Gurudwaras

Delhi is an important place for the Sikhs as five out of the ten Sikh Gurus visited this place since 14th century onwards. This was also a place of political significance as far as the Sikhs were concerned as this placed staged many critical events from the Sikh history. Delhi was also the place where two Sikh Gurus attained Samadhi. Right from the time of introduction of Sikh religion in Delhi, there have been significant events happening in the city.

The Gurudwaras in Delhi, like all other Gurudwaras, are open to people from all faiths and religions. All the 9 Gurudwaras in Delhi are managed by the members from the Management Committee of the Delhi Sikh Gurudwara. All the nine Gurudwaras of Delhi have a rich history and importance behind it, therefore, every day it is visited by lots of Sikhs, Hindus, Muslims and many others.

The Gurudwaras of Delhi have interesting stories behind them which is the main reason as to why people from diverse faiths visit these places of worship every day. The following list gives the details of some of the most common and reputed Gurudwaras in Delhi.

Gurudwara Bangla Sahib

This Gurudwara was initially a bungalow owned by Raja Jai Singh who ruled Jaipur. The eighth Sikh Guru, Guru Har Kishan stayed here as the Raja’s guest and cured people from the severe epidemic that was spreading in the area that time. Since then, this place was considered to be very pious by the Sikhs and Hindus. This place is situated right at the center of the famous Connaught Place and is known for its golden dome and cupola made from intricately sculpted bronze.

Gurudwara Rakab Ganj

This was a Gurudwara that was built by Lakhi Banjara during 1732. Lakhi was the one who performed all the final rites of the one of the Sikh Gurus, Guru Teg Bahadur. This Gurudwara has a story behind it. It is believed Lakhi went off to his home with the body of the Guru without informing anyone. He placed the body on sandalwood logs and cremated it at his house. To erase all suspicion, he even burned down his house completely. Once the fire had come down, Lakhi gathered the holy ashes, stored them in an urn and buried it at the place where he had cremated the Guru’s body. The Gurudwara Rakab Ganj was then built around this place in memory of this story.

Gurudwara Sis Ganj

This Gurudwara too revolves around the death of Guru Teg Bahadur Singh. This Gurudwara is located in the busy market area of Chandni Chowk. An interesting point to note is that this Gurudwara is built in exactly the same place where Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb had Guru Teg Bahadur Singh beheaded. At the exact moment when the Guru died, none of the Sikh followers showed the nerve to claim the Guru’s body. At that time, it rained very heavily and suddenly out of nowhere, two brave Sikh soldiers collected the Guru’s body and ran away.

Gurudwara Majnu ka Tila

This Gurudwara was constructed in memory of the first Sikh Guru, Guru Nanak who visited this place during the 15th century. Legend has it that a Muslim Fakir was living on the banks of the sacred Yamuna River during the rule of Sikander Lodhi. He carried people on his boat across the river for free and his life’s only objective was to pray and meditate. Guru Nanak came here to give his blessings to this Fakir. One can find this Gurudwara at Khyber Pass just in front of the Timarpur Colony.

Gurudwara Nanak Piao

As early as 1505, Guru Nanak, the first Sikh Guru had come to this place in Delhi and formed a garden at Shakti Nagar on the Rana Pratap Road. During the Guru’s visit, lots of people had come here and gifted the Guru with lots of objects, which the Guru, in turn, had distributed to the poor. The Gurudwara Nanak Piao was constructed in memory of Guru Nanak who blessed lots of people in this area.