Giddarbaha is a town in the Muktsar district of East Punjab, India, formerly known as Pipli. A strange story is linked to this town, now widely accepted in Sikh tradition. According to local beliefs, when the tenth Sikh Guru, Guru Gobind Singh, visited the area from Gurusar, he learned that the villagers were being terrorized by a jackal, known as “Giddar” in Punjabi. This jackal would attack the women when they went to draw water from the village well.
As the story goes, the villagers explained the situation to Guru Sahib, who then offered a solution: he arranged for the jackal to be married to a female jackal. Another version claims the jackal was married to a peepal tree. Although these stories are not found in historical texts and seem unreal, a Gurdwara was established in the town based on this tale. Since then, the village’s name changed to “Giddar viaha,” meaning “Jackal Married,” which later evolved into the name Giddarbaha.
