Gurdwara Hemkunt Sahib (is a Sikh shrine present in Uttarakhand state in India at a place called Lokpal, which is now associated with the tenth Guru, Guru Gobind Singh.

However, what distinguishes it from other historical sites linked to the great Guru is that this site is connected to the Guru’s previous incarnation as the mighty warrior, Dusht Daman. According to some interpretations, the tenth Sikh Guru mentions this place in his composition Bachitar Natak which is found in the Dasam Granth, the second most important scripture of the Sikhs.

Sikhs believe that this holy place, known as Hemkunt (lake of ice/lit. cut in the snow), is the tap asthan (place of meditation and prayer) at which the tenth and final living Guru of the Sikhs achieved union with God in his previous incarnation. From there, the Guru was summoned by God to be reborn into the world to teach the people the true path.

Sikh pilgrims go there to be inspired to walk the same difficult path that the Guru walked, both in body and in spirit, and to, through the Guru’s grace, realize their connection with God in the same place where the Guru realized his.

At Hemkunt Sahib, Sikhs feel closer to the Guru and, through the Guru, closer to God.