Birth of Ram Rai, Rup Kaur and Guru Harkrishan
Guru Har Rai had spent about 13 years in the Thapal village (in the old state of Nahan/Sirmaur, in Lohgarh zone), his children Ram Rai (24-2-1646), Rup Kaur 9-4-1649) and Guru Harkishan (20-7-1652) must have been born here.
In 1657 Guru Har Rai visited Keeratpur, Goindval, Sialkot and Kashmir, etc. he spent the next two years at Keeratpur where he breathed his last in 1661. Guru Harkishan could not visit Thapal or Lohgarh because he remained Guru only for three years. Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib founded the town of Chakk Nanaki (now a part of a Greater Anandpur Sahib) in 1665. He spent about four years (1666 to In February 1711, even the Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah stayed there and spent some time hunting in the hills.This has been referred to by Pancholi Jagjivan Das in his letter to the ruler of Jaipur.
In his ‘History of the Sikh Gurus’, Har Ram Gupta says that, “in Shikasta Persian with a slight change of dots and curves Nahan was written by the scribe as Thapal. Thapal is no place in the territory of Raja Karam Parkash. It is undoubtedly Nahan, capital of Sirmaur state. In fact Hari Ram Gupta could not find Thapal; hence he made this statement. Several writers including Indu Bhushan Bannerjee (Evolution of the Khalsa, II, 48) Ganda Singh (Makhiz-e-Twarikh-e-Sikhism, I, 45); Chunnigham (A History of the Sikhs, 55) have accepted it as Thapal. Khushwant Simgh (A History of the Sikhs, I, 6) read it as Taksal or Tangral near Kasauli. Tarlochan Singh refutes Har Ram Gupta’s contention that Nahan is the birthplace of Ram Rai and Har Karishan. In support of his statement, Singh argues that, “There is no historical place commemorating the visit of Guru Har Rai in Nahan, but there are historical shrines commemorating the visit of Guru Gobind Singh in Nahan and other places in Sirmaur.”
1670) in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Bengal and Assam and preached his mission in these areas; hence he too could not visit Lohgarh. During this time Lakhi Rai Vanjara and his sons monitored the construction of Lohgarh Fort.
Guru Tegh Bahadur embraced martyrdom in 1675. Guru Gobind Singh spent 10 years (up to 1685) at Chakk Nanaki. He visited Nahan in April 1685 and founded the town of Paonta Sahib. He spent the next three years and a half at Paonta. During this period he gave the last touches to the Fort of Lohgarh Fort. Bhai Lakhi Rai Vanjara had died in 1680 but his sons remained with the Guru. They were a part of the Guru’s army and they participated in all the battles of the Guru.
In November 1688, Guru Gobind Singh returned to Chakk Nanaki and began the work of construction of five Forts at Chakk Nanaki (Fatehgarh), Anandpur Sahib (Anandgarh), Sahota (Lohgarh), Tirgarh (Tirgarh) and Agamgarh (Holgarh/ Agamgarh).
