Takht Sri Damdama Sahib

Takht Sri Damdama Sahib, at Talwandi Sabo 28 km south-east of Bathinda, is one of the five takhts, the seats of temporal authority in Sikhism. Damdama means resting place: Guru Gobind Singh came here in 1705 after leaving Anandpur under siege, losing his four sons in the fighting and persecution that followed and winning a battle at Muktsar. During his stay he prepared the full version of the Sikh scripture, dictating it to Bhai Mani Singh and adding the hymns of his father, Guru Tegh Bahadur; this recension is known as the Damdama Wali Bir.

Because of the literary work done here, the Guru blessed Talwandi Sabo as Guru ki Kashi. A story tells that he scattered a handful of reed pens over the congregation, saying none of his Sikhs should remain unlettered. Baba Deep Singh, later revered as a martyr, became the first head of the takht and made copies of the scripture for the other four seats: the Akal Takht, Keshgarh Sahib, Patna Sahib and Hazur Sahib.