page_title: Baba Harbhajan Singh
section_title: Death and associated legend
hierarchical_section_title: Baba Harbhajan Singh / Death and associated legend
caption_attribution_description: Plaque in the temple of Baba Harbhajan Singh
context_page_description: Captain "Baba" Harbhajan Singh was an Indian army soldier. Service period: 30 June 1965 - 1 December 2006
  He is revered as the "Hero of Nathula" by soldiers of the Indian army, who built a shrine in his honor. He was accorded the state of the saint by believers who refer to him as the "Baba". Many of his faithful - chiefly Indian army personnel posted in and around the Nathu La and the Sino-Indian border between the state of Sikkim and Tibet Autonomous Region - have come to believe his spirit protects every soldier in the inhospitable high-altitude terrain of the Eastern Himalayas. As with most saints, Baba is believed to grant favors to those who revere and worship him. He is said to be protecting the country even after death.
context_section_description: He was martyred in 1968 near the Nathu La in eastern Sikkim, India. Harbhajan Singh's early death at the age of 22 is the subject of legend and religious veneration that has become popular  among Indian Army regulars (jawans), the people of his village and apparently soldiers of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) across the border guarding the Indo-Chinese border between Sikkim and Tibet.
  The official version of his death is that he was a martyr of battle at the 14,500 feet (4,400 m) Nathu La, a mountain pass between Tibet and Sikkim where many battles took place between the Indian Army and the PLA during the 1965 Sino-Indian war.
  According to legend, Singh drowned in a glacier while leading a column of mules carrying supplies to a remote outpost. His remains were found after a three-day search. His body was subsequently cremated with full military honors. The legend further claims that the late Singh helped the search party find his body. Many Indian soldiers have revealed that in the event of a war between India and China, Baba would warn the Indian soldiers of an impending attack at least three days in advance. During flag meetings between the two nations at Nathu La, the Chinese set a chair aside to honor him.
  As per common belief, any army official not maintaining a clean and disciplined attire is punished with a slap by Baba himself. His own attire which hangs in the display need not be cleaned by anyone as it gets cleaned by his own soul.
caption: Plaque at Baba Harbhajan Singh's shrine.
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