locally known as Shaheedi Jor Mel of the sons of Guru Gobind Singh.[1]
Todarmal, who is most remembered for defying the Mughals by arranging for the cremation of young martyred sons of Guru Gobind Singh and his mother, had a haveli that still exists, Todar Mal Haveli.