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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. |
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| 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 |
| Altitude :- |
350 meters |
| Headquarter :- |
Nahan ( altitude 933 meters
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| Location :- |
in district Sirmaur |
| Access by Air :- |
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 :- |
| 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. |
| Museum :- It is located in Paonta Sahib. The museum
contains an interesting collection of the personal weapons of Guru
Govind Singh. |
| Memorial of Rishi Kalpi:- It has been built in
the memory of Rishi Kalpi who was brought to Paonta by Guru Govind
Singh. |
| Quila Lohgarh :- ( 25 km. ) It was the capital
of Baba Banda Bahadur Bairagi and the place from where he started
the Khalsa coin. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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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