By Karminder Singh Dhillon | The Sikh Bulletin |
Hazur Sahib – located on the banks of the Godavari River at the city of Nanded in the state of Maharashtra – marks the site where Guru Gobind Singh, in 1708, was convalescing after being attacked by two would-be assassins. The Guru had himself named Nanded as “Abchalnagar” (literally “Steadfast city”)
One of the attackers stabbed the Guru, and was killed by him with a single stroke of his talwar. The other was killed by Sikhs 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. However, the wound re-opened a few days later when the Guru was stringing a bow for one of his Sikhs. Subsequently, the Guru passed on after declaring the Shabd Guru as his successor.
Today Hazur Sahib is also known as Takht Sachkhand Sri Hazur Abchalnagar Sahib, and is one of the five Takhts (seats of authority) of Sikhism. The gurdwara (Sikh house of worship) was built between 1832 and 1837 by Maharaja Ranjit Singh (1780–1839). The structure is built at the place where Guru Gobind Singh passed on.
The gurdwara within the complex is known as Sachkhand (Realm of the Divine). The gurdwara’s inner room is called the Angitha Sahib and is built over the place where Gobind Singh was cremated in 1708.
The Diwan of Haidrabad, Chandu Lal, had ensured that the care and control of Hazur Sahib was in the hands of followers of the Udasi Sect – an anti-Sikh sect founded by Sri Chand, the rebel and kudalni yoga practitioner son of Guru Nanak.
Maharaja Ranjit Singh had sent builders, craftsmen and soldiers from Punjab to build the place. Many of these Sikhs stayed behind and eventually took physical control of the Gurdwara. But they either paid no attention to the ongoing and distorted maryada that was introduced by the Udasis, had no real understanding of the anti-Gurmat elements of the maryada; or were prevented by local administrators and sangats from reverting the maryada to be one that was in line with Gurmat tenets.
In any case, the peculiar, odd and strange practices remain. The main ones are listed below:
1. The daily performance of Snatani acts such as ringing of bells, the singing of Aarti with lamps and the use of paraphernalia contained within a plate, and the lighting of oil lamps.
2. The practice of using the tip of an arrow for the purposes of sanctifying the Karah Parshad instead of a kirpan as is done in all other gurdwaras around the world.
3. The conduct of ritualistic slaughter of a goat during occasions such as Dushera, Holla Mahala, Vaisakhi etc, and the use of the animal’s blood as tilak offerings of weapons that are on display at Angitha Sahib.
4. Ritualistic worship of myriad of weapons that are stored within the precincts of the Takhat.
5. The dramatic manner of grinding sandalwood every morning and the act of placing tikkas of this sandalwood paste on the foreheads of the sangats who have come to listen to the kirtan of Asa Di Vaar.
6. The offering of the intoxicant of Bhang in the name of Guru Gobind Singh three times daily.
7. The conduct of an Ardas that mentions Snatani elements such as the ishnan (baths) at Ganga Godawri and mention of places such as Hemkunt, Tilganji and Baspat Nagar within the same Ardas.
8. The non-recitation of the Dohra Agiya Bhaee Akaal Ki, Guru Maneyo Granth at the close of every Ardas.
9. The installation of the Dasam Granth (a.k.a Bachittar Nattak) side by side the Sri Guru Granth Sahib. A “hukumnama” is taken from this granth daily, and katha (discourse) from within its compositions is done daily at noon. Akhand Paaths of this granth are done regularly, but at a much higher rate than those of the Sri Guru Granth Sahib ji. A goat is slaughtered at the Bhog of each Akhand Path of the DG.
10. A Gristhee (family man) cannot serve as Jathedar of the Takhat. One of the primary conditions is that he must be a celibate.
11. When partaking in the Khande di pahul ceremony, women are separated from men and are subject to different ceremonies. The pahul for women is stirred with a kirpan and that of men with a khanda. The pahul for women is prepared by just one person, while five people do so for men. The pahul for women is prepared by reading only Jup bani, while that of the men is prepared by reading multiple (more than 5) bannis.
12. During an Akhand Path, Snatani paraphanelia such as Kumbh, Nareeyal and oil lamp lighted Jyot is used.
13. When Sodar is read at this Takhat, it is mixed up with a host of compositions that are outside the SGGS.
14. The Takhat conducts diwans wherein kirtan, katha, sodar and sohela is recited, while Akhand Paaths go on simultaneously within the same diwan.
15. The interior of the Takhat and Angitha Sahib is adorned with all sorts of paintings representing our 10 Gurus.
16. One night prior to Diwali, the premises within the Takhat are washed. The water for the washing is brought from the Godawri river in containers by lines of sangats.
There is little doubt that the un-gurmat practices at Hazur Sahib have turned a role model institution into a rogue one. But it’s a rogue institution that has been condoned and supported even by those who hold the reins of power within the Sikh apparatus.
The Gurdwara Act has stipulated a 17-member Board to run Hazoor Sahib, of which 4 are reserved for the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) and one for Chief Khalsa Diwan. The later Gurcharan Singh Tohrra, who was SGPC president for a quarter of a century, headed this Board for decades.
The Jathedars of the Takhats in Punjab, head of SGPC and leaders of other Sikh bodies visit Hazoor Sahib regularly. These individuals seem happy to receive siropaos from the chief pujaris of Hazoor Sahib but have never once publicly raised the issue of the anti-gurmat practices that are rampant in this place.
Sikh thinker, writer and parcharak Karminder Singh Dhillon, PhD (Boston), is a retired Malaysian civil servant. He is the joint-editor of The Sikh Bulletin and author of The Hijacking of Sikhi. This article – originally entitled ‘When Role Models Turn Rogue: The Case of Un-Gurmat Practices at Hazur Sahib‘ – appeared in The Sikh Bulletin – 2024 Issue 4 (October-December 2024). Click here to retrieve archived copies of the bulletin. The author can be contacted at dhillon99@gmail.com.
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