Anandpur Sahib, India

Welcome to Anandpur Sahib, the city of bliss, located in the Rupnagar district of Punjab, India. This sacred city is situated on the edge of the Shivalik Hills, near the Sutlej River, and is one of the most important pilgrimage sites in Sikhism. Anandpur Sahib is the place where the last two Sikh Gurus, Guru Tegh Bahadur and Guru Gobind Singh, lived, and where Guru Gobind Singh founded the Khalsa Panth in 1699. The city is home to Takhat Sri Kesgarh Sahib, the third of the five Takhts in Sikhism. Every year, the city hosts the largest annual Sikh gathering and festivities during Hola Mohalla in the spring season.

Anandpur Sahib is located on National Highway 503, which links Kiratpur Sahib and Chandigarh to Nangal, Una, and further Kangra, Himachal Pradesh. The city is situated near the Sutlej River, the longest of the five rivers that flow through the historic crossroads region of Punjab.

The city was founded in June 1665 by the ninth Sikh Guru, Guru Tegh Bahadur, who previously lived in Kiratpur. He named the village Chakk Nanaki after his mother. In 1675, Guru Tegh Bahadur was beheaded for refusing to convert to Islam under the orders of the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb. His son, Gobind Das, was crowned as his successor and renamed the town to Anandpur. The village grew into a town as Sikhs moved near Guru Gobind Singh. The growing strength of Sikhs in Anandpur under the tenth Guru raised concerns of the neighboring Pahari rajas, the vassals of the Mughal Empire, along with the Mughal ruler Aurangzeb. In 1693, Aurangzeb issued an order that banned large gatherings of Sikhs such as during the festival of Baisakhi. In 1699, Guru Gobind Singh founded the Khalsa panth and gathered a large armed militia. This triggered Aurangzeb and his vassal Hindu kings around Anandpur to blockade Anandpur. This led to several battles, including the First Battle of Anandpur in 1700 and the Second Battle of Anandpur in 1704.

Anandpur Sahib is home to several Gurdwaras, including Gurudwara Takht Sri Kesgarh Sahib, which is the principal Sikh temple in the town and marks the birthplace of Khalsa. Other Gurdwaras include Gurudwara Sisganj, Gurudwara Bhora Sahib, Gurudwara Thara Sahib, Gurudwara Akal Bunga Sahib, Gurudwara Damdama Sahib, Gurudwara Manji Sahib, Gurudwara Shaeedhi Bagh, and Gurudwara Mata Jit Kaur. Anandpur Sahib is also home to five forts built by the 10th Sikh Guru, Guru Gobind Singh, on the border of the city.

Nearby sacred sites include Guru-Ka-Lahore, Bhai Kanhaiya, and Shri Naina Devi ji. As of the 2011 India census, the Anandpur Sahib Municipal Council has a population of 16