Demand to grant holy place status to Ghoman grows
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Chandigarh: At least two prominent politicians from Maharashtra and a Pune-based NGO, Sarhad, which boasts of working to strengthen the cultural and historical bond between Maharashtra and Punjab, have written to Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann seeking holy place status for Ghoman village in Punjab's Gurdaspur district of Punjab.
This is where Maharashtra-born medieval-era poet, saint, and a prominent figure of the Bhakti movement, Sant Namdev, is believed to have spent the final years of his life.
What makes the late saint's association with Punjab even more special is that his 61 hymns (shabads) are also included in the Guru Granth Sahib, considered a 'living Guru' in Sikhism. Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) founder president and Rajya Sabha member Sharad Pawar, in a span of less than five months, wrote twice to CM Mann, requesting the latter to grant holy place status to Ghoman in Gurdaspur.
Currently, Ghoman houses Shri Namdev Darbar, where devotees pray at the 'samadhi' of the late saint. "As you may recall, Ghuman (read Ghoman) holds significant cultural and spiritual importance due to its association with Bhagat Namdev Ji. Given its special significance in Marathi spiritual culture and literature, I request you to look into the matter favourably and expeditiously," Pawar wrote in a letter to CM Mann on July 29, a copy of which is with TOI, as he pointed out the same request made in a preceding letter on March 11.
On March 11, Pawar wrote, "I am forwarding a letter regarding a request that I have been personally associated with and which is very close to the hearts of the people of Maharashtra. Sant Namdev Ji holds a special place in the hearts of the people of Maharashtra, as well as Punjab, where Bhagat Namdev Ji's shabads are revered in Shri Guru Granth Sahib Ji. His spiritual contributions created a lasting bond between the two states.
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Referring to the literary congregation held in 2015, Pawar further pointed out, "During the 88th Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Sahitya Sammelan, which was held in Ghuman (Ghoman), we proposed declaring the village as a holy place, marking its special significance in Marathi spiritual culture and literature. This historic event further highlighted Ghuman's spiritual legacy and its deep-rooted cultural relevance.
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Pawar further wrote, "As per my knowledge, more than 50,000 devotees from Maharashtra and the rest of India visited Sant Namdev's Ghuman last year alone. This clearly reflects the spiritual influence of Sant Namdev Ji's teachings and the deep connection he holds with the hearts and minds of people across India."
Pawar's letter to CM Mann further read, "I earnestly request you to personally look into this matter and take the necessary steps to grant holy place status to Ghuman (Ghoman).
Your esteemed leadership and vision can help in preserving and further enhancing this sacred site."
Sarhad Pune founder president Sanjay Nahar said over the phone that "After writing the letter to Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann, Sharad Pawar also spoke to (AAP national convenor) Arvind Kejriwal to seek holy place status for Ghoman."
Sarhad Pune, while raising the demand in a letter to Punjab CM on March 11, highlighted that "the village holds immense spiritual and cultural significance due to the long stay of Sant Namdev, whose 61 verses are included in the Guru Granth Sahib."
It added that the people of Punjab believe that Ghoman "is also the resting place of Bhagat Namdev Ji."
Sarhad Pune noted that "over the past decade, lakhs of devotees from Maharashtra have visited Ghuman, with thousands choosing to stay there for extended periods."
While demanding holy place status for Ghoman, Sanjay Nahar said, "The govt of Maharashtra has expressed its willingness to contribute wherever necessary.
Elevating Ghuman to this status will not only honour its sacred heritage but also generate employment opportunities for thousands of youth in the surrounding areas."
On May 14, former Union home minister Sushilkumar Shinde, who is also one of the patrons of Sarhad Pune, also wrote a letter to Punjab CM requesting the holy place status for Ghoman. Shinde wrote, "The emotional appeal to grant Ghuman (read Ghoman), the sacred place where Sant Namdev Maharaj dedicated his later years, the status of a national holy site is close to my heart and to millions of devotees in Maharashtra.
As Union minister, I personally took up this issue and wrote to the Prime Minister in 2011, urging for Ghuman's (Ghoman's) recognition as a site of national spiritual importance.
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Shinde further wrote, "Since then, senior leaders from Maharashtra, including Sharad Pawar Ji, have supported the demand and written to your esteemed office."
Shinde pointed out, "Sant Namdev Maharaj is not just a saint of Maharashtra or Punjab — he is a national spiritual icon whose teachings continue to resonate across generations."
According to Shri Namdev Darbar committee joint secretary Sarabjit Singh Bawa, "It is believed that Bhagat Namdev founded Ghoman and meditated here for 18 years."
Bawa said devotees heading to Mata Vaishno Devi from Maharashtra often make a stop at Ghoman either while going to Vaishno Devi or on their return. "There is a serai and a big hall for accommodation."
"For the past couple of years, devotees have been flocking to Ghoman on cycles from Pandharpur of Maharashtra in batches of a hundred or more," he added.
Former Punjab governor Banwarilal Purohit, a veteran politician from Maharashtra, Bawa said, in his capacity as governor, gave Rs 1 crore, of Rs 2 crore cost, for the construction of the serai.
During the 88th Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Sahitya Sammelan in Ghoman, then Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal announced to set up a govt degree college dedicated to Bhagat Namdev and a chair at Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU).
While a constituency college of the GNDU, Baba Namdev University College, was set up in nearby Kishankot the next year, the chair at GNDU remained a non-starter even as it emerged it was reportedly first set up in 1997 and remained defunct.
Union minister of road transport and highways Nitin Gadkari, who attended the inaugural function of the Sammelan, announced the construction of a 157-km-long four-lane cemented road from Amritsar to Una in Himachal Pradesh via Mehta, Ghuman, Tanda, and Hoshiarpur at a cost of Rs 1,800 crore under the national highways project. According to Bawa, "In ten years, of the announced road project, only part of the stretch that was completed is from Amritsar to Mehta.
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Nahar said that devotees from Maharashtra believe that Namdev breathed his last in Pandharpur, Maharashtra, but those from Punjab believe that he took 'samaadhi' in Ghoman.
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