Amritsar's Varpal village, with 45 gurdwaras, a nursery of bravehearts

Varpal village is home to a maximum of 45 gurdwaras, a feat that may be unmatchable anywhere in the world.

Each gurdwara is raised in the memory of those martyred Sikhs who laid down their lives while fighting the invading Afghan army, led by Ahmad Shah Abdali.

It was in 1757 AD that the Durrani army, under Ahmed Shah Abdali, headed towards the Golden Temple to avenge its losses suffered at the hands of the Sikh misls.

Responding to the aggression, a group of Sikhs under the leadership of Baba Deep Singh set out from Rajasthan. After passing through different areas, they reached the common border of villages Varpal, Gohalwar and Chabba.

A fierce battle took place where hundreds of valiant Sikhs laid down their lives while fighting the invaders.

Later, several gurdwaras were raised to mark the sacrifices of the martyrs in Varpal. The last rites of the Sikhs who died in this bloody battle were performed at Gurdwara Bachauna Sahib, which is currently being looked after by the Kar Sewa sect of Qila Anandgarh Sahib. Among all gurdwaras it is the prominent one.

Other gurdwaras are Baba Rala Singh, Prem Singh, Gurdwara Baba Pritam Singh, Gurdwara Kul Sahib, Gurdwara Jand Sahib, Gurdwara Baba Kannan Singh, Gurdwara Baba Baggeana Sahib, Gurdwara Ber Sahib, Gurdwara Baba Santokh Singh, Gurdwara Baba Kartar Singh, Gurdwara Baba Harcharan Singh, Gurdwara Baba Arur Singh, Baba Dayal Singh (Rori Sahib), Gurdwara Baba Dharam Singh, Baba Tara Singh, Gurdwara Baba Ajit Singh, Gurdwara Baba Jawand Singh, Gurdwara Baba Kartar Singh, Gurdwara Baba Jeevan Singh, Gurdwara Baba Bakhua Sahib, Gurdwara Baba Kala Mehr, Gurdwara Baba Kapur Singh, Gurdwara Pir Panjal, Gurdwara Baba Himmat Singh, Gurdwara Baba Fauja Singh, Gurdwara Shaheed Baba Balihar Singh, Shaheed Baba Bahl Singh etc.

In the 20th century, residents of Varpal took part in the historic Jaito Morcha. In 1924, after praying at Akal Takht, the first group of 500 Sikhs left for the Jaito Morcha. The group was led by Udham Singh, a resident of Varpal village, who sacrificed his life on February 20-21, 1924.

Three bravehearts of Varpal village had taken part in the second World War. They were: Havildar Mihan Singh, son of Dhan Singh, of the 93rd Burma Infantry, Sepoy Gurcharan Singh, son of Hari Singh, of the 14th Punjab Regiment and Havildar Niranjan Singh, son of Bishan Singh, of the 14th Punjab Regiment.

In 1984, 11 residents of the village were killed during Operation Bluestar and Raj Singh, Gurmej Singh and Karam Singh were jailed in Jodhpur.

In this village, apart from the birth anniversary of the Gurus, big Jor Melas are organised every year in this village dedicated to the martyrs. The village has 4,000 acres of land and 150 acres of government land, out of which 50 acres are arable.

On the origin of Varpal village, a tale popular among the residents is that its early settlers came from Dhudike (Moga), ancestral village of freedom fighter Lala Lajpat Rai. A woman from the early settlers brought her brother to the village and arranged for his stay here, hence the village earned the name “Veer Wali”. Gradually, the pronunciation of the word became Varpal.

Muslim families of the village who had migrated to Pakistan during the Partition in 1947 also named their village Varpal.