This is a continuation of our yatra. From Pakistan we went back over to India at the Wagah border.
Day 16
Day 16
In the morning we went across the border again to India. We reconvened with our fellow travellers. We rented out a Tempo Traveller and got a driver to take us on a tour of the rest of the Gurdwaras.
GURDWARA BIR BABA BUDDHA SAHIB
This Gurdwara Sahib is just outside Amritsar and remembers Baba Buddha Ji. When Mata Ganga Ji, wife of Guru Arjan Dev Ji wanted a child, Guru Ji suggested she visit Baba Buddha Ji for blessings. Mata Ji had food prepared by others and visited, but Baba Ji refused to accept the food. When she prepared the meal herself, he accepted and smashed an onion to tell her that her son (Guru Hargobind Sahib) would be a warrior who crushed the heads of his enemies as he had crushed the onion. Thus she was blessed with a son. This Gurdwara Sahib is where this event took place and they still serve onions. The Gurdwara Sahib was build by Baba Kharak Singh. A bir means a forest for cattle grazing. Baba ji looked after a bir offered to Guru Arjan Dev Ji by Chaudhari Langah.
GURDWARA SRI JANAM ASTHAAN GURU AMARDAS JI
This is in Basarke on the way to Amritsar. It is the birthplace of Guru Amardas Ji. This Gurdwara Sahib was very quiet and peaceful.
GURDWARA BIBI AMRO JI
This Gurdwara Sahib was right next to Gurdwara Sri Janamasthan Guru Amardas Ji. It was Bibi Amro’s singing of Guru Nanak Dev Ji’s bani that led (Guru) Amardas to give up his trip to the Ganga and instead went to go serve Guru Angad Dev Ji for 12 years.
GURDWARA SRI SANH (pronounced SUN) SAHIB
This is also in Basarke (pronounced Baa-sr-kay). After Guru Amardas Ji was named successor, Datu, the son of Guru Angad Dev Ji forced Guru Amardas Ji out of Goindwal. In fact, he kicked Guru Ji off his seat onto the floor but the humble Guru Ji only rubbed Datu’s foot saying “I am old and my bones have grown very hard, I fear they have hurt your tender foot.” Guru Amardas Ji returned to Basarke and closed himself in a hut with a note that “He who opens this door is no Sikh of mine, nor I am his Guru.” A group of Sikhs led by Baba Buddha Ji arrived, and finally Baba Ji made a hole in the wall to ask Guru Ji to return. This hole is still there.
GURDWARA CHEHARTA SAHIB (pronounced Sheh-herta= 6 wheeled well)
This Gurdwara is also near Amritsar, near Guru Ki Wadali village which is the birthplace of Guru Hargobind Sahib. In celebration of his birth, Guru Arjan Dev Ji made a large well with 6 persian wheels which helped to serve to green the fields in this area.
Driving to Pingalwara we passed this College:
PINGALWARA
We next visited the Amritsar branch of Pingalwara (See post History of Pingalwara for more details). Pingalwara was founded by Bhagat Puran Singh and means “home of the crippled.” This is a care facility for those with physical or mental health conditions, orphans, and those abandoned, impoverished, or abused. We got to see their museum and get a tour of their facilities. Unfortunately Dr. Inderjit Kaur who currently runs Pingalwara wasn’t there but we got to meet others from there, including a young man who had himself grown up in Pingalwara and now worked there. I had saved up my money from my very first paycheck in residency and got to hand deliver it. It was inspiring to get to meet the patients and to know that it was making a difference.
GURDWARA SRI SHAHEED GANJ BABA DEEP SINGH
We went back to this Gurdwara Sahib as the last time we had went the line had been too long to matha tek.
The system for Parshad for Gurdwaras in India is also different than Canada. You go and get a parchi (give a donation and get a piece of paper), and then go get some degh, which then gets mixed in with the degh for the bhog. Then you are given it as a blessing to eat. The degh comes in little containers made out of leaves. The reasoning is so that it is accountable where the donations go, and because then people know they are getting degh from the Gurdwara Sahib itself (there were signs at many places not to take parshad from any strangers).
After a long day we stayed at the Hyatt hotel for the night. Stay tuned for the next part where we travelled to Taran Taaran.
References
Google Maps
Google Maps
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