02-04-2005, 03:55 AM
Gurudwaras of Delhi
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Delhi is perhaps the only city to have not one or two but nine important Gurudwaras, which are places of pilgrimage for Sikhs from around the world. While the non-Sikh denizens of Delhi whiz past these hallowed shrines, not many know of the rich histrio-religious legacy of these Gurudwaras.
Guru Nanak is said to have arrived in Delhi near a well. Gurudwara Nanak Piau, north of Subzi Mandi, near Rana Pratap Bagh, is where he is said to have drawn water from the well and served it to travellers and others to quench their thirst. A congregation soon formed and the Guru is said to have propagated the tenets of the Sikh faith here. Today, Gurudwara Nanak Piau is a large Gurudwara befitting the number of pilgrims who congregate here.
The other holy shrine associated with Guru Nanak is the Gurudwara Majnu Tila situated on the banks of the river Yamuna near Chandrawal village. In the year in which Guru Nanak Dev came to Delhi, a Muslim ascetic used to live in the area. The ascetic had a great desire to see God. He performed many austerities and consequently had a lean body famished with austerities. He was called Majnu after the lover of Persian folklore. Guru Nanak held long discourses with Majnu and showed him the path of right devotion to God instead of renunciation and self-immolation.
Majnu's humble hermitage became a missionary centre of Guru Nanak's faith. Guru Hargobind stayed here before and after his imprisonment in Gwalior Fort. In the sanctum of Gurudwara Majnu Tila is a small room with a globular dome above and a passage around it. Baisakhi is celebrated here every year and thousands gather to pray at the Gurudwara.
Today, while the Gurudwara is architecturally in a perfect state. It is difficult to visit the place as it is situated on the west bank of possibly India's most polluted river, the Yamuna. A terrible stench rises from the Yamuna making it difficult for any visitor to stand there. And if anybody gathers the courage to look at the river, terribly filthy sights abound. A sewer flows the choicest of untreated sewage directly into the already polluted river. Plastic abounds, dozens of crows check the sewer out for something edible and they are rarely disappointed. Unfortunately, the state of the Yamuna at Majnu ka Tila is the same as anywhere else in Delhi. The "Clean Yamuna" campaigns have failed here too like everywhere else.
To the south of Humayun's tomb lies Gurudwara Bala Sahib, on the site where Guru Har Kishan was cremated. While he was in Delhi, a severe epidemic of cholera and smallpox hit Delhi. At the time he was just eight years old and began attending patients and giving them succour irrespective of caste or religion. The Muslims of Delhi were deeply touched with the pure humanitarian outlook of the Guru. He came to be called the Child Prophet or Bala Pir, hence the name of the Gurudwara. Mata Sundari and Mata Sahib Devan were also cremated here and their samadhis are also in the Gurudwara's compound.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Delhi is perhaps the only city to have not one or two but nine important Gurudwaras, which are places of pilgrimage for Sikhs from around the world. While the non-Sikh denizens of Delhi whiz past these hallowed shrines, not many know of the rich histrio-religious legacy of these Gurudwaras.
Guru Nanak is said to have arrived in Delhi near a well. Gurudwara Nanak Piau, north of Subzi Mandi, near Rana Pratap Bagh, is where he is said to have drawn water from the well and served it to travellers and others to quench their thirst. A congregation soon formed and the Guru is said to have propagated the tenets of the Sikh faith here. Today, Gurudwara Nanak Piau is a large Gurudwara befitting the number of pilgrims who congregate here.
The other holy shrine associated with Guru Nanak is the Gurudwara Majnu Tila situated on the banks of the river Yamuna near Chandrawal village. In the year in which Guru Nanak Dev came to Delhi, a Muslim ascetic used to live in the area. The ascetic had a great desire to see God. He performed many austerities and consequently had a lean body famished with austerities. He was called Majnu after the lover of Persian folklore. Guru Nanak held long discourses with Majnu and showed him the path of right devotion to God instead of renunciation and self-immolation.
Majnu's humble hermitage became a missionary centre of Guru Nanak's faith. Guru Hargobind stayed here before and after his imprisonment in Gwalior Fort. In the sanctum of Gurudwara Majnu Tila is a small room with a globular dome above and a passage around it. Baisakhi is celebrated here every year and thousands gather to pray at the Gurudwara.
Today, while the Gurudwara is architecturally in a perfect state. It is difficult to visit the place as it is situated on the west bank of possibly India's most polluted river, the Yamuna. A terrible stench rises from the Yamuna making it difficult for any visitor to stand there. And if anybody gathers the courage to look at the river, terribly filthy sights abound. A sewer flows the choicest of untreated sewage directly into the already polluted river. Plastic abounds, dozens of crows check the sewer out for something edible and they are rarely disappointed. Unfortunately, the state of the Yamuna at Majnu ka Tila is the same as anywhere else in Delhi. The "Clean Yamuna" campaigns have failed here too like everywhere else.
To the south of Humayun's tomb lies Gurudwara Bala Sahib, on the site where Guru Har Kishan was cremated. While he was in Delhi, a severe epidemic of cholera and smallpox hit Delhi. At the time he was just eight years old and began attending patients and giving them succour irrespective of caste or religion. The Muslims of Delhi were deeply touched with the pure humanitarian outlook of the Guru. He came to be called the Child Prophet or Bala Pir, hence the name of the Gurudwara. Mata Sundari and Mata Sahib Devan were also cremated here and their samadhis are also in the Gurudwara's compound.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->