More than 300 years later, the Jore Sahib belonging to Guru Gobind Singh and his wife Mata Sahib Kaur will find a permanent resting place at Gurudwara Patna Sahib in Bihar. The revered relics, which have been preserved by the family of Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri for over 300 years, will now return to the birthplace of the tenth Sikh Guru.
Announcing the decision during a press conference held here on Saturday, the Union Minister said that the decision to choose Gurdwara Patna Sahib as the permanent home for the Jore sahib was taken after multiple rounds of consultation with Sikh Gurudwara Prabandhak Committees of Delhi and Patna sahib, and the Sikh sangat.
The sacred relics comprise a single piece of footwear each — Guru Gobind Singh Ji Maharaj’s right shoe, measuring approximately 11 inches by 3½ inches, and Mata Sahib Kaur Ji’s left shoe, about 9 inches by 3 inches. A procession will be carried out to transport the Jore Sahib to Gurudwara Patna Sahib. Puri said that the exact dates and the route plan will be shared in coming days. Apart from the weapons once owned by Guru Gobind Singh, the gurudwara also houses his Jora Sahib and other artefacts belonging to the guru.
Hardeep Singh Puri has earlier shared that his family considers it a profound blessing and honour to have been the custodians of these revered relics, bestowed upon their ancestors by Guru Gobind Singh Ji and Mata Sahib Kaur Ji over three centuries ago. He recounted that their forebear was granted the privilege of serving the Tenth Guru directly, and as the story goes, Guru Maharaj, pleased with his devotion, offered him any boon of his choosing.
The late Sardar Jasmeet Singh Puri, Puri’s cousin, served as the last custodian of the relics, and it was his wife, Manpreet, who expressed the wish that the sacred artefacts be placed in a fitting and permanent home.
Puri also disclosed that he had the holy relics carefully examined by the Ministry of Culture. “Carbon testing has also been done to establish their authenticity and supreme religious and spiritual importance,” he said.
The Union Minister further shared that, on a personal level, choosing the final resting place for the Jore Sahib was an emotional decision, as he had initially wished for the relics to be enshrined in a Gurudwara in New Delhi. However, he said, “Since Patna Sahib is the birthplace of Guru Sahib, it is only fitting that his sacred belongings find a permanent home there. The historic Gurudwara draws countless devotees from across India and abroad, allowing more of the faithful to offer their respects to the revered Jore Sahib.”