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Paonta Sahib : |
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Paonta Sahib is situated on the bank of the river
Yamuna. There is a Gurudwara dedicated to the tenth sikh guru,
Gobind Sigh, who spent five years here. It is a bustling town.
The story goes that the place aquired its name after the Guru has
lost an ornament that he wore on his foot, known as Paonta. The
second in the triangle is Paonta Sahib, a city sacred to the memory
of Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Guru of the Sikhs. Paonta to Renuka
is one arm of the triangle. The road passes through Sataun and
follows the Giri River along the beautiful scenery. Situated on
the Yamuna River, Paonta Sahib is a bustling township with growing
industries. It is one of the important places for the Sikhs. It
retains tangible memories of Guru Gobind Singh in the form of his
weapons and a majestic Gurudwara. It recalls his presence even
in the name of the city which is derived from Paonta meaning "foot",
either because he set foot on this place or, according to an alternate
story, he lost an ornament which he wore on his foot called "Paonta" while
bathing in the Yamuna river.
Legend surrounds the ruins of the old capital of the Raja. Sirmouri
Tal, not very far from Paonta Sahib was destroyed by the curse of
a court dancer when the Raja went back on an oath to give half of
this kingdom in case she crossed a narrow gorge on a rope. This,
she did but the wily Raja the offered her the entire kingdom if she
could dance her way back. She started back but as she was half way
across, he cut the rope hurling the helpless girl into the stream.
Floods followed which swept away the city, the Raja and the royal
house, as a result of dancer's curse. Vishawkarma temple and few
other Hindu temples are also located in Paonta Sahib. The water of
river Yamuna is being dammed down stream of Paonta which will soon
have a water reservoir where water sports will be organised. |
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Paonta Sahib : General Information |
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| Altitude : |
350 meters |
| Headquarter : |
Nahan ( altitude 933
meters ) |
| Location : |
in district Sirmaur |
| Access by Air
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The nearest airport in Himachal is
Jubbarhatti 145 km. |
| Access by Rail : |
Nearest broad guage line is Yamunanagar
56 km. |
| Access by Road : |
Almost each and every part of the
state is linked by roads. The Himachal Road Transport Corporation
is running its buses covering the whole state. There is huge
network of HRTC to cater the needs of the people. |
| Distance : |
Nahan 45 km., Shimla to Paonta Sahib
258 km., Chandigarh to Paonta Sahib 132 km. |
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Famous Places around Paonta Sahib : |
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| Gurudwara :- It has been built
on the bank of the river Yamuna on the spot where Guru Govind Singh
dismounted from his horse after arriving at Paonta, the shrine is
an architecture marvel. |
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| Museum :- It is located in Paonta
Sahib. The museum contains an interesting collection of the personal
weapons of Guru Govind Singh. |
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| Memorial of Rishi Kalpi:- It has
been built in the memory of Rishi Kalpi who was brought to Paonta
by Guru Govind Singh. |
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| Quila Lohgarh :- ( 25 km. ) It was
the capital of Baba Banda Bahadur Bairagi and the place from where
he started the Khalsa coin. |
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| Sahstra Dhara :- At this place
there is a confluence of river Yamuna and Tong ( Tamsa ). This is
a beautiful place and a paradise for tourists. Nearby is village
Kalsi ( now in Uttar Pradesh ) 25 km. from Paonta, which was the
old capital of Sirmaur. At this place there is 'Ashokan Rock Edict'
which is worth a visit. The Ashoka pillar which stood here was removed
to Delhi by one of the Muslim Rulers of the Sultanat period. |
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| Khodri Dak Pathar :- It is a beautiful
picnic spot just 25 km. from Paonta. There is a beautiful park, a
swimming pool and a tourist Bungalow. At this place the torrential
river Yamuna has been tamed into an artificial lake by constructing
a barrage. From here one can get a fantastic view of the lake and
the park nearby. While going from Paonta to Khodri one will be delighted
to have the canal side drive. Chhibran power house is an unique sight
to see as the entire structure has been built underground. |
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| Kafota :- Situated at an elevation of 1,804 metres
and 42 km. from Paonta on Jagadhari - Narkanda road is village Kafota
which has a salubrious climate and holds potantial for picnic. There
is a PWD Rest House for comfortable stay. 18 kms. from Paonta Sahib
is Rajban Cement Factory. A few kms. from Rajban is Kamrau, the biggest
village of Sirmaur district known for rich lime stone quarries. At
this place there is a Tilordhar Tibetan Colony with its Buddisht
monastery, but the most beautiful one is at Purnwala on way to Bhajain.
The Tibetan presence here has resulted in beautiful Tibetan artifacts
especially carpets being manufactured for marketing. |
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| Old Temples :- Other places of interest around
Paonta Sahib are the Patanjali Jyotirlinga Temple, said to have been
worshipped by Maharishi Patanjali, a disciple of Maharishi Vyas-the
author of epic Mahbharat. Shiva temple at Shivpuri (8 kms.), Bhadarkali
temple and Tirgarhi gurudwars at Bhagani and Gangvaha Tirth across
the Yamuna where Gangaji crossed over the Yamuna bank to please Rishi
Gautam, the husband of the legendary Sati Ahilya. On The Himachal
side of the Yamuna Bank near Gangavaha Tirth is Rampur Ghat, which
legend associates with the crossing of river Yamuna by Lord Ram on
a boat. |
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| Dei-Ka-Mandir :- At Paonta Sahib, to the right
of Yamuna bridge, stands the Dei-Ka-Mandir, constructed about a century
ago by the sister of the then Raja of Sirmaur to propitiate Lord
Ram, the family deity of the Suryavanshi Sirmauri Rulers. |
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