Gurudwara Sahib located at Chail in Himachal Pradesh is a holy pilgrimage site for the Sikh devotees. It was established by the king of Patiala- Maharaja Bhupinder Singh in 1907. The Gurudwara is situated at a distance of 200 meters from the bus station of Chail.
The Gurudwara in earlier times was under the region of Patiala but after Punjab got separated, the Himachal Pradesh Government gained control over the building. Being located in an isolated region very less Sikh devotees visit the Gurudwara as the region contains lesser population but it is often visited by the local people, tourists, and cadets of the Military School.
About Gurudwara Sahib Chail
The Gurudwara houses a dormitory for the accommodation of visitors as well as guests rooms. It has a separate management committee to handle the financial and other affairs of the Gurudwara. The committee was established along with the Georgian Association and collaborates with the government of Himachal Pradesh and SGPC. The Gurudwara is currently managed by Giani Pritpal Singh who is an M.A. holder in Punjabi language.
The Building houses a Langar Hall at the backside where various contributors and helpers participate to run the administration of Gurudwara smoothly. The contributors are doing a hard work to improve the facilities, and in repairment of the building as the Himachal Government have not taken any active step for it.
All funds transferred for the purpose of Gurudwara follows a complete transparency involving the sender and other authorities. Any direct transfer of Funds to any authority member without clear transparency is highly discouraged. The parties associated with the renovation of Chail Gurudwara are the Sikh Sangat, and North Georgian Association. The first renovation took place in the year of 2007 with the repairing of windows, doors, and floor while the next renovation will be done as per the upcoming collection of funds which aims at repairing the attached buildings.
The Gurudwara celebrates their traditional occasions every year like Baishakhi and Gurupurab by the committee members in association with Chail Military School and Chail Administrative Department. Thousands of devotees in North India living in the nearby locations, as well as tourists, visit during the occasion of Guru Nanak’s birthday and each of the visitors is fed delicious Langars.
The Committee members are constantly trying to improve the facilities of Gurudwara through Social Media influence and with local and international helpers. Today, other than Baishakhi and Gurupurab it also hosts other festival celebrations and welcomes the devotees globally to participate in it.
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Fairs and Festivals celebrated at Gurudwara Sahib Chail
The Gurudwara Sahib at Chail stands erect on the Pandhawa hills which is a smaller building dedicated to the Sikh devotees in Himachal Pradesh and all over the world. The building has most of its crowds from the tourists, local people, and the cadets from the nearby Chail military school.
The Gurudwara Administration department is joined with the North Georgian Association and together they have made major developments in its structure, functions, facilities and continuously doing the hard work along with helpers and contributors. Being the devotional place for the Sikhs, it never fails to celebrate the major Sikh occasions like Baishakhi and Guru Purab. The festivals are organized and celebrated grandly in joint collaboration of the Sikh Sangat with the Chail military school, and Chail administrative department.
Gurupurab which signifies the holy occasion of Guru Nanak’s birthday is organized in a grand manner at Gurudwara Saheb and serves more than 1000 langars in a single day. The holy occasion is attended here by many Sikh Devotees of North India, the nearby local people, and the tourists traveling at that time. It also celebrates the occasion of Baishakhi grandly which is the new year of Punjabis and crowded by many Sikh devotees traveling the area or living in close proximities.
How to Reach Gurudwara Sahib Chail
Gurudwara Sahib in Chail is located close to Chail Market area at a distance of 1km and at 200 meters from Chail Bus Station. You first need to reach Chail which lies at a distance of 45 km from Shimla and has numerous buses available through the major cities of Shimla, Delhi, and Chandigarh. Once you reach Chail Bus stand, you can easily reach Gurudwara Sahib which is located nearby. If you are traveling from far away cities by train, then you need to reach Kalka railway station located close to Chail.
There are various trains available for Kalka like Kalka Shatabdi, Paschim Express, Himalayan Queen, and Kalka Mail. Once you reach Kalka, you can hire a cab to reach Chail covering duration of 2 hours 50 minutes to reach Gurudwara Sahib. If you are traveling by air, you have to reach Jabarhatti airport from where you can reach Chail and Gurudwara Sahib at duration of 1hour 57 minutes.
Gurudwara Sahib Chail Timings
Gurudwara Sahib is open every day for 24 hours for all visitors and tourists. It does not charge any extra entry fee or camera frees from the visitors.
Gurudwara Sahib Chail – Approximate Visit Duration
The Gurudwara Sahib of Chail has a very elegant and beautiful architecture with a church like pattern in the exteriors and the interiors decorated in traditional Sikh architecture. It is a place to cherish for and seek blessings of Guru Nanak Sahib in the quiet and calm environment.
The maximum duration to visit is 30 minutes while if there is any festival or occasion it can extend for hours. Also, there is no restriction in visiting time duration, the devotees can stay as long they like if they want to pray and meditate.
Gurudwara Sahib Chail Location
Gurudwara Sahib is situated at Chail in the states of Himachal Pradesh at a distance of 1km from the local bazaar and 200 meters from the Chail Bus stand. It is situated on the Pandhawa hills having a green surrounding with beautiful mountain ranges in the backdrop. The ambiance of the location is extremely amazing and peaceful. One has to reach Chail in order to have access to this extremely holy pilgrimage site.