“Countless are the names and the places where you (God) dwells,
countless worlds that have never been reached.
To say countless is to burden the mind” – Guru Nanak Dev
In the midst of the hustle and cacophony of city life, a Gurudwara provides a serene heaven that vibrates with devotional fervour. The Gurudwar Nanak Durbar or ‘a gateway to the Guru’ is how the devout describe it. Constructed by Saroar Sihan Singh Basi in April 1972, this particular Gurudwara is located in the serene cantonment area near Ghandigram, new HSL colony.
Sikhism is a simple belief that preaches love and peace. A few features of Sufism are distinctly found in the teachings and thoughts of Guru Nanak like ecstatic devotion to God, love for God through the love for humanity and love of music. A true Sikh believes that the five K’s, namely the kesh (hair), kanga (comb), kadha (bangle), kirpan (knife), kashera (shots) are necessary. These five are articles of faith, defining the Sikh’s way of life.
“From its brilliancy everything is illuminated.” – Guru Nanak Dev
At the entrance is an impressive tall flag pole, the Nishan Sahib. Within, there is a room exclusively for footwear. The main complex has two halls; the divan hall which is the main hall and langar hall. It also has sachkandh sahib, where holy items are placed. A langar is an integral part of a Gurdwara, where food is served to all the visitors (without distinction of background) for free; here it is often served on Sundays. There is also a huge kitchen (where food to be offered to the Gods is prepared) and a cooking arena where a meal for more than 500 people can be cooked. The ingredients are usually donated by worshippers.
“As fragrance abides in the flower, As reflection is within the mirror,
So does your Lord abide within you, Why search for him without?” – Guru Nanak Dev
One of the daily routines in this abode of worship is the appealing practice of picking a page from among 3600 pages of the upadesha at random and displaying on the notice board. This is displayed as the ‘word of God’. This serene destination transforms into a lively hub on festivals. Celebrations like Baisakhi, a form of New Year and Gurpurb, the anniversary celebration related to the lives of the Sikh gurus are big events. On the occasions like marriage, birth and death a Kirtan is performed. Akhandpath, when the Guru Granth Saheb, the sacred book of the Sikhs is read out loud without a pause is also done here. Competitions for children on festive occasion like birthdays of Guru Nanak are organised regularly. An erudite library which contains all sorts of Sikh’s books, Punjab jantri (calendar), Punjabi language learning books and also few publications about history of Punjab are available. Kadha of various sizes, kanga and also naam japath mala are available in the store.
“The waves of desire in the world-ocean are intoxicating wine.” – Guru Nanak Dev
Since forty years, this gurudwara has been serving humanity without any discrimination of caste, creed and religion.
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