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Famous Gurudwaras, Beyond The Known Ones

 India is famous for its large Hindu temples, amazing Jain temples, mosque and grand white Gurdwaras. In this interaction with you, I am going to discuss about Gurdwaras, beyond the known ones. Gurdwara is the place of worship for Sikhs and it literally means ‘door to the Guru’ or ‘the residence of the Guru’.  The unique thing about a Gurdwara is that it is open to people of all faiths and where free food is served to one and all, free of charge, regardless of their religion, caste, gender, economic condition, or ethnicity.

A little about the religion: In the 15th century a religion emerged in India that preached equality, bravery and generosity. The humble saint Guru Nanak founded Sikhism, which proved to be one of the powerful religions in Indian history. Today Sikhism is the fourth largest religion in India. Sikhs are known for their bravery and valor.

India is home to probably 95% of the Sikh population who worship in 1000s of Gurdwaras across the nation. Even with thousands of Gurdwaras established across the nation, they have managed the cleanest and most organized places of worship in India. Let us take a tour to some of the best Gurdwaras in India, beyond the known ones:

1.   Gurudwara Shri Guru Nanak Ji, Kasauli

     

Carved out of white marble, Gurudwara Guru Nanakji is a famous site in Kasauli, Himachal Pradesh. This Gurudwara is counted amongst the oldest Gurudwaras of Sikhism. It holds great religious importance and is frequently visited by numerous Sikhs and Non-Sikh devotees as well. Like other Sikh altars, Gurudwara Shri Guru Nanakji has no symbols, statues, or religious pictures inside the preface, other than the holy book of Sikhism, the Guru Granth Sahib within its premises. The Gurudwara also offers accommodation facilities. 

2.   Nada Sahib,Panchkula

          

 The Nada Sahib Gurudwara , situated on the bank of the river Ghaggar, Panchkula, Haryana,    in the Shivalik foothills. It is famous for being the site where the tenth and last guru, Guru        Gobind Singh had made a halt while he was travelling from Paonta Sahib to Anandpur Sahib  after his victory at the battle of Bhangani in 1688. It is said Nadu Shah Lubana of the  adjoining village served him and his followers with milk and food.

Religious gatherings and community meals take place every day. The full moon day every month is celebrated as a festive occasion attended by a large number of people from the northern region. 

3.   Nanakmatta Gurudwara, Uttrakhand

           

 Situated on the bank of a reservoir Nanak Sagar, Gurudwara Nanak Mata ( often pronounced   as Matta) Sahib is associated with the first Guru, Guru Nanak Devji who went there during his   third Udasi in 1514 A.D. It is one of the one of the holiest site for Sikhs in the state of   Uttarakhand.

Gurdwara Nanak Matta 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 his superiority. Therefore, by using their occult power, they successfully exploited the poor people and obtain advantage due to their ignorance.  It was Guru Nanak ji who enlightened the Yogis to the way of meditation and salvation.

 

4.   Gurudwara Majnu ka Tila, Delhi

   

Gurudwara Majnu ka Tila ( the hillock of Majnu), situated in North Delhi and reckoned to be the oldest Sikh shrine in Delhi. It is named after a local Iranian Sufi mystic, Abdulla, nicknamed Majnu (lost in love) by Guru Nanak Devji. Majnu used to ferry people across the Yamuna for free, as a service to God. His devotion resulted in Guruji staying there for some days. The sixth Guru, Guru Har Gobind Singh, also stayed there for quite some time and this is also one of the reasons that this place holds so much importance amongst Sikh devotees. Sikh military leader Baghel Singh Dhaliwal built the Majnu ka Tila Gurudwara to commemorate the stay in 1783

5.   Gurudwara Nanak Jhira Sahib,Bidar, Karnataka

 

One of the most important Gurudwaras of South India, this magnificient holy site of the followers of Sikhism is a historical shrine located in Bidar in Karnataka. Dedicated to the first Guru, Guru Nanak, founder of Sikhism, this majestic shrine was built a year after India’s independence in 1948.

It is said that Guru Nanak was staying on the outskirts of the place, where there was an acute shortage of water, and the people were dying. Touched by their plight Guru Nanak touched a part of the hillside with his toes and removed some debris, immediately a fountain of sweet water gushed out from there. Today the Gurudwara stands on the side of the fountain. A large number of devotees throng the Gurudwara thrice a year, Holi, Dussehra, and Guru Nanak Birthday.

 

6.   Gurudwara Mata Kaulan, Amritsar

                                                       Source                                

Gurudwara Mata Kaulan, located near the Golden Temple in Amritsar, is one of the popular gurudwaras of Amritsar as well as Punjab. The gurudwara is significant as it is named after a spiritual Muslim lady named Bibi Kaulan. Kaulan means ‘the one who is living in the abode of Lotus’. She is said to have accompanied a Muslim saint Mian Mir, who had laid the foundation stone for the Golden Temple more 400 years ago, and had taken refuge with the sixth Sikh guru, Guru Hargobind Ji.

During the plague epidemic,Sikhs came from Amritsar to Lahore and served the patients with their own hands. This dedication of the Sikhs impressed Kaulanji as she too became a disciple of the true Guru. 

7.   Ram Rai Gurudwara,Dehradun

Located in Dehradun, Uttarakhand, Ram Rai Gurudwara is one of the most intriguing yet sought-after holy shrines in Sikhism today. The Gurudwara was built by Baba Ram Rai or Guru Ram Rai, the eldest son of Sri Har Rai Ji, the seventh Guru of Sikhs, in the 17th century. Devotees from the Udaseen sect, within the Sikh community, visit the Gurudwara all around the year. The Gurudwara was built by Guru Ram Rai after he was banished by the orthodox Sikh sect from his home town in order to stop him from becoming the Sikh Guru.

 

Guru Ram Rai’s brother Guru Har Krishan was the eighth of the ten Sikh Gurus.

Inputs and pics courtesy Google, Wikipedia, holidify.com, 

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