Significance

The small town of Hemkunt Sahib has a star shaped Gurudwara, dedicated to Guru Gobind Singhji, the last guru of Sikhs and his saintly teachings. The place was not established as a pilgrimage centre till 20th century, as it was a hidden from people's reach. The autobiography of Gobind Singhji has mentions of Hemkunt Sahib, but the chapter was not believed much, as there was no sign of such place. Pandit Tara Singh Narotam, a nineteenth century Nirmala scholar, was the first Sikh to trace the geographical location of Hemkunt. Later, renowned Sikh scholar, Bhai Vir Singh was instrumental in developing Hemkunt after it had been, discovered in search of the Guru's tap asthan.

Guru Gobind Singh, while on his penance here wrote about his earlier incarnations. In 'Bachitra Natak' the great Guru relates his story in the following words- "I shall now relate my own story, how God sent me into this world. I was busy performing penance on the hills of 'Hemkunt' where seven peaks are prominent. The place is called 'Sapt Shring' where King Pandu had performed Yoga, there I practiced austerity and worshipped the god of death." There is a small lake near the Gurudwara, called Amrit Sarovar, is considered very holy and its a ritual to bath in the lake. Though the lake remains frozen for almost entire year, it doesn't stops a devout to take a dip in the freezing waters of lake, to pay homage to Gobind Singhji.