Gurdwara Bangla Sahib () is one of the most prominent

Sikh Sikhs (singular Sikh: or ; , ) are an ethnoreligious group who adhere to Sikhism, a religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Guru Nanak. The term ''Si ...

gurdwara A gurdwara or gurudwara () is a place of assembly and place of worship, worship in Sikhism, but its normal meaning is "place of guru" or "home of guru". Sikhism, Sikhs also refer to gurdwaras as ''Gurdwara Sahib''. People from all faiths and rel ...

s, or Sikh house of worship, in

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...

, India, and known for its association with the eighth

Sikh Guru The Sikh gurus (Punjabi language, Punjabi: ਸਿੱਖ ਗੁਰੂ; Hindi: सिख गुरु) are the spiritual masters of Sikhism, who established the religion over the course of about two and a half centuries, beginning in 1469. The year ...

Guru Har Krishan Guru Har Krishan ( Gurmukhi: ਗੁਰੂ ਹਰਿ ਕ੍ਰਿਸ਼ਨ, pronunciation: ; 7 July 1656–30 March 1664) also known as Bal Guru (Child Guru),HS Singha (2009), The Encyclopedia of Sikhism, Hemkunt Press, , pp. 96–97 or Hari Krish ...

, as well as the holy pond inside its complex, known as the "Sarovar." It was rebuilt as a small shrine by Sikh General Sardar

Baghel Singh Baghel Singh (c. 1730s – c. 1800s) was a Sikh warrior and leader in the Punjab region in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent in the 18th century. He rose to prominence in the area around Sutlej and Yamuna. He joined the Singh K ...

in 1783. In the same year, there was reconstruction of nine Sikh shrines in Delhi. There were attempts of occupancy by Raja Jai Singh of Amer, during the reign of

Mughal Emperor The emperors of the Mughal Empire, who were all members of the Timurid dynasty (House of Babur), ruled the empire from its inception on 21 April 1526 to its dissolution on 21 September 1857. They were supreme monarchs of the Mughal Empire in ...

Shah Alam II Shah Alam II (; 25 June 1728 – 19 November 1806), also known by his birth name Ali Gohar, or Ali Gauhar, was the seventeenth Mughal emperor and the son of Alamgir II. Shah Alam II became the emperor of a crumbling Mughal Empire. His power w ...

. It is situated near

Connaught Place, New Delhi Connaught Place, also known as Rajiv Chowk or CP, is one of the main financial, commercial and Central business district, business centres in New Delhi, Delhi, India. It houses the headquarters of several noted Indian firms and is a major shopp ...

on Baba Kharak Singh Marg and it is instantly recognisable by its golden dome and tall flagpole.

History

Gurdwara Bangla Sahib was originally a

bungalow A bungalow is a small house or cottage that is typically single or one and a half storey, if a smaller upper storey exists it is frequently set in the roof and Roof window, windows that come out from the roof, and may be surrounded by wide ve ...

belonging to Raja Jai Singh, an Hindu

Rajput Rājpūt (, from Sanskrit ''rājaputra'' meaning "son of a king"), also called Thākur (), is a large multi-component cluster of castes, kin bodies, and local groups, sharing social status and ideology of genealogical descent originating fro ...

ruler in the seventeenth century, and was known as Jaisinghpura Palace, in ''Jaisingh Pura'', an historic neighbourhood demolished to make way for the Connaught Place, shopping district. Since Guru Har Kishan stayed at Raja Jai Singh's Banglow (pronouned "bangla" in

hindi Modern Standard Hindi (, ), commonly referred to as Hindi, is the Standard language, standardised variety of the Hindustani language written in the Devanagari script. It is an official language of India, official language of the Government ...

and

punjabi Punjabi, or Panjabi, most often refers to: * Something of, from, or related to Punjab, a region in India and Pakistan * Punjabi language * Punjabis, Punjabi people * Punjabi dialects and languages Punjabi may also refer to: * Punjabi (horse), a ...

) which has now been converted to a gurudwara, now the gurudwara is called the ''Bangla Sahib'' to memorialise Guru Har Rai's stay here.Guru Harkrishan ji an apostle of humility
Daily Excelsior, 1/8/2021. The eighth Sikh Guru, Har Krishan resided here during his stay in Delhi in 1664. He died on 30 March 1664.Guru Harkrishan ji an apostle of humility
Daily Excelsior, 1 August 2021. The gurdwara and its ''Sarovar'' are now a place of great reverence for

Sikhs Sikhs (singular Sikh: or ; , ) are an ethnoreligious group who adhere to Sikhism, a religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Guru Nanak. The term ''Sikh'' ...

, and a place for special congregation on birth anniversary of

. In March 2021, the gurdwara inaugurated the cheapest diagnostic centre with the aim to provide healthcare for the poor. The patients can get an

MRI scan Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a medical imaging technique used in radiology to generate pictures of the anatomy and the physiological processes inside the body. MRI scanners use strong magnetic fields, magnetic field gradients, and ra ...

at . In 1984, during the anti-Sikh riots, some 150 Sikhs took sanctuary inside the gurdwara. A Hindu mob carrying cans of gasoline, attempted to storm into the temple, but were driven back.

Gallery

File:Night view of Gurdwara Bangla Sahib and the Sarovar.jpg, Night view of Gurdwara Bangla Sahib and the ''

sarovar Temple tanks are wells or reservoirs built as part of the temple complex near Indian temples. They are called pushkarini, kalyani, kunda, sarovara, tirtha, talab, pukhuri, ambalakkuḷam, etc. in different languages and regions of India. Some ...

''. File:Group of Nihang Singhs with Gurudwara Bangla Sahib in background.jpg, Nihangs at Gurdwara Bangla Sahib File:Gurudwara Bangla Sahib, Sarowar view.jpg, Gurdwara Bangla Sahib viewed across from the sarovar File:Bangla Sahib Gurdwara Panorama.jpg, Panorama view across the sarovar of the complex File:Bangla Sahib Gurdwara in Delhi.jpg, Lighting decorations of the gurdwara

References

External links

Gurudwara Bangla Sahib Photo Gallery
* * {{coord, 28.6267, N, 77.2089, E, format=dms, source:kolossus-ukwiki, display=title Gurdwaras in Delhi Religious buildings and structures completed in 1783 18th-century gurdwaras