Historical Gurdwaras in India

State of MADHYA PARDESH

Gwalior

1) Gurdwara Data Bandi Chhor Patshahi 6 Guru Hargobind Sahib Ji - Gwalior is a well-known city, 120 kilometres south of Agra and well connected by rail and road. Its historical fort built atop a hill is a prominent landmark overlooking the town below. Mughal rulers used this fort as a prison for chiefs and nobles of status. Emperor Jahangir ordered the incarceration of Guru Hargobind here at the instigation of the Guru's detractors. However, when the Sufi Saint Mian Mir and other sympathizers interceded, the Emperor not only ordered the Guru's release but also sought the internee nobles as a man of God, pious as well as brave. When they heard of his release, they looked up to him for succour. Guru Hargobind thereat refused to be released unless other internees were also let out. The emperor agreed to release as many of them as could come out holding the fringe of the Guru's rule. The Guru, narrate the chroniclers, had a long robe made with many strings attached to it which enabled all the fifty-two captives to come out of the fort with him. This earned for the Guru the epithet Data Bandi Chhor, lit. the munificent liberator. Chroniclers differ about the dates and duration of the Guru's detention. But it appears that it was only for a few months sometime between 1617 and 1619. A shrine bearing the name was established inside the fort. It was looked after by Muslim priests until the Sikhs acquired possession and established a Gurdwara after the Independence in 1947. The original shrine in the form of a marbled platform is still maintained near the entrance to Gurdwara Data Bandi Chhor Patshahi 6 Guru Hargobind Sahib Ji, as it is now named. The present building complex spread over six acres was constructed under the supervision of Sant Jhanda Singh and Utam Singh Mauni of Khadur Sahib during the 1970s and 1980s. The principal building is a six-storey edifice near the old shrine. The sanctum is on one side of a high-ceilinged, almost square hall on the ground floor. There is a basement below of the same size as the hall and four storeys of room above the sanctum. Guru ka Langar with its vast dining hall and residential rooms for staff and pilgrims are in a separate, adjoining compound. It is a peculiarity of this Gurdwara to have two sarvoars, one each for gents and ladies.


Burhanpur

1) Gurdwara Rajghat Sangat Pahili Pathshai - Burhanpur, an old walled town in Khandwa district of Madhya Pradesh, is on the banks of Tapti River, four kilometres from Burhanpur railway station on the Delhi-Itarsi-Bombay line. Guru Nanak Dev and Guru Gobind Singh visited Burhanpur. One of Bhai Gurdas's Vars points to the existence of a Sikh Sangat here in early seventeenth century. Later, during the eighteenth century, Hathi Singh son of Mata Sundari's adopted son Ajit Singh lived here. There are now two historical Gurdwaras at Burhanpur. Gurdwara Rajghat Sangat Pahili Pathshai on the river bank dedicated to Guru Nanak Dev is in a single room and is looked after by a Nihang Singh who lives in a similar room close by.

2) Gurdwara Bari sangat - about two furlong northwest of the walled city is much more flourishing and frequented. It marks the site where Guru Gobind Singh, traveling to the south with emperor Bahadur Shah, stayed in May-June 1708. Later Hathi Singh made his abode here. This Gurdwara has 16 acres of land attached to it. Guru Granth sahib is seated on a marble canopied seat in the middle of a spacious high-ceilinged, rectangular hall which has a gallery at mid-height on three sides. Above the hall, over the sanctum, are two floors of square rooms with a domed pavilion on top. An old hand-written copy of Guru Granth Sahib is preserved in this Gurdwara. Its pages have beautifully drawn border in multicolour.