"The Gurdwara is more than a place of worship — it is the heart of the community, a refuge, a school, a kitchen, and a home for all."
| District | Jalandhar, Punjab |
| Tehsil | Nakodar |
| Pincode | 144043 |
| From Jalandhar | 27 km south |
| From Nakodar | 4 km |
| From Amritsar | ~120 km |
| Population | 1,615 (344 households) |
| Coordinates | 31°06′32″N 75°31′08″E |
| Main language | Punjabi |
The word Ramgarhia comes from Ram (God) and Garh (fort) — meaning Custodians of the Castle of God.
The Ramgarhia community is the Tarkhan tribe of Punjab — the master carpenters and craftsmen. The Jheeta family are Tarkhans. This is our community, our heritage, our identity within Sikhism.
Because of Jassa Singh Ramgarhia's Tarkhan roots, Tarkhans who became Sikhs came to be known as Ramgarhias. The Ramgarhia Misl was one of the sovereign Sikh confederacies of 18th century Punjab.
Bhai Lalo was a Tarkhan carpenter, born in 1452, in the village of Saidpur — now known as Eminabad in modern Pakistan. His father Bhai Jagat Ram belonged to the Ghataura clan of the Tarkhan caste, the same clan that would later become known as Ramgarhia. Bhai Lalo was the first known Ramgarhia to embrace Sikhism, blessed personally by Guru Nanak Dev Ji.
When Guru Nanak visited Saidpur, the wealthy official Malik Bhago held a grand feast and invited the Guru. But Guru Nanak chose to eat the simple, honest food of Bhai Lalo instead. When asked why, Guru Nanak took food from both men and squeezed them: from Bhai Lalo's food came milk — the fruit of honest labour; from Malik Bhago's food came blood — the fruit of exploitation and greed.
Guru Nanak declared: "I have no caste. In my view all men are equal. A man who does good, noble deeds is a high-caste man. Bhai Lalo is such a man."
The Jheeta family are Tarkhans of the Jalandhar district — the same Tarkhan tribe as Bhai Lalo. We carry that same blessing of honest, God-honoured craft in our hands to this day.
Jassa Singh Ramgarhia was born into a Tarkhan family at Ichogil village near Amritsar in 1723. His grandfather Hardas Singh had taken the Pahul — the Sikh baptismal oath — from Guru Gobind Singh himself.
He founded and led the Ramgarhia Misl — one of the sovereign Sikh confederacies of 18th century Punjab — and became one of the greatest military commanders in Sikh history. He built the fort of Ramgarh at Amritsar, from which the name Ramgarhia derives.
He died in 1803 aged 80. Because of his Tarkhan roots, all Tarkhan Sikhs came to be known as Ramgarhias. He is the reason our community carries that proud name.
Bir Pind · Nakodar Tehsil · Jalandhar District · Punjab 144043 · India