Read What's Special About Baba Harbhajan Singh Mandir!

There are countless temples of gods and goddesses in our country, but there is one temple in India that is built on a soldier. This soldier continues to protect the nation even after his death. It is worshipped by not only Indian soldiers but also Chinese soldiers, from distances. This soldier was Harbhajan Singh, a soldier of the Indian Army who bid farewell to this world on 4th October 1968. Let's take a look at the story of Baba Harbhajan Singh.

A route from Gangtok to Nathu La is approximately 8 kilometers long, with a turning off it to the left leading to the memorial of Harbhajan Singh, a soldier of the Indian Army. This memorial is a popular destination for tourists and remains under the full control of the military. After visiting the shrine, it is customary for visitors to be stamped with a mark of the military.

In 1956, Harbhajan Singh was recruited into the Punjab Regiment, after which he was incorporated into the Signal Core. On June 30th 1965, Harbhajan Singh was granted a commission and then appointed to the 14 Rajpoot Regiment. During the 1965 Indo-Pak War, he played an important role. Afterwards, he was transferred to the 18 Rajput Regiment.

In 1968, Harbhajan Singh was stationed with the 23rd Punjab Regiment in East Sikkim. On October 4th of the same year, he was travelling with a group of Khacharos carrying rations from Nathula pass to Dongchu. It is said that at that moment his foot slipped and he fell into the river. Due to the strong flow his body got carried away two kilometers downstream. When the news of this incident reached the officers of the Indian Army, a search operation was initiated and after 5 days, he was declared lost. The following day, one of his fellow sepoys, Pritam Singh, had a dream in which Harbhajan Singh revealed the details of his death and the location of his body.

Initially, the army officers had no faith in the story but some officials went to the site where Harbhajan Singh's body was found. Everyone was shocked when they saw the body. After that, they held a final ceremony in his honour. Some time after the ceremony, Harbhajan Singh appeared in Pratap Singh's dream and expressed his desire to create a shrine. Following this, the army built a shrine at a place called "Chokya Cho".

After that, stories of Baba's miracles began to circulate. It was said that he was still patrolling the border and that even Chinese PLA soldiers had heard of the same. It was reported that an invisible force was seen to be patrolling the border. Many times Baba had comed in dreams of soldiers and told that he had seen Chinese soldiers in action and when Indian soldiers went there, what he had said was found to be true. Gradually, it spread on all sides that Baba was still on his duty and protecting the borders with his presence. Baba Harbhajan Singh's shoes and other belongings have been preserved in the temple and every day his shoes are polished; Soldiers say that pebbles are found on his shoes and silken threads on his bed.

Apart from the Indian Army, it is believed that China's military also saw Baba Harbhajan Singh riding a horse at night. According to sources, Baba Harbhajan Singh is still serving the Indian Army and in recognition of this, the Indian Army has built a temple.

It is also said that there are magical qualities in the water kept in a pot there, and by worshipping it for 21 days, devotees can get relief from their illnesses. The Indian Army has provided Baba Bunkar with a temple-like structure containing a table, a cot, and a small bed. His shroud is also kept in the same bunkar. It is said that sometimes this shroud is used, and then re-folded and placed again. The bunkar is slightly elevated.

Baba Harbhajan Singh was from Kapurthala in Punjab and was given a promotion and made a captain after his miracles were recognised. He was given such great respect that whenever there was a flag meeting between Indian and Chinese army, another chair was kept for him. Every year, his belongings were brought from Sikkim to New Jalpaiguri Railway Station and from there, he was sent to his home place Kapurthala. This was done as an honor to him. A short film 'Plus Minus' based on his life was also made featuring famous YouTube star Bhuvan Bam and Bollywood actress Divya Dutta.