Ambala is a city and a municipal corporation in the State of Haryana.

The name of Ambala orginated from Amb (mango) groves which existed in its immediate neighborhood.

Ambala was given the status of a district in 1847, formed by the merging of the jagir estates of hitherto independent chieftains whose territories had lapsed or had been confiscated by the British Indian Government.

There are 5 Historic Sikh Gurdwaras in Ambala City.

Gurdwara Sri Manji Sahib Ambala was constructed at the place where the Sri Guru Hargobind Sahib Ji stayed during his visit to Ambala city. The grand Gurdwara building is located on the GT Road (Sher Shah Suri Marg). The Sikhs visit this Gurdwara and have a dip in the sarovar nearby.

Guru Hargobind is said to have stayed here while on his way to meet Emperor Jahangir. The villagers of the nearby Khurampur Majri complained of perennial scarcity of drinking water.

The Guru encouraged them a dig a baoli and instructed some Sikhs who lived here to assist the villagers in digging and lining the baoli. The Guru was pleased to see the work completed on his return from Delhi.

The Sikhs established a memorial platform, Manji Sahib, at the place where the Guru had stayed near the baoli. But the baoli again got partly filled up and fell into disuse. After the conquest of Sirhind in 1764, when the Dal Khalsa distributed territories among various misls, Ambala was occupied by Sardar Mehar Singh of Nishananwali Misl. Sardar Mehar Singh had the baoli cleared and cleaned and established a Gurdwara at the site of the Manji Sahib.

This is the present Gurdwara Manji Sahib, the premier Gurdwara of Ambala. Maharaja Hira Singh of Nabha (1871-1911) rebuilt it in the beginning of the 20th century. Further development took place after 1947. The Gurdwara is close to the first bus stop of the city when approached from Punjab by the Grand Trunk Road. The old baoli is still there and therefore the Gurdwara is also called Baoli Sahib and Sikhs still take Amrit from the Baoli.