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Baba Lehna Singh Budha Dal
Early Life
Baba Lehna Singh was born in Thuth, Mulanpur Dhaka, near Ludhiana, India, to devout parents Baba Dyal Singh and Mata Nand Kaur. From a young age, he demonstrated a strong desire to fulfill his household duties and devote himself fully to spiritual pursuits. He joined the holy congregation at Sri Damdama Sahib and received instruction in the recitation of Gurbani from Jathedar Baba Karam Singh. He quickly gained recognition for his impressive memorization of holy passages and his deep meditation on the word of God.
Baba Lehna Singh was known for engaging in spiritual conversations with other Singhs using scriptural parables, even in social settings. In 1971, Jathedar Baba Karam Singh entrusted him with the leadership of Sri Damdama Sahib, and under his guidance, the spiritual service of the poor flourished. In addition to his spiritual pursuits, Baba Lehna Singh was also active in improving and expanding the facilities at Sri Damdama Sahib. He built a new hall for feeding the congregation and an oriental façade called the “Darshani Deori” at the main entrance. He also purchased additional land to expand the temple grounds and worked to improve the holy precincts. Baba Lehna Singh took on the difficult task of constructing a holy lake (Sarovar) around the Gurudwara’s boundaries. He and his Singhs collected water from five sacred pools in Amritsar and mixed them in the newly erected stream. This task was completed on Baisakhi in 1972, and on April 13th of that year, Baba Lehna Singh and Sant Ajaib Singh consecrated the pool by bathing in it, followed by the holy congregation.Despite his responsibilities as a leader, Baba Lehna Singh maintained a simple and modest lifestyle, participating in manual labor such as tending to cattle and farming. He also followed a strict spiritual regimen, including reciting Japji Sahib and Nitnem for extended periods and bathing in cold water at 1am and not coming out for up to 5 hours. Throughout his life, Baba Lehna Singh remained deeply devoted to God and eventually had the blessed vision of the Ten Sikh Gurus, the Five Beloved Ones, and the Divine Martyrs, from whom he received spiritual insights. After achieving spiritual enlightenment, Baba Lehna Singh often conversed with celestial beings while reciting Chandi Di Var. He passed away on September 22, 1993, and the divine congregation at Sri Damdama Sahib requested that Baba Joginder Singh succeed him as leader. Baba Lehna Singh is still revered by the holy congregation at Raqba and the surrounding villages and towns, and his passing is commemorated annually with fervent worship from devotees who come from all regions to attend the Barsi held from September 20–22nd. It is said that divine beings appeared before a local family and requested that they donate their land to the congregation because it was on that spot that Sri Guru Hargobind’s horse had rested. The family complied, and the presence of divine martyrs is still felt at the Gurudwara at Damdama Sahib.
