Stolen bricks return to temple

By 1590 AD, Amritsar had been established as a major city of north western India. On a visit to the surroundings areas of Amritsar, the congregation requested Guru Arjan Dev for building a new city. They collected funds, and subsequently set up the city of Tarantaran. The local Nawab, Abdul Wajid Khan, controlled the land revenue system from his headquarters at Fatehabad, and he sent a special decree for setting up the municipality. The congregation set up brick kilns, marble workshops, and mortar factories near the site, in a village named Khara, and the construction of the buildings and the holy pool commenced. Nobody asked for any wages, and the congregations built a huge temple complex, with dedication and devotion. The local zamindar and his son, who maintained a small troop of mounted soldiers, decided to take away some of the bricks for building their own house. The congregation brings this to the Guru’s notice, who advises the zamindar and his son to avoid using public assets for private use, because such a practice brings ruin in the long run. But the egotistical father-son duo would have none of this sane counsel.The Guru restrains the angry congregation, and says that the bricks will return to the temple, at the right time.Later, the zamindar’s relations with the Nawab became strained, and an army detachment from Fatehabad decimated the zamindar’s troops and the family residences. The once rich family fell upon bad days, and in time, the palatial havelis were deserted.The next phase of fresh construction at Tarantaran started with Sardar Budh Singh, who expanded the temple precincts. The ground was damp, and the masons decided to make a deeper and stronger foundation. The erstwhile zamindar’s palaces, now just ruins, were broken down, and the bricks used in the temple foundations.The year was 1790. As forecast by Guru Arjan Dev, and two hundred years later, the stolen bricks had returned to the temple.