Machhiwara, in Ludhiana district, was in 1704 a forest near the Sutlej. After escaping from Chamkaur, Guru Gobind Singh walked here alone, barefoot, his clothes torn, and slept on the ground with a clod of earth for a pillow.
His hymn from those days, 'Mittar pyare nu', tells the beloved friend of his disciples' condition: sleeping on a bed of thorns. Gurdwara Charan Kanwal Sahib marks the place. Here Daya Singh, Dharam Singh and Man Singh found him, and two Pathan horse-dealers, Nabi Khan and Ghani Khan, carried him out disguised as Uch da Pir, a Muslim holy man.
Machhiwara is now a busy town. The house of Nabi Khan and Ghani Khan is preserved as a memorial.
People
Tenth Guru, warrior and poet. Created the Khalsa in 1699, fought a long war with the Mughals and hill rajas, lost his four sons and mother, and named the Guru Granth Sahib as the final Guru.
Nabi Khan & Ghani Khan17th – 18th centuryPathan horse dealers who carried Guru Gobind Singh out of Machhiwara on a litter, passing him off to Mughal patrols as a Muslim holy man.