Sant Sohan singh wanted to spread the news of his discovery but none wanted to heard it, it fell on deaf ears. The Gurdwara committee of Musourie the closest town to Uttarkhand were very skeptical, as were the Sharomani Gurdwara Parbandakh Committee, nobody would listen. He then decided to contact Bhai Vir Singh Ji. In 1934 Sohan Singh met Bhai Vir Singh and convinced him that he had found Hemkunt Sahib.

The Brahm Kamal flower, native to the Himalayas. Hemkunt Sahib map

Bhai Vir Singh offered his help to develop the site of Hemkunt Sahib. He gave Sohan Singh funds to buy material and construct a Gurdwara on the shores of the lake. Sohan Singh was accompanied by a Havaldar (army sergeant) called Modan Singh who had offered his services. A year later both of them set off again. They got a local building contractor to start construction of the gurdwara after obtaining local permission. Out of respect for the Hindu mandir that stood on the shores of the lake, it was also enlarged and improved. Such was the devotion of Modan Singh that after retiring from the army he dedicated his life to the service of Hemkunt Sahib.

Bhai Soorat Singh was a Gursikh who even in 1949 used to do make the yatra to Hemkund Sahib. Here he descibes some of the incidents that took place at this sacred place; “Every year I would go from Gobind Dham to Hemkund Sahib and in the evening return back. In those days there was a very small Gurdwara there and I would complete the bhog of a sehaj paath in around 15 or 16 days. When I would do paath though, I wouldn’t speak out aloud but sometimes it seemed to me that the Gurdwara Sahib was filled with Singhs and sometimes there was no one. One day at the time of of the bhog, I finished by saying a Fateh! And to my surprise, it was answered by Singhs sitting in the Darbar. I looked up and five or six of them were wearing blue clothes and the rest were wearing white. All had shastars. One Singh stood and said, “Bhai Sahib, do not doubt us, we are 16 Shaheed Singhs in this Gurdwara and many others also come around here.” Many times I would spend the night in the veranda and I would hear the keertan of Asa Dee Vaar. Once, early morning I was sitting in the veranda when I saw a being riding a white lion come, bathe in the sarovar and then ride off again on the lion.”

In the early days there was no shelter on route to Hemkunt Sahib and Moden Singh would shelter from the fierce wind and cold weather in a hollowed out tree trunk. This tree trunk still stands in the grounds of the gurdwara of Gobind Dham. Today there is a string of gurdwaras from Hardwar to Rishkesh, Srinagar, Joshimat, Gobind Ghat and Gobind Dham where devotees can rest for food and shelter.

A beautiful gurdwara now stands on the shores of the lake of ice in the shape of an upturned lotus flower, designed so that it can withstand the heavy snowfalls that cover it for much of the year. Hot tea is served to all who reach there , many take a dip in the sacred lake. The men dipping in the lake with separate facilities for the ladies next to the Gurdwara. The Guru Granth Sahib Ji is housed within the gurdwara under a beautiful brass canopy. Blankets are available within the gurdwara. Overnight stays at Hemkunt Sahib are not permitted for it is said that shaheed (martyred) spirits make their presence known at amritwale (Gods time – early hours of the morning). Pilgrims make their descent as early as possible for sunset throughout the season is at 6.00pm and the trail can become very difficult. Steadily the pilgrims have increased from 500 in 1977 to over 180,000 in 1990.