Holy
Pilgrimage – Temples in Punjab
State
Ram Tirth Hindu Temple , Amritsar
Located 11 Kilometres west of Amritsar
on Chogawan road, this temple dates back to the period of the Ramayana. It is
the hermitage of Rishi Balmiki. The place has an ancient tank and many temples.
A hut marks the site where Mata Sita gave birth to Luv and Kush
and also, still extant are Rishi Balmiki's hut and the well with stairs where
Mata Sita used to take her bath. The Bedis of Punjab (Guru Nanak Dev ji, the
founder Prophet of Sikhism was a Bedi) trace their descent from Kush and Sodhis (the 10th Prophet of Sikhism, Guru Gobind
Singh ji was a Sodhi) from Luv. A four-day fair, since times immemorial is held
here, starting on the full moon night in November.
Durgiana Mandir, Amritsar
Built in the third decade of the 20th Century, this temple echoes not the
traditional Hindu temple architecture, but that of the Golden temple. It rises
from the midst of a tank and has canopies and the central dome in the style of
the Sikh temple. Its foundation stone was laid by one of the greatest reformers
and political leaders of resurgent India, Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya.
It is a well-known repository of Hindu scriptures.
Bhagwathi Mandir, Maisar Khanna, Bathinda City
Its history goes back to the 17th Century AD. This temple is located in a
village that was called Khanna. People from this village were the devotees of
Jawala Mukhi temple in Kangra. Once, when Kamala Bhagat and another holy
person, Kali Nath of this village were proceeding towards the Jawala Mukhi
temple, Bhagwati Mata, the deity of Jawala Mukhi appeared before them, almost
two kilometers before their destination. She blessed them and told Kamala
Bhagat that in future, he need not come to a pilgrimage to Jawala Mukhi because
worship at his village will be sanctified as his worship at her abode. Since
then a religious fair is held at this place twice in a year.
Shiv Mandhir, Gur-mandi, Jalandhar
This Mandir dates back to the Lodhi Era. It is said that the Nawab of Sultanpur
Lodhi, in whose territory the city of Jalandhar
then fell, eyed a newly-married Hindu girl. He wanted to make her an object of
his lust. She was a devotee of lord Shiva whose serpent saved her honour. Awed
by the appearance of this serpent, the Nawab begged forgiveness from the girl
and on her bidding got this temple built. The temple has an unusual
architecture. Its main gate is built in the style of a mosque while the rest of
the building is in Hindu style.
Sodal Mandir, Jalandhar
It is believed that all prayers at this temple of the child deity get
fulfilled. Thousands of devotees congregate here during the month of September.
Panch Mandir, Kapurthala
Constructed by the founder of the Kapurthala
State, Fateh Singh
Ahluwalia, this is an example of striking architecture. The prime dome in the
centre is surrounded by several smaller temples dedicated to different deities.
A replica of this temple was exhibited in the pre-partition Punjab Museum
at Lahore.
Kali Devi Temple, Patiala
Situated opposite Baradari garden on the Mall Road of Patiala, this temple was built by the rulers of the Patiala State. Because of its beautiful wall paintings and icons the temple has been declared a national monument.
Harmandir Sahib (Golden Temple), Amritsar
he Harmandir Sahib (Punjabi: ਹਰਿਮੰਦਰ ਸਾਹਿਬ) also Darbar Sahib (Punjabi: ਦਰਬਾਰ ਸਾਹਿਬ, and informally referred to as the Golden Temple is a prominent Sikh Gurdwara located in the city of Amritsar, Punjab, India. It was built by the fifth Sikh guru, Guru Arjan Dev, in the 16th Century. In 1604, Guru Arjan Dev completed the Adi Granth, the holy scripture of Sikhism, and installed it in the Gurdwara.There are four doors to get into the Harmandir Sahib, which symbolize the openness of the Sikhs towards all people and religions. The present day Gurdwara was rebuilt in 1764 by Jassa Singh Ahluwalia with the help of other Sikh Misl's. In the early nineteenth century, Maharaja Ranjit Singh secured the Punjab region from outside attack and covered the upper floors of the Gurdwara with gold, which gives it its distinctive appearance and English name the Golden Temple
General
Sri Harmandir Sahib is considered holy by Sikhs. The most holy text of Sikhism, the Guru Granth Sahib, is always present inside the Gurdwara. Its construction was mainly intended to build a place of worship for men and women from all walks of life and all religions to come and worship God equally Over one lakh (100,000) people visit the holy shrine daily for worship.[7]History
Sri Harmandir Sahib literally means The Temple of God. The fourth guru of Sikhism, Guru Ram Das ji, excavated a tank in 1577 CE which subsequently became known as Amritsar (meaning "Pool of the Nectar of Immortality"), giving its name to the city that grew around it. In due course, a Sikh edifice, Sri Harmandir Sahib (meaning "the abode of God"), rose in the middle of this tank and became the supreme centre of Sikhism. Its sanctum came to house the Adi Granth comprising compositions of Sikh Gurus and other saints considered to have Sikh values and philosophies, e.g., Baba Farid, and Kabir. The compilation of The Adi Granth was started by the fifth guru of Sikhism, Guru Arjan Dev ji.Originally built in 1574, the site of the Gurdwara was surrounded by a small lake in a thin forest. The third of the six grand Mughals, Emperor Akbar, who visited the third Sikh Guru, Guru Amar Das, in the neighbouring town of Goindval, was so impressed by the way of life in the town that he gave a jagir (the land and the revenues of several villages in the vicinity) to the Guru's daughter Bhani as a gift on her marriage to Bhai Jetha, who later became the fourth Sikh Guru, Guru Ram Das ji. Guru Ram Das ji enlarged the lake and built a small township around it. The town was named after Guru Ram Das ji as Guru Ka Chak', Chak Ram Das or Ram Das Pura.
During the leadership of the fifth Guru, Guru Arjan Dev (1581–1606), the full-fledged Gurdwara was built. In December 1588, Guru Arjan Dev ji initiated the construction of the Gurdwara. The foundation stone was laid by none other than Sri Guru Arjan Dev Sahib himself in December 1588. It is a common misconception that the foundation stone was laid by the Sufi saint Mian Mir of Lahore
Some of the architectural features of Sri Harmandir Sahib were intended to be symbolic of the Sikh worldview.[13] Instead of the normal custom of building a Gurdwara on high land, it was built at a lower level than the surrounding land so that devotees would have to go down steps to enter it. In addition, instead of one entrance, Sri Harmandir Sahib has four entrances.
The Gurdwara was completed in 1604. Guru Arjan Dev ji, installed the Guru Granth Sahib in it and appointed Baba Buddha Ji as the first Granthi (reader) of it on August 1604. In the mid-18th century it was attacked by the Afghans, by one of Ahmed Shah Abdali's generals, Jahan Khan, and had to be substantially rebuilt in the 1760s. However, in response a Sikh Army was sent to hunt down the Afghan force. Both forces met each other five miles outside Amritsar; Jahan Khan's army was destroyed
The Harmandir Sahib Complex and areas in its vicinity
The Gurdwara is surrounded by a large lake or holy tank, known as the Sarovar, which consists of Amrit ("holy water" or "immortal nectar"). There are four entrances to the Gurdwara, signifying the importance of acceptance and openness. Inside the Gurdwara complex there are many shrines to past Sikh Gurus, saints and martyrs (see map). There are three holy trees (bers), each signifying a historical event or Sikh saint. Inside the Gurdwara there are many memorial plaques that commemorate past Sikh historical events, saints, martyrs and includes commemorative inscriptions of all the Sikh soldiers who died fighting in World Wars I and II.In 1988, after Operation Black Thunder, the government acquired a narrow peripheral strip of land (including buildings) in order to use their space as a security buffer. The acquisition process involved the displacement and relocation of a large number of residences and businesses. However, the project met with a strong resistance from both moderate and militant Sikh organisations and had to be abandoned following the murder of a senior government-employed engineer connected with the project. The project was revived only in 1993 by the Deputy Commissioner Karan Bir Singh Sidhu, who was also appointed as the project director of what became popularly known as the Galliara Project. He changed the concept of the periphery from that of a security belt to that of a second parikarma and created a serene landscape that was fully consistent with the ethereal beauty of Sri Harmandir Sahib. This was done in quiet consultation with the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC). Present-day pilgrims can travel by foot in the Galliara; no vehicles are permitted.
In keeping with the rule observed at all Sikh Gurdwaras worldwide, Sri Harmandir Sahib is open to all persons regardless of their religion, colour, creed, or sex. The only restrictions on Sri Harmandir Sahib's visitors concern their behavior when entering and while visiting:
- Maintaining the purity of the sacred space and of one's body while in it:
- Upon entering the premises, removing one's shoes (leaving them off for the duration of one's visit) and washing one's feet in the small pool of water provided;
- Not drinking alcohol, eating meat, or smoking cigarettes or other drugs while in the shrine
- Dressing appropriately:
- Wearing a head covering (a sign of respect) (the Gurdwara provides head scarves for visitors who have not brought a suitable covering);
- Not wearing shoes (see above).
- How to act:
- One must also sit on the ground while in the Darbar Sahib as a sign of deference to both the Sri Guru Granth Sahib and God.
Artwork and monument sculptures
Celebrations at the Harmandir Sahib
Transport
Air
The city is also close to Lahore Airport on the Pakistani side of the border.
Rail
Amritsar is well connected by rail to almost all major cities in India such as Ahmedabad, Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Jamshedpur, Patna, Guwahati, Dibrugarh, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram, Kozhikode, Indore, Bhopal, Agra, Gwalior, Jammu, Jabalpur, Nanded, Ujjain, Chandigarh, Lucknow etc. Amritsar Railway Station is the main terminal station. There is a special train (Samjhota Express) that runs west to Wagah (Attari Border), which is the last station on the border in India before continuing on to Pakistan.Indian Railways has proposed a high speed rail line to serve Delhi-Amritsar via Chandigarh and Ambala. The train is to run at high speeds of 160 km/h, second only in India to the Bhopal Shatabdi Express. It will travel the 445 km between the two cities in 2.5 hours (compared to the current time of 5 hours). Companies from Japan, China, UK and Canada have expressed an interest in the project. The contract for building the line were to be awarded at the end of May 2008. Other lines of this kind have proposed in Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Pune, and Kolkata
Road
Amritsar is located on the historic Grand Trunk Road (G.T Road), also known as National Highway 1, and therefore very well connected to the road network. Daily bus services run to and from Ambala, Patiala, Delhi, Chandigarh and Jammu. Rs 45,000,000 (450 crores) is being spent to expand the Amritsar-Jalandhar stretch of G.T. Road to four lanes. In 2010, elevated road with four lanes connected to the National highway for better access to the Golden Temple has been started.For transportation within Amritsar city, rickshaws, autorickshaws, taxis and buses are easily available. Recently, the government of India and Punjab pledged Rs. 210,000,000 (2,100 crore) for the development of a mass rapid transport system for the city. It is hoped that this will help relieve traffic congestion and improve air quality. There have been many purse snatching incidents recently and it has become a headache for the tourists. Tourists are advised not to keep purse, mobiles, cameras or other precious things with them while on road.
Amritsar is also connected with Lahore, Pakistan via the old Grand Trunk Road.
Notable residents from Amritsar
Guru Tegh Bahadur
(1621-1675), 9th Guru of Sikhs
Maurice Barrymore,
(1849–1905) patriarch of the Barrymore acting family
Dara Singh,
wrestler-Indian actor
Rajesh Khanna,
Indian actor
Jeetendra, Indian actor
Vinod Mehra, Indian
actor
Akshay Kumar, Indian
actor
Madan Lal, cricketer
Vikas Khanna, chef
Amrinder Gill,Punjabi
Singer
Deepa Mehta,
Indo-Canadian filmmaker
Mira Nair, Indo-American filmmaker
Manmohan Singh,
Prime minister of India
Sam Manekshaw, Field
Marshal of India
Kiran Bedi, First woman
IPS officer of India
Deepti Naval, Indian
actress
Madan Lal Dhingra,
Freedom fighter in British Era
Narendra Chanchal,
Indian singer
Mahendra Kapoor,
Indian playback singer
Shamshad Begum,
Indian classical singer
Geeta Bali, Indian
actress
Hans Raj Khanna,
Judge at the Supreme court of India
Krishan Kant, 10th
Vice-President of India
Kanchan Chaudhary Bhattacharya, First woman Director General of
Police in India
Bhisham Sahni Hindi
writer
Bharti Singh Indian
stand-up comedian
Kapil Sharma Comedian
Sudesh Lehri Comedian
Navjot Singh Sidhu
Cricketer
Ramandeep Singh
Footballer
Om Tat Sat
(Continued...)
(My
humble salutations to the great devotees
, wikisources and Pilgrimage tourist guide for the
collection )
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