Meetha Reetha Sahib Gurudwara in Champawat

Gurudwara Reetha Sahib is located in the district of Champawat, in the Indian state of Uttrakhand. This gurudwara is very sacred in the Sikh religion because Guru Nanak Dev Ji himself visited it with Bhai Mardana. Gurdwara Meetha Reetha Sahib was built in the 1960s and is located near the village of Deyuri in Uttrakhand. Guru Nanak Dev Ji came here with Bhai Mardana Ji.

Jogis were sitting beneath the reetha (soapnut) trees. Guru Nanak Dev Ji sat beneath a reetha tree and requested that Bhai Mardana Ji eat a reetha. Reethas are typically bitter in flavor, but the reetha picked by Guru Nanak Dev Ji for Bhai Mardana Ji was sweet. All of this surprised the Jogis, and when they discovered which side Guru Nanak Dev Ji was sitting on, all of the reethas became sweet.

These trees can still be found in the Gurudwara, and the reethas are said to have a sweet taste. This is why the location is known as Meetha Reetha Sahib. Even today, visitors to the Gurudwara are given sweet reethas (soapnuts) as Prashad. Because of its religious significance, this location is considered sacred by Sikhs. The Devnath temple is also close to the Gurudwara. As this Gurudwara is very sacred, a Sikh fair is held on Baisakhi Purnima. Lala Baisakhi Ram of Haldwani was the Gurudwara’s first caretaker.