Aam Khas Bagh
AAM KHAS BAGH is situated at a distance of 53 kms. from Chandigarh and in its hey day, enjoyed place of honour in the history of the town of Sirhind. Built & planned by Hafiz Rakhna, most probably during the reign of Emperor Akbar, styled it as ‘Bagh Naulakha’, the Aam Khas Bagh was used as a ‘serai’ as well as the royal residence – hence the name ‘Aam’ (public) and ‘Khas’ (private) Bagh. Emperor Jahangir, referring to the garden in his ‘Tuzuk’ said – ‘I was very much pleased to see the garden at Sirhind. It is an old garden and possesses many old trees’.
The city had been a place of repeated wars between the Sikh forces & the Mughals in 1708, 1758 & 1763 A.D. and as such, the garden suffered excessive damage, and its waterways and tanks were filled in with earth. Recognizing its historical values to the students and the tourists, Govt. of Punjab has recently carried out extensive archeological excavations in this garden.
Fatehgarh Sahib
The Great Tirth (Centre of pilgrimage) of the Sikhs, it is about 3kms. from Aam Khas Bagh (Sirhind).
The main Gurdwara commemorates the martyrdom of the two tender Sahibzada(sons), Zorawar Singh(9 years) and Fateh Singh (7 years) of the tenth Sikh Guru, Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji, who refused to apostasise from truth and religion under threat from their captor, the Suba of Sirhind and were suffocated to death in the walls which were raised around them.
