Baba Harbhajan Singh Temple

The story of Major Harbhajan Singh is legendary in these parts. The young soldier was stationed here at Nathu La on his first posting at the age of 27. During the Indo-China war, he lost his footing and fell, while on the way to a remote outpost. His body wasn’t found, and his colleagues returned to their posts grieving for their friend. A few days later, one of them had a dream, in which his missing friend directed him to a spot where he said his body would be found. The soldier and a few others headed to the spot and there indeed found the body of their dead comrade. The body of Harbhajan Singh was accorded all due honours and cremated according to the custom. Sometime later, he appeared in another soldier’s dream, warning him of an impending Chinese ambush. The platoon set out with its doubts, just in case, and found the enemy waiting. Thus forewarned, they had the upper hand and vanquished the Chinese in that ambush. The warnings continued through the war and after the war had ended for many surprise attacks. Soon the dead soldier was more than just a hero to his colleagues. He was a legend, a divine soul. They built a shrine to him in the bunker he had lived in, preserving all his personal articles in a sort of museum. Soon, the belief spread, and more people began visiting the shrine, testifying to the curative powers of water kept overnight in the shrine. Most interestingly, the Chinese too believe in the heroic soldier’s divinity, since they regularly see a lone soldier patrolling the borders, of whom only a shadow is seen!
Faith in Baba Harbhajan Singh only continues to grow and the army treats him as a regular officer. Tickets are booked for his trip home every year, and his friends accompany him on the journey, ensuring that the seat booked for him is left empty. A seat is placed for him at the weekly meetings between the Indian and Chinese officials by mutual consent. The original shrine in the bunker is a half hour drive from Nathu La. Another temple has recently been built a little closer to make it easier for the pilgrims to get his blessings. You can combine a visit to these two shrines with a visit to Nathu La and Tsongmo Lake.