Guru Ji came to Alamgir village in the robes of “Uchch Da Pir” on a palanquin (Manji). Two Pathan brothers named Ghani khan and Nabi Khan assisted Guru Ji and three other sikhs Bhai Daya Singh, Bhai Man Singh and Bhai Dharam Singh. Guru Ji came here in disguise because of the presence of Mughal military contingents in the area. Ghani Khan And Nabi Khan helped Guru Ji, even at the prospect of facing certain death by the Mughal. When Guru Ji reached Alamgir, a resident named Nagahia Khan presented a horse for further journey. Then Guru Ji discarded the palanquin (Manji), which is preserved in an underground cell in the Gurdwara premises and devotees can pay their visit.

Guru Ji gave a very affectionate send off to Ghani Khan and Nabi Khan by bestowing a Hukumnama by which their services were appreciated. After staying there for few days, Guru Ji went towards Raikot. While Guru Ji stayed there for few days, he asked an old lady about the water source, lady replied that there is a well nearby but its contaminated because a python lives in the well. Guru Ji hit the python with arrow giving it “mukti” (exemption from further transmigration) and hit the arrow at another place and a spring of water bubbled there. The lady saw this miracle and requested Guru Ji to cure her leprosy, Guru Ji said that whoever would take bath with this water with faith all their pains will be cured. Today the spring has been converted into a water body that consists a part of the Gurdwara and is known as “Tirsar” (Arrow Lake).

The Gurdwara premises are quite spacious with newly relocated, one of the largest Langar Halls to accommodate large volume of devotees paying visit to the Gurdwara. A Diwan Hall for religious gatherings. Water Body and free parking facility for the devotees. Gurdwara is situated on Ludhiana-Malerkotla highway and is easily accessible by road. Nearest train station is Ludhiana city and road    transport facilities to the Gurdwara are frequent during the day.

Illustration of Bhai Mani Singh

Bhai Mani Singh Ji was a scholar, a Sikh and a great martyr. Bhai Mani Singh steered the destiny of Sikh religion at a very critical stage in the history. He transcribed the final version of Guru Granth Sahib (Sikh Holy Scripture) dictated to him by Guru Gobind Singh in the year 1704 and was appointed as a Granthi (keeper/reader of sikh scripture) at Darbar Sahib (The Golden Temple) Amritsar. Bhai Mani Singh was also responsible for collecting the Bani of Guru Gobind Singh Ji and compiling it in the form of Dasam Granth (book of tenth guru). His great martyrdom has become a part of the daily Sikh Ardas (Jina singha singhaniya ne dharam het sees dittay, Bandh Bandh Katvaye…)

Bhai Mani Singh Ji was custodian of Darbar Sahib in the days when the mughal emperor Zakariya Khan ruled Punjab and was bent on exterminating the Sikhs. No Sikh was allowed to utter the word “Guru” and there was a price on the head of every Sikh. Bhai Mani Singh had the courage to invite the Sikhs to celebrate “Bandi Chor Divas” (Diwali) at Darbar Sahib in those critical times. In the year 1737, Bhai Mani Singh got permission from Zakariya Khan to celebrate Bandi Chor Divas at Darbar Sahib for an agreed tax amount of 5000 rupees. Bhai Mani Singh expected to accumulate the money from donations from the Sikhs coming to celebrate Bandi Chor Divas. But he came to know about Zakariya Khan’s plot to kill the Sikhs who were coming to attend the celebration, so Bhai Mani Singh sent message to the Sikhs warning them not to turn up for the celebration. As a result the tax could not be paid to Zakariya Khan and he ordered the execution of Bhai Mani Singh at Lahore.

When Bhai Mani Singh was brought to Lahore, Zakariya Khan asked Bhai Mani Singh that if he wants to stay alive he should convert to Islam. But Bhai Mani Singh denied and Zakariya Khan ordered to execute him joint by joint. When the executor started to cut into Bhai Ji’s wrist, he said to the executor that you are not obeying your master’s order to cut me joint by joint and my joints start with my fingers. The executioner and the crowd were awestruck.

Bhai Mani Singh recited “Sukhmani Sahib” a holy creation of the Guru Arjan Dev Ji (fifth guru of the Sikhs) while he was being executed joint by joint. Bhai Mani Singh was one of the most devoted sikhs of his times and a great martyr who never barter anything for his faith.

In this small town a historical Gurdwara Ber Sahib is situated. This is the place where Guru Nanak Dev Ji sat under the ber tree (jujuba) to meditate everyday for 14 years, nine months and 13 days. It was during one of ablution that Guru Nanak Dev Ji had what is described, in the Janam Sakhis, as a direct communion with the Divine. Guru Nanak Dev Ji himself planted the ber tree and it is still present in the Gurdwara. Guru Ji worked at sultanpur lodhi in Modi Khana (food supplies store) of Nawab Daulat Khan Lodhi.

In the year 1488 Guru Nanak Dev Ji married to Bibi Sulakhni Ji and while staying in sultantpur lodhi Guru Ji had two sons named Shri Chand and Lakhmi Chand. In late 1497 the news of Guru Ji drowning in the Kali Bein spread like fire. After three days Guru Ji came out of canal and said these words “na koi hindu, na koi muslman” (no one is hindu, no one is muslim). After this Guru Ji started his lifelong mission of Udasis from Sultanpur Lodhi.

Other than visiting many places in India Guru Ji also paid visit to Mecca, Madina and Baghdad via Multan, Peshawar Sakhar, Soni Miani, and Hinglaj etc. Guru Ji also visited Syria, Turkey and Tehran (present capital of Iran).

Guru Ji was a born poet. He wrote 947 hyms comprising of Japji Sahib, Asa Di War, Bara-Mah, Sidh Gosht, Onkar (Dakhni) and these were included in Guru Granth Sahib by Guru Arjan dev Ji (fifth guru). As a social reformer Guru Nanak Dev Ji upheld the cause of women, downtrodden and the poors. He attacked the citadel of caste system of Hindus and theocracy of Muslim rulers.

The association of Guru Nanak Dev Ji with Sultanpur Lodhi began in 1475, when Bebe Nanki Ji was married in this town. Guru Ji’s father was concerned about the future of his son. Resulting in which, Guru Ji was sent to the custody of Shri Jai Ram. After Nankana Sahib (now in Pakistan) Sultanpur Lodhi is the only city, which can be said to be most related to the first guru of the sikhs, Guru Nanak Dev Ji.

The story features in the wide-ranging Society and Culture pages of the Herald’s website and reveals the temple’s claim to be “the biggest eatery in the world” feeding up to 80,000 people every day in its langar.

The food for this colossal daily feat is prepared by as many as a thousand volunteers, from 4am until the evening. Their labour of love in Sikhism’s holiest shrine is accompanied by continuous chanting by religious leaders, which is broadcast around the complex.

Many visitors to the temple, both Sikhs and Hindus, consider a meal at the langar a spiritual blessing.

The report offers delightful insights into the philosophy of service enshrined in Sikhism, from how the food is prepared and served, to the cleaning of the temple every day, to the charming ritual of polishing leather shoes left by forgetful visitors at the end of the day!

Read the Sydney Morning Herald report and view its video about the temple by visiting www.smh.com.au

Kiran Lyall

Sikh families living in English-speaking countries who wish to help their children learn Panjabi at an early age can now seek support from a book specially designed to help three to seven year olds absorb the mother tongue.

Have Fun With Panjabi is the first in a series of titles aimed at giving Sikh parents support they will undoubtedly appreciate.

The brightly illustrated book has been written by Kiran Lyall, 28, a former special projects manager for Asian Woman and Asian Bride magazines, who noticed there was a lack of suitable teaching books for the smaller children after giving birth to son Jaipal last year.

She said: “There were plenty of books and dvds targeting older children but a gap below that and I set about writing one that would introduce the three to sevens to some key Panjabi words.”

Book one contains chapters on the following:
Counting – Colours – Fruit – Vegetables – Drinks – Days of the week.

“There is also a chapter highlighting what the child has learned, enabling them to make short sentences,” said Kiran, originally from Kent but now living in East London.

Panjabi words are represented in a Roman alphabet transliteration which Kirnan has tested extensively to ensure as close a match as possible between the Panjabi words and their representation for English speakers.

The Panjabi words are represented in a Roman alphabet transliteration, extensively tested by Kiran to ensure as close a match as possible between the Panjabi words and their representation for English speakers.

Kiran said: “The main target audience is the three to seven year olds but it being so bright and vibrant in design, the book would easily keep a toddler’s attention too. Jaipal, who is just 11 months, loves looking at the illustrations.

“Also, to help with pronunciation, the Panjabi words containing two or more syllables are broken up by dots. We tested it before publication on children and non-Panjabi adults and they found the simplicity of the phonetics very helpful. So it would help adults new to the language as well.”

Dr Raymonde Sneddon, a Research Fellow in Multinlingualism from the University of East London, believes the book will be welcomed by the many families in the Panjabi community who have not had the opportunity to learn the Gurmukhi script but are keen to transmit the language to their young children.

She added: “It will also be helpful in schools for teachers who are introducing children to different languages. I would have loved such a book when I was a teacher myself.’

Have Fun With Panjabi is out now and available at £6.99p, plus postage and packaging of £1 if ordered direct from www.sweetlyall.com. It is available through all major bookstores (other websites have their own postal rates).

The book is published by Buzzword UK and Book 2 will be published later this year.

Prince Charles, heir to the British throne, paid homage at a memorial which commemorates the lives of 4,742 Indian soldiers with no known grave who died during a British Army offensive at Neuve-Chapelle, in the Artois region.

Prince Charles paid homage at a memorial

Also present were children from a number of UK schools learning about the contributions of the many different ethnic communities who fought for the Allied cause.

A poem written by a Sikh soldier who served at Neuve-Chapelle was recited by Rasnam Singh, 10, who journeyed there with a Sikh delegation. The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall listened to this and to a poem specially written by a pupil from a school in Leeds.

The royal couple then toured the memorial grounds meeting with veterans and representatives from Britain’s Hindu, Sikh and Muslim communities.

Prominent among the Sikh visitors were representatives of the Anglo Sikh Heritage Trail, whose party included Scottish Sikh music producers Tigerstyle.

Goodwill ambassadors for the organisation, Tigerstyle welcomed the opportunity to attend because they saw it as their duty to “preserve the memories of our forefathers who sacrificed their lives for the freedom of Europe”.

Picture courtesy of the Prince of Wales website

But it has lit the fuse to another row between segments of India’s oft-divided Sikh community.

The powerful Shiromani Gurdwara Parbhandhak Committee (SGPC) sent the proposal to the jathedar for consideration a few days ago, although three of its 15 members, from Haryana, boycotted the meeting in Amritsar because they opposed the amendment.

The Akal Takht had previously sent its proposals to the SGPC, considered the mini-parliament of Sikhs, to discuss the steps necessary to change the Nanakshahi calendar.

According to the Times of India website, Gurbachan Singh announced that the birth and martyrdom day of Guru Gobind Singh, the death anniversary of Guru Arjan Dev, the coronation (Gurta Gaddi Diwas) of Guru Granth Sahib, and “sangrand” (the beginning of every month) will now be observed as per the traditional (Bikrami) calendar.

The changes will come into force after the publication of the new Nanakshahi calendar in March. Until then, all Sikh religious days will be observed as per the existing programme.

Nanakshahi special dates observed since 2003 have not accorded with other calendars.

Giani Gurbachan Singh’s announcement parted from convention. It was made in the absence of the high priests of the other four Takhts. Four priests of the Golden Temple in Amritsar were present instead.

The announcement angered a number of Sikh organisations. Karan Singh, president of the Sikh Foundation, Switzerland, called it an arbitrary decision made by Sikh clergy at the behest of the Shiromani Akali Dal political party.

He said organisations outside India would meet to discuss an issue that threatened Sikhs’ identity.

Radical group Dal Khalsa believes the calendar change will cause a new split in a divided community. A party statement said the ratification by Giani Gurbachan Singh and none of the other jathedars would lead the Sikh community “into another round of internecine struggle”.

Sikhs see the adoption of the new calendar as a big step forward for Sikh identity, and one that will help dispel any suggestions that Sikhism is a branch of some other religion. See ‘Jathedars’ absence sparks anger on calendar change’ under our Heritage & Culture section.

Calendar creator

The Nanakshahi Calendar was developed by a Canadian Sikh, Pal Singh Purewal, a retired computer engineer. He started work on the new calendar in the 1960s.

Purewal believes that having a unique calendar is vital for the integrity of the Sikh religion.
“All communities and faiths have their own calendar as a mark of their distinct cultural identity. Just as the Islamic world has the Hijri calendar and Hindus have Vikrami calendar, the Sikhs will have a Nanakshahi calendar along with the common era (CE) calendar which is in use throughout the world”. Pal Singh Purewal

2010 dates for your diary

Tuesday, 5th January

Birthday of Guru Gobind Singh (Nanakshahi calendar)
Guru Gobind Singh (1666-1708) was the tenth and last of the Sikh Gurus. He instituted the Five Ks and established the Order of the Khalsa.

Sunday, 31st January

White Sikhs - foriegners who found faith in Sikhism

Television network RT, formerly known as Russia Today, has produced a feature on white people who adopt the Sikh faith.

The English-language global news channel, broadcast from Russia, focuses the article at first on the Miri Piri Academy, an international boarding school in Amritsar, the Sikh holy city in India.

Students there include the children of foreign converts to Sikhism, who wish their offspring to be comprehensively educated in the faith.

Among the teachers is a Russian-American who has taken the name Mahan Atma Kaur. She converted five years ago.

Students are drawn from 13 countries in Asia, Europe and America and speak eight language, reports RT on its website.

The TV channel talks to foreign converts from around the world and reveals that a 1998 survey had disclosed substantial non-Indian Sikh communities around Espanola, New Mexico, and Los Angeles, California.

It estimated that there were nearly 8,000 “gora” or “white Sikhs”, many of whom came to Sikhism as followers of Harbhajan Singh Yogi’s Kundalini Yoga.

RT says Harbhajan Singh Khalsa, better known as Yogi Bhajan, was a Sikh yoga teacher who settled in America in the 1960s, and died in 2004.

After his death the US Congress passed a bipartisan resolution honouring and effectively equating his life with great names such as Dr Martin Luther King Jr., Mother Theresa, and Pope John Paul II.

The article sets out opposing views on the rights and wrongs of white Sikhism.

It points out that conversion dates back to the 1860s and the conversion of Max Arthur Macauliffe (1841-1913), a senior British administrator in the Punjab. A noted scholar, Macauliffe is esteemed for his translation into English of the Sikh scriptures, the Guru Granth Sahib.

The RT article, with photographs, can be found in full at http://rt.com

A festival that Sikhs, Hindus and Jains celebrate, Diwali fell this year on Saturday October 17.

For Sikhs, says the BBC, it is particularly important because it celebrates the release from prison of the sixth guru, Guru Hargobind, and 52 other princes with him, in 1619.

The Sikh tradition holds that the Emperor Jahangir had imprisoned Guru Hargobind and 52 princes. The Emperor was asked to release Guru Hargobind which he agreed to do.

However, Guru Hargobind asked that the princes be released also. The Emperor agreed, but said only those who could hold on to his cloak tail would be allowed to leave the prison. This was in order to limit the number of prisoners who could leave.

However, Guru Hargobind had a cloak made with 52 pieces of string and so each prince was able to hold on to one string and leave prison.

Sikhs celebrated the return of Guru Hargobind by lighting the Golden Temple and this tradition continues today.

Time for spring cleaning

In Britain, as in India, the festival is a time for thoroughly spring-cleaning the home and for wearing new clothes and most importantly, decorating buildings with fancy lights.

The date of Diwali is set by the Hindu calendar and so it varies in the Western calendar. It usually falls in October or November.

Diwali is also used to celebrate a successful harvest.

Jains celebrate the attaining of Moksha (Nirvana, or eternal bliss) by the founder of Jainism, Lord Mahavira.

The name of the festival comes from the Sanskrit word dipavali, meaning row of lights.

Decorated with oil lamps

Diwali is known as the ‘festival of lights’ because houses, shops and public places are decorated with small earthenware oil lamps called Diyas. These lamps, which are traditionally fueled by mustard oil, are placed in rows in windows, doors and building exteriors. Nowadays electric lights are often used in these displays.

In India oil lamps are often floated across the Ganges – it is regarded as a good omen if the lamp manages to get all the way across river.

Fireworks also play a big part, although in recent years there has been a move against them because of noise and atmospheric pollution and a number of accidental deaths and injuries.

Like Christmas in the West, Diwali is very much a time for buying and exchanging gifts.

Traditionally sweets and dried fruit were very common gifts to exchange, but the festival has become a time for serious shopping, leading to anxiety that commercialism is eroding the spiritual side of the commemoration.

In most years shopkeepers expect sales to rise substantially in the weeks before the festival.

With thanks to the BBC