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Paonta Sahib is situated on the bank of the river Yamuna. The historic town of Paonta Sahib was founded by the Guru Gobind Singh Ji. When he was only sixteen years old, the Guru left Anandpur Sahib and on the invitation of Raja Maidini Prakash of Sirmour, lived at this beautiful place for over four years from 1685 to 1688. It is a bustling town with beautiful scenery. and growing industries. Gurudwara Sri Paonta Sahib retains memories of Guru Gobind Singh in the form of his weapons. It is here, where he penned the `Dasam Granth'. The Gurdwara houses some interesting spots that traces the events in the life of Guru Gobind Singh. There is Shri Talab Asthan where he disbursed salaries, and the Shri Dastar Asthan where he judged the turban - tying competitions. The Kavi Durbar was the venue of the poetic symposia. A memorial dedicated to Kalpi Rishi, and a museum showcasing the pens of the Guru and the weapons of those times, are also located within the precincts of the Gurudwara It is said that peaceful Doon valley silently flowing Yamuna river and beautiful surroundings were charming. Guru Gobind Singh ji came here and rested his foot on this soil for quite a long duration and the place was subsequent named as Paon- tika (foot-rested) . Another version which finds mention in the Revenue Report of Majra of 1889, is that while bathing in the Yamuna the Guru’s foot ornament called “Paonta”, slipped and was lost forever in the river. The place was known afterwards as Paonta Sahib since then. He enjoyed hunting in the thick forests around. The opportunites were enormous. The Guru wrote, "I enjoyed myself on the banks of Yamuna and saw amusements of different kinds." The Guru took many steps to beautify Paonta and devoted most of his time in composing poetry. He was so much enamoured of poetry that he invited fifty two poets to his court. The pleasant environment and salubrious climate refreshed his mind. Most of the time he spent in reading and writing. The Gurdwara has been built on the bank of the river Yamuna on the spot where Guru Govind Singh dismounted from his horse after arriving at Paonta. Paonta Sahib is about 45 km. from Nahan on Shimla-Nahan- DehraDun road at an elevation of 397.7 meters from the sea level. Yamuna River flows on one side of the town separating it from Uttrakhand. During this period he engaged himself not only in hunting and training his warrior Sikhs in the martial arts, but also in literary activities composing many works of religious as well as heroic poetry and patronizing several talented poets and writers whom he employed mostly for translating ancient classics into contemporary Braj or Punjabi. 52 poets from all over the country would be invited by Guru ji in Kavi Darbar and couplets of Shri Guru Granth Sahib was composed in meter. It was a literary congregation of scholars coming from Banaras In those days a group of 500 udasis (a reclusive sect owing their origin from Baba Siri Chand, the eldest son of Guru Nanak Dev Ji) under the leadership of Mahant Kirpal Das, came to Paonta. They were conversant with gurbani and Sikh history and had played a useful role as missionaries. Guru Sahib Ji entertained them, allotted suitable accommodation for their stay and provided them with provisions for preparation of their own meals in the puritan fashion of their sect. Towards the end of his stay, he also fought and won the first battle of his life against a combination of hill chiefs hostile to him, in his words, 'for no cause'. Before he left for Anandpur Sahib, he appointed Bhai Bishan Singh to look after the fortress-like complex and the Gurdwara within it. This is the place, where Guru used to hold his court and wrote the major portion of the Dassam Granth. The Guru also built the Paonta Fort. It was built in over hundred acres of land, which housed not only his followers, but as many as 46 famous poets. The Guru left Paonta Sahib after the battle of Bhangani with Raja Fateh Shah, in which he defeated the errant ruler’s army after thirty days of battle. The Guru stayed there for over four years.The Gurudwara is situated at an elevation of of 200m a.s.l. Within its precincts are the Sri Talab Sthan, where the Guru disbursed salaries. Sri Dastar Sthan is where he judged the turban-tying competitions. At the Kavi Darbar Sthan, poetic symposia were held.A museum displays pens of the Guru and weapons of the time. There is also a memorial to Kalpi Rishi. Besides,the Guru selected a site noted for its scenic beauty and splendour and got constructed a fort on the bank of Yamuna. Here Pir Buddhu Shah a renowned Muslim saint living in Sadhaura near paonta,called on the Guru. The two had a long discourse and ultimately the muslim holyman recognised the superiority of the Guru. He became a devotee of the tenth Master. The building was reconstructed in 1823 by Baba Kapur Singh with funds provided by Sardar Sahib Singh Sandhanwalia. The shrine and about 120 acres of land attached to it continued to be controlled by hereditary mahants until Nihangs occupied it forcibly in 1964. This was followed by a raid by Himachal Pradesh policed in which 11 Nihangs were killed. After lengthy enquiries and court proceedings, the management was entrusted to an eleven-member committee with the president of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee as its ex-officio chairman. Meanwhile the Himachal Pradesh government had permanently allotted most of the land of Gurdwara Sri Paonta Sahib to former tenants under Big Landed Estates Abolition Act passed by it. The Gurdwara complex spreading over three acres includes, besides the main sanctum Darbar Sahib, several smaller shrines connected with the Guru's activities here. They are Talab Asthan, where pay was disbursed; Kavi Darbar Asthan, where literary works were recited and discussed; Dastar Astha, where robes of honour were given to warriors for their performance during the battle of Bhangari; a memorial to Rishi Kalpi, whom the Guru had brought from his hermitage to stay here; and the Gobind Ghat leading down to the river waters; and of course, the inevitable Guru Ka Langar. All thee places have been reconstructed or renovated during the 1980s. .

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