Historical Gurdwaras of India and Pakistan Yatra Part 2: Patna

Day 4: Patna 

Next we flew from Delhi to Patna Sahib in the province of Bihar (see map). In the airport, we found out you are only allowed inside if you have a flight, and they check your ID to go in (but not for getting onto the plane which was quite different). There were separate lines for female security where you are checked thoroughly behind a curtain instead of out in public, again quite different than Canadian security. Your boarding card gets stamped as you go through security, and all your bags need written tags even the carry-ons. Then you need your boarding card to get off the plane as well! Exiting the airport, we were swarmed by 15 or 20 taxi drivers who wanted to give us a ride. We hired some drivers for the day. Patna has a population of 2 million.  

TAKHT SRI HARMANDIRJI, PATNA SAHIB

This is where Guru Gobind Singh Ji was born and the first of the Takhts we visited. During Guru Nanak Dev Ji’s first Udasi, this was the haveli of Salis Rai Jouri. Guru Ji made this the first Manji, place to spread the Parchar of Sikhi. Guru Teg Bahadur Ji also came here in 1722.  The Gurdwara Sahib was built by Maharaja Ranjit Singh and unfortunately had to be re-constructed due to fire and then an earthquake.   

This Chola Sahib belonged to Guru Gobind Singh Ji and was worn at the age of 15. It had been with a family in Pakistan who had been taking care of it until the mother passed away. Then the daughter took over care of the Chola Sahib and gave it over so that it could be seen by all at Takht Sri HarmandirJi. 

This is Mata Ji's Khoo (well). It is blocked off on top so no one falls in. 

GURU KA BAAG

When Guru Teg Bahadur Ji heard of the news of his son’s birth, Guru Ji had been away doing important work in Assam. When Guru Ji returned to Patna he stayed in a dried bagh (garden) where he met Gobind Rai at the age of four. The garden then became lush, and the Nawab who owned it was so surprised at the miracle that he gifted it to Guru Ji. The Gurdwara Sahib has Thadha Sahib (where Guru Ji sat), old well, and dried stump of Imli tree where sangat met Guru Ji. 

Kara of Guru Teg Bahadur Ji. Ours look very small comparatively now. 

This well actually works to bring up water

GURDWARA GOU GHAT SAHIB 

A ghat is a place on the bank for bathing or harboring boats.This was Bhagat Jaitmal’s house, who was a 350 year old Bhagat visited by Guru Nanak Dev Ji. He asked Guru Ji for Mukhti, but he was advised to wait until the 9^thGuru’s blessings. At that time he was too old to bathe in the Ganga, thus Guru Ji asked him to make a pond and that the Ganga would come bathe him, in the form of a cow. When Guru Teg Bahadur Ji arrived, the doors of the house were closed as the children’s noises offten bothered Bhagat Ji in worship. One window was open where the sangat called the Bahagt to advise him Guru Ji arrived. Bhagat Ji said if he has, then he doesn’t need to open the door. Then Guru Ji rode on his horse and went through the window itself, tying his horse with a rope and sitting where Guru Nanak Dev Ji sat. Jaitamal then got Mukhti. Guru Ji stayed for four months. At that time, Aurangzeb ordered King Bishan Singh to leave for Assam who sought Guru Ji’s help to go to Assam with him. Guru Ji said he needed to get the house constructed first. There was an unequal pair of wood (thumms) brought for construction which was slowing construction. The laborers complained that they were too short to fix the roof, but the next day Guru Ji said they weren’t short. As the laborers tried to fix them, they became long. When they were put into the earth, they became short again. Guru Ji asked them to leave the construction incomplete because there would be a time in the future that the sangat would finish it. 

In this Gurdwara there is the chakki of Mata Gujri Ji, window of the house of Jaitamal, Thara Sahib where Guru Teg Bahadur Sat, and the tree where Guru Ji tied his horse. 

 

This is the tree where Guru Ji tied his horse. 

This is where Ganga came to Jaitamal in the form of a cow. 

These are the Thumm Sahib.  

The window is the path that Guru Ji took to get inside. 

Chakki of Mata Ji 

GURDWARA KANGAN GHAT SAHIB

Young Gobind Rai used to play here. He threw his gold kara into the Ganga here (to show renounciation of wordly affairs/maya), which has now receded back. Guru Ji also blessed mental peace to Pandit Shiv Dutt here. They are constructing a new Gurdwara Sahib here.  

 

This is the old Gurdwara Sahib (one room). 

The Ganga has receded to here.

GURDWARA BAL LEELA MAINEE

We then took an “auto” (like a rickshaw but its an electric scooter in the front and seats many people) to Bal Leela Gurdwara Sahib. This is the history written outside the Gurdwara "When Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji was a young boy he used to play in the palace of Raja Fateh Chand Maini. Everydat the Queen Rani Vishambra Devi Ji of Raja Fateh Chand used to wish for a son as innocent, naive, pure and simple as Guru. Being omniscient one day while playing Guru Ji went and sat down in Queen's lap and said that he was her son. Queen's eyes filled with tears and told Guru Ji about her wish to have a son like him. Guru Ji replied that he was the only one like himself in the whole world, so she can consider him as her son. Guru Ji and his firends while playing felt hungry and asked the Queen for something to eat. So the Indian meal of purs, black grams and halwah (karah) which was being cooked in the royal kitchen was served the same, after some time when Guru Ji was about to go to Sri Anandpur Sahib, Queen implored him to stay. Guru Ji asked the Queen to serve children with the same food he had eaten at her apalce and added that he will be present wherever there will be children. History tells us that Guru Ji used to brush his teeth using the stem of cranberry tree. Once after bushing his teeth Guru Ji planted that stem and blessed it to become a tree which will remain green till the end of time. That tree till today is green and flourishing in the backyard of Gurdwara Sahib. People who are childhless visit this place and partake of the fruit of the cranberry tree after praying, their wishes are all fuflilled. Everyone who comes to pray here is served food and shelter round the clock with all dedication and humblesness..." 

The couple treated Gobind Rai as their own son and donated their property to him. Gobind Rai told his mother he gained another mother, and Mata Gujri asked “then how will one son play in two laps”, Gobind Rai replied “Just as one moon is visible in two ponds at the same time” (source Sikhiwiki). 

The new Yatri Niwas (saran).

We went back to the Takht for Aarti and stayed in the Saran there. A saran is a place within the Gurdwara complex that is a place to live for people visiting and have basic amenities like a bed and bathroom. Whether there is hot water, AC, shower (vs bucket), blankets, garbage can, or toilet paper varies. They either charge a minimal fee or it is free depending on the specific saran. It was amazing to be able to stay in the proximity of the Takht. 

Day 5

We listened to Asa Di Waar at 330 am and spent the morning at the Takht. It was a very special time to enjoy time at the Gurdwara sahib as it was peaceful. There were monkeys fighting all night which I actually thought were birds chirping. They were all over the Gurdwara Sahib saran and apparently can be quite aggressive so we were careful when we took pictures of them!

Next we went to the airport for our flight to Delhi so we could go to Hazur Sahib. Our flight was “Indigo” with an all female crew and pilot which was really cool. We were all sad to leave because it had been such a profoundly peaceful experience. 

Life in Patna: 

Handpainted murals were along a large part of town 

References 

https://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Takhat_Sachkhand_Sri_Patna_Sahib

https://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Guru_ka_Bagh

https://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Gurdwara_Gau_Ghat_(Patna)

https://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Gurdwara_Kangan_Ghat

http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Gurdwara_Bal_Lila_Maini

Historical Gurdwaras of India and Pakistan Yatra Part 1: Delhi

I had a life-changing experience travelling to India and Pakistan for a yatra of historical Gurdwaras including the 5 Takhts. I’ll be sharing pictures and history from our travels in parts over the next few weeks as I am still working on processing my trip and sorting through the photos. My family had been planning this trip for over twenty years, trying to sort out an appropriate time amongst time commitments and other considerations. God blessed us with this opportunity to go on a yatra to both India and Pakistan. 

I think this trip is actually a lot more significant to me at this stage in my life than it would have been earlier on. In particular, the last few years have given me a deeper understanding of my spiritual journey and purpose in Sikhi. This path of self-exploration gave me a lot of valuable life skills and personal skills that impact my life on a daily basis, including self-confidence and a new understanding of my life as a Sikh woman living in western society. So it wasn’t at all about sight-seeing but rather about furthering my connection to God. It was such a relief to take myself out of my work life, away from social media and all emails and just to focus solely on my mind and soul. Having come back from this trip, I understand who I am on a whole new level. I am even more passionate to spread the love and inspiration I received to others, so I hope to share that journey with you over the next few weeks. 

Day 1 and 2: Travel 

After Ardas at our local Gurdwara Sahib, we set off on our journey from Prince George, BC to Delhi. We took a flight from Prince George to Vancouver, then direct Vancouver to Delhi. It was the morning of day 3 when we landed in Delhi. 

Day 3: Delhi  

It was a shock to get out of the airport as there was severe pollution. Many people put their chunni or other cloth over their face to breathe. There were a few immediate observations such as the security officers having large machine guns (compared to Canada where we don’t), pay bathrooms, non-existence of toilet paper, and lack of seatbelts. Driving along there was a lot of barbed wire around buildings and even parks. Traffic was even more chaotic than I had anticipated based off of watching movies, but finally we got to the first Gurdwara Sahib in our Yatra. 

Delhi is very important for our Sikh history, as it is the location of the martyrdom of Guru Teg Bahadur Ji, Jyoti Jot of Guru Harkrishan Ji, martyrdom of Bandha Singh Bahadur, and the events of November 1984. The historic Gurdwaras were originally constructed by Bhaghel Singh in 1783. At a lot of the Gurdwara Sahibs across India, photography is restricted in some way: no selfies or no photos inside the main hall, etc. The rules varied by Gurdwara and are understandable given that people nowadays may focus on taking selfies instead of focusing on Guru Ji and learning from Gurbani. Originally I had not planned on taking a lot of photos because I wanted to focus on my connection and time in meditation, however when I got there I realized that perhaps I wouldn’t get the chance to see these Gurdwara Sahibs again, so for inspiration and to share my experience with others, I did take a lot of pictures- where it was allowed. I tried to follow all the rules for respectful picture taking and to focus the majority of my time in enjoying the experience.  

GURDWARA SIS GANJ SAHIB

This Gurdwara Sahib is where Guru Teg Bahadur Ji was martyred at Chandni Chowk. For more information on Guru Ji’s shaheedi, see the post “Shaheedi of Guru Teg Bahadur Ji”. Guru Ji was martyred November 24, 1675 and saved the Hindus from having to convert to Islam. There was a storm after the shaheedi, during which Lakhi Shah Vanjara recovered Guru Ji’s body and cremated it by setting his whole house on fire (site of Gurdwara Rakab Ganj Sahib). Bhai Jaita Ji took Guru Ji’s body to Anandpur Sahib to be cremated by Gobind Rai. Once he took Amrit, he was renamed Bhai Jivan Singh and became shaheed at Chamkaur.

Walking up to the Gurdwara Sahib it’s a relief to be able to wash your feet in some cool water and head up the stairs. Going inside the Gurdwara brought tears to my eyes. It was an emotional experience to finally be in India, where our Guru Ji made such an impactful sacrifice. After years of reading our history on the internet, it was a transformative experience to finally walk on that same dharti (earth) that our Guru Jis walked. Interestingly with all the busyness of city life in Delhi, as soon as you enter the Gurdwara Sahib you get so much peace from the kirtan that you would never want to leave. 

GURDWARA BANGLA SAHIB

We watch the program on Bangla Sahib on our TV everyday so it was very special to get to visit. Originally it was the Bungalow of Mirza Raja Jai Singh, which is why it is now named Bangla Sahib. Guru Harkrishan Ji’s brother, Ramrai, who had mis-translated Gurbani on purpose for Aurangzeb, got Aurganzeb to call Guru Ji to Delhi. While in Delhi, Guru Ji stayed with Mirza Raja Jai Singh, who was a devotee. Guru Ji served those that were ill from smallpox and cured them, also taking any offerings from Sangat and giving them back to the poor in the form of food and clothing. Finally, Guru Ji took on the disease of smallpox to cure the city and became jyoti jyot October 6, 1661. Due to this, Guru Ji never did meet with Aurganzeb. 

Going to Bangla Sahib was spectacular. We went to the sarovar, and also drank some Amrit Jal (water with healing properties). We also saw a museum at Bangla Sahib, here are some pictures. 

Museum:

Replica of Maharaja Ranjit Singh's throne

GURDWARA RAKAB GANJ SAHIB 

As mentioned above, this is the cremation site for Guru Teg Bahadur Ji’s body. 

 

GURDWARA MOTI BAG

Prince Muazzam (son of Aurangzeb, aka Bahadur Shah) was well known to the Sikhs. He had written to Aurganzeb saying that the Shivalik Hill Rajas were falsely spreading rumors about Guru Ji and they were the real troublemakers, but as a result of speaking up the Prince was imprisoned for some time. Later, he refused to take part in the attack on Anandpur Sahib (during which the older sahibzaade were Shaheed). Once Aurganzeb died, Bhai Nand Lal Ji asked Guru Ji to help the Prince in his battle for succession, so Guru Ji came to the location of Moti Bagh in 1707. Upon his arrival, Guru Ji shot two arrows which hit the throne of the Prince, who was in the red fort (8 miles away). The first announced his arrival in Delhi- the Prince took this as a miracle! The second carried a paper saying "It is not magic but skill of archery". The spot from which Guru Ji shot the arrows is next to the Gurdwara Sahib and we were able to visit it. 

 

Black arrow points to where Guru Ji shot the arrows

After this, we stayed in the Holiday Inn in Delhi which was a really posh experience compared to the Holiday Inns I have been in Canada. Since the companies are international, there is security for hotels like this so we had to get a vehicle check and scanner before going in. It was a relief to get to spend the night in a hotel bed after all the travelling we did. 

Some pictures of greenery in Delhi- there was a surprising amount of greenspace even with it being so crowded.

The next part of our trip was our visit to Sri Harmandirji, Patna Sahib- stay tuned. 

References for history: 

https://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Gurdwara_Sis_Ganj_Sahib

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gurudwara_Sis_Ganj_Sahib

https://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Gurdwara_Bangla_Sahib

https://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Gurdwara_Rakab_Ganj_Sahibhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gurdwara_Rakab_Ganj_Sahib

https://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Gurdwara_Motibagh_Sahib

Jallianwala Bagh Massacre

Today we commemorate the 100^th anniversary of the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre which occurred April 13, 1919 in Amritsar. Just a few days ago I got to see this memorial so I will share some pictures from it below. The history of this massacre is deeply embedded into the political situation at the time so it is difficult to provide a short summary without digging into the history both before and after. If you want to read more, see the sources below.  

Jallianwala bagh is a garden belonging to Sardar Himmat Singh Jallevalia as he was from the village Jalla. It is closeby to Harmandir Sahib so when you are walking on the way you can see the bagh. Following the first World War there was quite a bit of unrest amongst the Indian population, who increasingly wanted independence. The people were suffering due to loss of casualties, inflation and taxation, as well as losses from the 1918 flu. Due to the unrest, a committee called the Rowlatt Committee, named after Judge Rowlatt who was president of the committee, was headed to investigate conspiracies tied to the revolution movement. The committee recommended two bills, and finally the Rowlatt Act was passed on March 10, 1919. This act allowed emergency measures like indefinite jail time without a trial for anyone suspected of terrorism, arrest without warrant, juryless trial, and denying the person right to know evidence against them, etc. 

In Punjab, there were peaceful strikes against this act. Governor of Punjab Michael O’Dwyer decided to deport two of the leaders, Dr Satyapal and Dr Saif Udin Kitchlew from Amritsar on April 9. This led to a strike in Amritsar and citizens protesting, however officers fired on the citizens, killing 20-30 people which further incited a mob. Brigadier-General Reginal Dyer then set up army rule, although it wasn’t even officially proclaimed until April 15 (AFTER the massacre). He prohibited meetings and gatherings on April 12. Nonetheless, Sikhs came together on April 13^thfor Vaisakhi. They were having a peaceful meeting of approximately 15-20,000 at Jallianwala Bagh to pass some resolutions.

General Dyer appeared and ordered firing into the crowd without warning. Civil Surgeon Dr Williams DeeMeddy estimated 1526 casualties, and the Indian National Congress estimated 1000, the majority Sikhs. There were 120 bodies found from those who jumped into the well. Many were injured and left to die from their injuries. The youngest casuality was found to be a 6 week infant. In a further Enquiry, General Dyer was found guilty of mistaken notion of duty and relieved of his command. He had made no efforts to peacefully end the meeting of the crowds and had purposefully blocked the main exists. Dyer himself admitted his intention had NOT been to disperse the crowds. Even Winston Churchill stated “‘The crowd was unarmed, except with bludgeons. It was not attacking anybody or anything… When fire had been opened upon it to disperse it, it tried to run away. Pinned up in a narrow place considerably smaller than Trafalgar Square, with hardly any exits, and packed together so that one bullet would drive through three or four bodies, the people ran madly this way and the other. When the fire was directed upon the centre, they ran to the sides. The fire was then directed to the sides. Many threw themselves down on the ground, the fire was then directed down on the ground. This was continued to 8 to 10 minutes, and it stopped only when the ammunition had reached the point of exhaustion.’” Former British Prime Minister Asquith is reported to have said it was "one of the worst outrages in the whole of our history” upon learning of the events. 

The fallout was extensive. Following this horrendous act, the Gyanis of Harmandir Sahib conferred a saropa upon this General, which led Sikhs to call for the Gurdwara Reform movement, demanding the mahants to be removed from the control of the Gurdwaras. As a result, the Shiromani Committee was formed. The Rowlatt Act was subsequently repealed in 1922. Udham Singh observed this massacre as a child leading to his role in the independence of India. Indeed this event had a critical role in the history of India’s independence. 

Coming upon the 100^thanniversary of this tragic event, we remember those who were killed at Jallianwala Bagh. Here are some pictures from my visit to the memorial site at the bagh. As we were walking through the narrow entrance, you can't help but get a heavy feeling in your chest. May we always remember our history. 

 

"General Dyer conducted soldiers for firing on innocent crowds of Indians through this passage"

 

The well 

References

http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Jallianwalla_Bagh_massacre

https://manvirsingh.blogspot.com/search?q=bagh

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rowlatt_Act

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jallianwala_Bagh_massacre

Happy Vaisakhi!

Happy Vaisakhi 2019! There will be an Akhand paath and Saturday is the Nishan Sahib Sewa. I've been away so I haven't posted in a long time but I am working on preparing some posts. I got to actually visit Takht Sri Kesgarh Sahib in Anandpur Sahib recently, so I will share some pictures in the future. 

On Vaisakhi 1699 Guru Gobind Singh Ji called hundreds of thousands of Sikhs to gather at Anandpur Sahib. The crowd was completely silent, fully taking in the words of Guru Ji. After spiritual discourse, Guru Ji addressed the crowd, and then took out his sword and asked for a sacrifice, a head. Suddenly the sangat was scared. Bhai Daya Ram Ji approached. Guru Ji went in a tent and came back with his sword, dripping with blood. He asked for another head. Next was Bhai Dharam Das, then Sahib Chand, Himmat Chand, and finally Mokham Chand. Some of the sangat started to disperse in fear, when suddenly Guru Ji came out with all five and performed the Amrit ceremony. These Singhs became our Panj Pyare, the embodiment of the Guru. Then Guru Ji got the 5 to baptize him. The mother of the Khalsa is Mata Sahib Kaur Ji. She added patasay to the Amrit.

Guru Ji gave the Khalsa the distinct identity of today- kesh, kanga, kirpan, kachera, kara, and kanga. This united the Khalsa and because the panj were from different castes and now equal, it also showed that there would be equality and no caste distinction. The identity was important in that no Sikh would be allowed to hide- their identity would stand out as Sikh and therefore they would be responsible for their actions. 

The Khalsa was important in uniting the Sikhs as saint-soldiers, as warriors in standing up against the oppression and injustices that were being faced. Sikh women were given the middle name Kaur (princess) and males were given the middle name Singh (lion). May we all embody the names Kaur and Singh as we have been given them. 

References: 

http://www.sikhanswers.com/sikh-history-personalities/panj-pyaare-of-vaisakhi-1699/

https://www.sikh24.com/2015/03/30/poem-vaisakhi-by-gurmit-kaur-uk/

http://www.sikhismguide.org/vaisakhi.aspx 

www.sikhiwiki.org

http://www.sikh-history.com/sikhhist/events/khalsa.html

http://manvirsingh.blogspot.ca/2005/11/dhan-mata-sahib-kaur-ji.html