Gurdwara Bangla Sahib

The most prominent Sikh Gurdwara, or Sikh house of worship, in Delhi. It is instantly recognisable by its stunning golden dome and tall flagpole. Gurdwara Bangla Sahib was originally a bungalow belonging to Raja Jai Singh, an Indian ruler in the seventeenth century. The eighth Sikh Guru, Guru Har Krishan resided here during his stay in Delhi. During that time, there was a smallpox and cholera epidemic, and Guru Har Krishan helped the suffering by giving aid and fresh water from the well at this house. The water is now revered as having healing properties, and is taken by Sikhs throughout the world back to their homes. The Gurdwara is now a place of pilgrimage for both Sikhs and Hindus. The grounds include the temple, a kitchen, a large pond, a school and an art gallery. As with all Sikh Gurdwaras, the concept of langar is practiced, and all people, regardless of race or religion may eat in the Gurdwara kitchen. At the Gurdwara, visitors are reminded to cover their hair and not to wear shoes. Head scarves and a shoe minding service can be found inside the compound and are available free of charge.

Gurdwara Rakab Ganj Sahib

In Delhi marks the site, where Lakhi Shah Vanjara, a disciple of the ninth Sikh Guru, Guru Tegh Bahadur, burnt his own house so as to cremate the body of the Guru. Guru Tegh Bahadur had been beheaded in Chandni Chowk on the orders of the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb for refusing to accept Islam. That spot is marked by another Gurdwara, Gurdwara Sis Ganj Sahib. The Guru's severed head was brought from Delhi to Anandpur Sahib by Bhai Jaita, another disciple and was cremated by his son, Gobind Rai, who later became Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth and last Guru of the Sikhs. This place is marked by a Gurdwara which is also called Gurdwara Sis Ganj Sahib.

Gurdwara Sis Ganj Sahib

Built at the site in the Chandni Chowk area of Old Delhi, where the ninth Sikh Guru, Guru Tegh Bahadur was beheaded on the orders of the Mughal emperor in 1675 A.D., Aurangzeb for refusing to convert to Islam. Before his body could be quartered and exposed to public view, it was stolen under the cover of darkness by one of his disciples, Lakhi Shah Vanjara, who then burnt his house to cremate the Guru's body. This place is marked by another Gurdwara, Gurdwara Rakab Ganj Sahib. The severed head('Sis') of Guru Tegh Bahadur was brought to Anandpur Sahib by Bhai Jaita, another disciple of the Guru. It was cremated by the Guru's son, Gobind Rai, who would later become Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth and last Guru of the Sikhs. The Gurdwara at this place is also called Gurdwara Sis Ganj Sahib

Gurdwara Sri Nanak Mata Sahib

Associated with the first Guru, Guru Nanak Devji who went there during his Third Udasi in 1514 A.D. At that time, Gurdwara Sri Nanak Mata Sahib was the abode of the devotees of Guru Gorakhnath and it was called Gorakhmata. The yogis who lived there did not want the local people to become learned enough to challenge their superiority. Therefore, by using their occult powers, they successfully exploited the poor people.

Guru Nanak Dev Ji sat there meditating under a pipal tree. The yogis were surprised to see him there as this place was quite inaccessible, especially during the winters. The weather being cold, Bhai Mardana requested the yogis for some fire but was refused. The yogis, instead, taunted him and told him that he should go and ask his Guru who was with him.

At this, Guru Nanak Dev Ji looked at a pile of firewood nearby and it was instantly lit. The weather suddenly became bad and it began to rain. As a result, the fires lit by the yogis were extinguished but the one lit by Guru ji was not affected at all. The yogis realized their mistake and fell at the feet of the Guru. The next morning, they all gathered together and came to Guru ji for a religious discussion. They again used their occult powers and tried to lift the pipal tree under which Guru ji was sitting out of the ground. When the tree had risen by a few feet, Guru ji simply placed his hand on it and it stopped rising. The same tree can be seen in the Gurdwara compound. Guru ji taught the yogis the path of true meditation and salvation. This place then came to be known as Nanak Mata and became a major centre of the Udasi sect.

About a century later, Baba Almast came to Gurdwara Sri Nanak Mata Sahib and found that the place had again been taken over by Gorakhpanthi yogis. He could not evict them and sent a message for help to the Sixth Guru, Guru Hargobind Sahib. Guru ji immediately came and restored the place as a Sikh shrine. Thereafter, Baba Almast established a very big religious centre here. The main gurpurabs celebrated here are the birthdays of Guru Nanak Dev ji and Guru Hargobind ji. The festival of Diwali is also celebrated with great fervour

Gurdwara Siri Paonta Sahib

Was founded in 1685 by Guru Gobind Singh, who stayed here upto 1688. During this period he engaged himself not only in hunting and training his warrior Sikhs in the martial arts, but also in literary activities composing many works of religious as well as heroic poetry and patronizing several talented poets and writers whom he employed mostly for translating ancient classics into contemporary Braj or Punjabi. Towards the end of his stay, he also fought and won the first battle of his life against a combination of hill chiefs hostile to him, in his words, 'for no cause'. Before he left for Anandpur Sahib, he appointed Bhai Bishan Singh to look after the fortress-like complex and the Gurdwara within it. The building was reconstructed in 1823 by Baba Kapur Singh with funds provided by Sardar Sahib Singh Sandhanwalia. The shrine and about 120 acres of land attached to it continued to be controlled by hereditary mahants until Nihangs occupied it forcibly in 1964. This was followed by a raid by Himachal Pradesh policed in which 11 Nihangs were killed. After lengthy enquiries and court proceedings, the management was entrusted to an eleven-member committee with the president of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee as its ex-officio chairman. Meanwhile the Himachal Pradesh government had permanently allotted most of the land of Gurdwara Sri Paonta Sahib to former tenants under Big Landed Estates Abolition Act passed by it. The Gurdwara complex spreading over three acres includes, besides the main sanctum Darbar Sahib, several smaller shrines connected with the Guru's activities here. They are Talab Asthan, where pay was disbursed; Kavi Darbar Asthan, where literary works were recited and discussed; Dastar Astha, where robes of honour were given to warriors for their performance during the battle of Bhangari; a memorial to Rishi Kalpi, whom the Guru had brought from his hermitage to stay here; and the Gobind Ghat leading down to the river waters; and of course, the inevitable Guru Ka Langar. All thee places have been reconstructed or renovated during the 1980s.

Hemkunt Sahib

Associated with the tenth Guru, Guru Gobind Singh Ji. Guru Sahib Ji mentions this place in his composition Bachitar Natak. But it was not until the twentieth century after many long years of searching that Hemkunt Sahib was finally discovered.

In the Indian epic and Puranic literature, Himalayan landscapes are described as the dwelling places of gods and goddesses. Pilgrimage shrines mark the places where the landforms themselves - mountains, rivers, forests, and lakes - are said to have acquired sacred qualities. High above the tree line, in the midst of a natural rock garden of moss, ferns, and flowers, is one such sacred place: a small, blue-green lake fed by water which cascades down from the surrounding mountain walls. Located in the Uttarkhand Himalayas bordering Tibet and Nepal, it is accessible for only four months of the year. Between June and October, sun and monsoon rains melt the ice and snow that are its namesake. Then, the steep stone footpath that leads to the lake is crowded with pilgrims and tourists. They journey to the base of the route on foot from neighbouring mountain valleys, or from the plains in buses, cars, and trucks, on scooters and bicycles, even by foot. Then for two days they climb upward. Finally, at the top of more than a thousand stone steps, the holy lake, the Sri Hemkunt Sahib Gurdwara comes into view. For thousands of years this place has remained unknown to humans, a place of utter beauty and peaceful serenity, high in the snow capped mountains of the Himalayas. Here a natural lake lies on a plateau at a height of 15,000 feet surrounded by seven white clad peaks. To the Sikhs this place is known a Hemkunt Sahib