Hazur Sahib[a] (Hazūrī Sāhib; lit. 'presence of the sahib/master'), officially Takht Sachkhand Sri Hazur Abchalnagar Sahib, is one of the five takhts (religious centres) in Sikhism. The gurdwara (Sikh house of worship) was built between 1832 and 1837 by Maharaja Ranjit Singh (1780–1839).[1] It is located on the banks of the Godavari River at the city of Nanded in the state of Maharashtra, India.

The structure is built at the place where Guru Gobind Singh Ji died. The gurdwara within the complex is known as Sach-Khand (Realm of Truth). The inner room of the gurdwara is called the Angitha Sahib and is built over the place where Gobind Singh was cremated in 1708.[2]

History

Aarti prayers in Hazur Sahib Nanded

Hazur Sahib marks the site where Guru Gobind Singh ji had his camp in 1708. The Guru held his court and congregation here and was convalescing after being attacked by two would-be assassins. One of the attackers stabbed the Guru, and was killed by him with a single stroke of his talwar (curved sword). The other was killed by his followers as he tried to escape. The Guru's wound was deep, but initially healed after being stitched by an English surgeon sent by Bahadur Shah I, who served as his doctor, and Dara Shikoh before him.[3] The wound re-opened a few days later when the Guru was stringing a bow for one of his Sikhs and the Guru merged into the Primal (Joti Jot) after declaring the Guru Granth Sahib as his successor.[4]

All the functions are carried out by the priests in the outer room. The inner room is a vault that houses valuable objects, weapons and other personal belongings of the Guru. No one except the head priest can enter the vault.[5]

Heritage conservation

Sikh historians and scholars have raised alarms regarding the plight of Sikh historical heritage within the Takht Hazur Sahib complex.[6] Many historical structures have been destroyed by the takht's management committee, much to the dismay of a vocal section of Sikhs who pleaded for these sites to be preserved in their original state.[6] Sharad Chalikwar, a consultant engineer, and Kiran Kalamdani, a restoration architect, had come up with restoration plans to save the historical buildings but Hazur Sahib's management committee ended-up demolishing the buildings under the guise of Kar Seva renovations.[6]

The buildings that were destroyed include:[6]

The gurdwara management committee, specifically chairman P.S. Pasricha, defended their action to destroy the historical sites because of their age, dilapidated condition, need for "beautification", needing room for their development plans, and that land has been allotted for the building of a new 31-room sarai with a museum.[6]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Not to be confused with a building with the same name located near the Golden Temple in Amritsar.
  1. ↑ Also spelt as Hazoor Sahib.

References

  1. ↑ Singh, S. Harpal (29 December 2019). "Guru Nanak's centuries-old link with Nizam's Nirmal". The Hindu.
  2. ↑ "ऐतिहासिक दसरा पर्वाची गुरुद्वारात जय्यत तयारी" [Aitihāsika Dasarā Parvācī Gurudvārāta Jayyata Tayārī]. Sakal (in Marathi). Nanded. 27 September 2011. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 23 May 2015.
  3. ↑ "European Surgeon who Attended Satguru Gobind Singh in 1708".
  4. ↑ G.S., Randhir (1990). Sikh shrines in India. New Delhi: The Director of Publication Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India.
  5. ↑ "The Tribune - Windows - Sites and Scenes".
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Dogra, Chander Suta (3 May 2016). "Have You the Eyes for It?". SikhNet (republished, originally published by Outlook Magazine). Retrieved 21 September 2023.

Further reading

  • Nidar Singh Nihang and Parmjit Singh, In the Master's Presence - The Sikhs of Hazoor Sahib, Kashi House (2009), ISBN 978-0-9560168-0-5.
source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hazur_Sahib