Lehal Library

54 The Punjab and the Birth of Sikhism Arjun had to raise money for the building of the temple. All Sikhs were asked to donate a tenth of their income (dasvaildh) in the name of the Guru. The masands were instmcted to come to Cak Ram Das every first of Baisakh to render accounts and bring with them as many Sikhs as could conveniently accompany them. In this way a central finance pool was created for the construction of the temple, as well as for starting other communal projects.21 The modest town grew into the premier commercial city of the province. After the temple was completed and the tank filled with water, it was given a new name, Amrit-sar (the pool of nectar). What Benares was to the Hindus and Mecca to the Muslims, Amritsar became to the Sikhs: their most imponant place of pilgrimage. Arjun undertook a tour ofthe neighbouring country. lnAD 1590 he had another tank dug at a place about eleven miles south of Amritsar, which he blessed as taran tiiran (pool of sah'acion}. It soon earned a reputation for having healing properties and Taran Taran became another place of pilgrimage, particularly for those afflicted with leprosy. A large temple and a lepres.sarium were built near the tank. From Taran Taran, Arjun went to the Jullundur Doab and raised a third town called Kanarpur.tt From Kanarpur he went to Lahore and from there to the river Beas, on whose banks he built yet anoth~r town which he named after his son, Hargobind, as Sri Hargobindpur. In fi\'e years of travelling in central Punjab, Arjun brought imo his fold thousands ofJats of the Majha country, the sturdiest peasanls of the Punjab. Arjun returned to Amritsar in 1595 and discovered that Prithi Chand had not been idJe in forwarding his pretensions. He had begun to compile an anthology of ·sacred' writings in which he was inserting compositions of his own. Arjun realized the danger of a spurious scripture gaining currency. He abandoned his 21 One commodity in which the Sikhs began co crade extensively w-as horses. These merchants were the main suppliers to the cavaln·. which some years later became the most powerful fighting force in nonhem India. 22 This is clistinct from the Kartarpur where the first Guni spent the last years of his life and where he died.