Spiritual Space

Our idea of public space is usually limited to parks, playgrounds, shopping malls, bazaars and beaches. These places allow you the liberty to move freely, socialize and breathe in some fresh air. However, the more traditional forum for community interaction and open meeting spaces in India has been the place of worship: the temple, gurudwara, church or masjid. Straddling rich and diverse cultures, these places of worship strewn across the city, offer both physical and emotional succor to citizens.

In this article, we focus on one such holy place of worship, the ‘Gurudwara’ and its transformation within the urban fabric of the modern city. Gurudwaras are places of worship for the religious community of Sikhs and signify a gateway to connect to the Guru. While the community’s central place of pilgrimage is located in the city of Amritsar – the Golden Temple locally known as Harminder Sahib or Darbar Sahib, (which was built about 500 years ago) – we see Gurudwaras in several cities in India.

These domed structures can easily be located from a distance due to the raised Nishan Sahib, a yellow flag that acts as a mark of identification for a place to stay and eat for everyone. Today, Gurudwaras have evolved to inviting people of all faiths, to connect with one another, pray and lend a hand at voluntary community services. It is a place of social congregation that is accessible to people from all walks of life, at all times. 

In a sense, the Gurudwara is a microcosm of the melting pot of large cities.

My recent visit to the Bangla Sahib Gurudwara, New Delhi, was a heartwarming experience. Here, ‘public engagement’ involved people of all age groups volunteering for the Gurudwara’s activities of reading and singing prayers, serving free vegetarian food to all the people from a common kitchen run by sevadaars (local volunteers), drinking holy water and taking a holy dip in the sarovar (a well containing the holy water) to purify body and mind, and believed to have healing properties.

The majestic Bangla Sahib Gurudwara has been a popular place to visit for tourists and is also one of the active and functioning Gurudwaras of New Delhi. Its white marble architecture with gold furnishings has four large domes wrapped in yellow gold. The entrance gate is embedded with a verse in the Indian script of Gurmukhi, signifying relief from all pain and sorrow by remembering Guru HarKrishan Ji, the eighth Guru of the Sikh religion.

Every day a staggering one hundred thousand people come together to offer prayers irrespective of their caste, creed, religion and culture and this number doubles or triples on holidays and other festive occasions. Despite the rising footfalls, the Gurudwara carries out its various functions efficiently and calmly. Sardar Kulmohan Singh Ji, who is the Advisor of the Delhi Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee, that is responsible for the operations of the Gurudwara says, “It is the faith of the people that brings them to the Gurudwara and it becomes our prime responsibility to provide them with comfort and also make it accessible to people with special needs.” The Gurudwara is solely supported by the community through kar seva (public donations and charities), which has helped them in preserving them and their activities.

So, what makes the Gurudwara Bangla Sahib such a well-planned and organized public space? Parking, which is always a problem in most public places, has been tackled through building a free, multi-level parking system. Access for people with special needs has been tackled with a special pick and drop facility for the handicapped and elderly, using eco-friendly, electric vehicles.

Visitors can leave behind their footwear at the orderly jode ghar and if you need a break from walking, steel benches are ready to offer comfort, catering to more than 10,000 people at any given time. Also available is a luggage room supervised by sevadaars where people can deposit hand baggage safely.

The newly installed smart LED screens inside the Gurudwara provide a view of the various activities within the premises. For the elderly and physically challenged, a portable sliding chair alongside the stairs provides much relief. The air-conditioned langar hall comes as a respite for many who want to take a break to have a meal. An interactive environment in the form of a museum depicts the history and storytelling of the Sikh community.

A special sight is the langar hall where food is prepared by a large number of both men and women, known as sevadaars, who voluntarily participate and prepare food and serve round the clock. With enviable organization, the sevadaars serve quick rounds to nearly 1000 people at a time, every 30 minutes. Dashing up and down the queue of people seated comfortably on the floor, using wheeled trolleys for swift and efficient distribution, the volunteers distribute utensils and food from big buckets. Typically, the langar serves a substantial meal with sabji (vegetable), dal (pulses), chapatti (roti), chawal (rice), aachar (pickle), kheer (dessert) and lassi (traditional drink) that is relished by everyone who comes to offer prayers. On special festive occasions besides the langar, there are many stalls outside the premises of the Gurudwara where sevadaars voluntarily distribute home-cooked food.

The Gurudwara Bangla Sahib is a distinct example where people, from the city and beyond, come together to enjoy the peace and calm of being at a holy place. 

It also successfully aggregates volunteers who wish to give back to their community in terms of seva (service). In Indian cities, where people of multiple faiths and cultures congregate, this is an example of a religious place of worship opening its doors to all, and serving the community in the most admirable way.