Standing taller than Delhi’s Qutub Minar, the Fateh Burj (Victory Tower) at Chappar Chiri village in Punjab’s Mohali district became the tallest religious tower in the country following its inauguration Wednesday, officials said. Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, in the presence of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Rajnath Singh, Arunachal Pradesh Governor and former Army chief J.J. Khanduri,
dedicated the tower to the nation amidst a religious ceremony. The tower is dedicated to the memory of Sikh warrior Baba Banda Singh Bahadur, who established the Sikh state in the country by defeating Mughal forces led by Wazir Khan. The battle was fought to avenge the killing of the four young sons of tenth Sikh guru, Gobind Singh, and hundreds of other Sikhs and Hindus by the Mughal forces. The battle between the Sikh and Mughal forces was fought at Chappar Chiri, which is now part of Mohali town, 20 km from Chandigarh. Various teams of Nihangs, a warrior sect of Sikhs, displayed a mock war scene of Chappar Chiri at the event. Spread over 20 acres of land, the memorial was completed at a cost of nearly Rs.36 crore in less than one year. The memorial also has six mounds with the statues of Banda Singh Bahadur and his five generals – Fateh Singh, Aali Singh, Mali Singh, Baj Singh and Ram Singh.
