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Sikh Gurdwara at
Dhaka University keeps message alive
WSN Network
 The Gurdwara Nanak
Shahi situated on the Dhaka University campus is the only gurdwara
in Dhaka city where the Sikh community gather to pay their respect
and pray.
'Sangat' or
religious gathering takes place in Gurdwara on every Friday. Kirtan
is a regular feature, so is 'Guru Ka Langar' or community kitchen
where any God's soul is welcome to have food. Bhai Piara Singh is
the head priest of Gurdwara Nanak Shahi, Dhaka.
Every Friday around 400 people receive free vegetarian food at 'Guru
ka Langer.' Another 250 destitute children are also provided with
free food every Friday. Sikhism made its debut in Dhaka when Guru
Nanak, the founder of Sikh religion, visited Dhaka in 1504. He
started spreading his message in 1499 from Punjab and travelled many
parts of Asia on foot. During his brief stay in Dhaka he left his
ideals in the minds of many. The Gurdwara in Dhaka was established
to commemorate his visit.
The gurdwara on the DU campus is believed to have been built at the
initiative of a Sikh priest, Bhai Nathan, sent by the sixth Sikh
guru, Hargobind Ji (1606-1645), during the reign of Mughal emperor
Jahangir. He laid the foundation stone. After that the work
continued slowly and it was finished in the year 1830. When the
gurdwara was established it was known as 'Sujatpur Sikh Sangat' as
it was situated in the then Sujatpur mouza of Dhaka.
Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji had stayed at Banglabazar in Dhaka for a while
to spread his message.
Today the gurdwara has a single-dome prayer hall surrounded by
several smaller quarters. The smaller rooms are linked to the
central one with pillared ways. The arrangement enables a large
number of followers to sit together, pray and listen to hymns.
One new prayer hall is also being constructed, which will
accommodate around 500 devotees at a time. The new prayer hall will
be open in November during the celebration of Guru Nanak's birthday,
the head priest said.
A Sikh Research Centre is also under construction, which is
scheduled to open for all in December this year. Books on Sikhism,
both in Bangla and English, will be available there.
Suresh Kumar G Singh, president, Bangladesh Gurdwara Management
Committee, said, “In Bangladesh there are no resident Sikhs. The
Gurdwara is mainly attended by Sikhs living in Bangladesh for
business purposes and working as Indian embassy staffs.”
Kumar said there is a group of locals who join prayers at Gurdwara
on a regular basis. “The members of 'Balmiki' community usually come
here. They are followers of Guru Nanak for generations. These people
can even read Granth Sahib written in Punjabi and join weekly
religious sessions on Fridays and on special occasions.”
Balmiki is a faith practised by some Dalits or Harijan community of
this continent.
The temple is now run by the management committee with donations
from Indian and Bangladeshi devotees.
There are five Gurdwaras in Bangladesh -- two in Dhaka (DU campus
and Banglabazar), two in Chittagong and one in Mymensingh. Other
than the one at DU, most of these Gurdwaras are in appalling
condition. Some of these facilities have been encroached by illegal
occupants.
13 August, 2008
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