Guru Ram Rai Darbar Sahib

Last updated
Guru Ram Rai Darbar Sahib
Guru Ram Rai Temple, Dehradun, 1858.jpg
An 1858 photograph of Guru Ram Rai Darbar Sahib taken by Robert Christopher Tytler and Harriet Tyler
Religion
Affiliation Ramraiya unorthodox sect of Sikhism
Location
LocationJhanda Mohalla, Dehradun, India
India Uttarakhand location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Shown within Uttarakhand
India location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Guru Ram Rai Darbar Sahib (India)
Geographic coordinates 30°19′05″N78°01′54″E / 30.3181°N 78.0318°E / 30.3181; 78.0318
Architecture
Style Sikh architecture with influences and motifs from Islamic architecture
Completed1699: Central complex completed
1703–06: Completion of building work
Website
http://www.sgrrdarbar.org/

Guru Ram Rai Darbar Sahib is a Sikh place of worship in Dehradun, India, dedicated to Baba Ram Rai, eldest son of Guru Har Rai, the seventh of the ten Sikh Gurus. [1] Baba Ram Rai settled here with his followers in the mid-17th century, after he was banished by the Sikh orthodoxy for mistranslating scripture in front of the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, so as to not cause offence. It is believed the city, Dehradun, gets its name from the religious camp established by him: a "dera", or camp, in the "doon" valley.

Contents

The building is historically and architecturally significant, as it derives many of its architectural motifs, like minarets, domes and gardens, from Islamic architecture. [2] While Sikh architecture, in general, drew inspiration from Mughal styles, the Darbar Sahib was unique in that it relied more heavily on elements that give it the appearance of a mosque than a conventional gurudwara. This was unusual in the 17th-18th centuries, as at the time Sikhs were generally in conflict with the Muslim rulers of India. The Islamic influence was the result of a cordial relationship between Baba Ram Rai and the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, who provided lands and funds for the site. [3]

History

The temple site was founded by Baba Ram Rai in the mid-17th century after he was banished by the orthodox Sikh sect for mistranslating a word in the Adi Granth in front of the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb. He replaced the word "Mussalman" with "faithless" to prevent causing offence. [4] The settlement is believed to have given Dehradun its name: a "dera", or camp, in the "Doon" valley. [4] The central complex of the temple was completed in 1699, twelve years after Baba Ram Rai's death, and the complete structural work was finished between 1703 and 1706; embellishment and painting work is thought to have continued long after the structural completion. [5] Mata Panjab Kaur, Baba Ram Rai's wife, oversaw the construction work and managed the affairs of the Darbar till her death in 1741/42. [6]

Architecture

Unusually for a Sikh place of worship, Indo-Islamic architecture defines the main Darbar structure, which is surrounded by a miniature Mughal-style garden. [2] The central mausoleum was inspired by the Tomb of Jahangir. [7]

Wall paintings

The buildings in the complex were once lavishly decorated with Mughal-style wall paintings, which were specimens of rare wall paintings found in Uttarakhand. [8] The paintings have either been lost to successive re-paintings or re-marblings or are in poor shape and in need of preservation. [9] Some paintings date back to the 17th century and are over 300 years old. [8] Between 2004 and 2014, Archaeological Survey of India carried out restoration work on the historic murals. [10]

Jhanda Mela

The new flag being erected during the Jhanda Mela in the temple precincts. Jhanda Mela Dehradun.jpg
The new flag being erected during the Jhanda Mela in the temple precincts.

Jhanda Mela, literally "flag fair", is an annual religious fair that takes place in the temple precincts; it is believed to have been held since 1676. [11] The fair marks the arrival of Baba Ram Rai at the site, and starts five days after the festival of Holi and continues till Rama Navami. The symbolic flag is a hundred-feet tall tree trunk wrapped in layers of clothing. During the fair, devotees, who come from across India and abroad, gather in large numbers and replace the previous year's flag in a religious ceremony. [12]

Mahants and Gurus

The head of Darbar Sahib, called Sajjada Nashin Shri Mahant leads a life of celibacy and dedicate his life for the noble cause of the society.

  1. Shri Mahant Aud Dass (1687-1741)
  2. Shri Mahant Har Prasad (1741-1766)
  3. Shri Mahant Har Sevak (1766-1818)
  4. Shri Mahant Har Swaroop Dass (1818-1842)
  5. Shri Mahant Preetam Dass (1842-1854)
  6. Shri Mahant Narayan Dass (1854-1885)
  7. Shri Mahant Prayag Dass (1885-1896)
  8. Shri Mahant Lakshman Dass (1896-1945)
  9. Shri Mahant Indiresh Charan Dass (1945-2000)
  10. Shri Mahant Devendra Dass (Since June 25, 2000)

Bibliography

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guru Har Rai</span> The seventh Sikh Guru

Guru Har Rai revered as the seventh Nanak, was the seventh of ten Gurus of the Sikh religion. He became the Sikh leader at age 14, on 3 March 1644, after the death of his grandfather and the sixth Sikh leader Guru Hargobind. He guided the Sikhs for about seventeen years, till his death at age 31.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guru Har Krishan</span> The eighth Sikh Guru

Guru Har Krishan was the eighth of the ten Sikh Gurus. At the age of five, he became the youngest Guru in Sikhism on 7 October 1661, succeeding his father, Guru Har Rai. He contracted smallpox in 1664 and died before reaching his eighth birthday. It is said that he died because he contracted smallpox while successfully curing his followers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guru Tegh Bahadur</span> The ninth Sikh Guru

Guru Tegh Bahadur was the ninth of ten Gurus who founded the Sikh religion and the leader of Sikhs from 1665 until his beheading in 1675. He was born in Amritsar, Punjab, India in 1621 and was the youngest son of Guru Hargobind, the sixth Sikh guru. Considered a principled and fearless warrior, he was a learned spiritual scholar and a poet whose 115 hymns are included in Sri Guru Granth Sahib, the main text of Sikhism.

The following outline is provides an overview of Sikhism, or Sikhi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dehradun</span> Winter capitol of Uttarakhand, India

Dehradun is the capital and the most populous city of the Indian state of Uttarakhand. It is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous district and is governed by the Dehradun Municipal Corporation, with the Uttarakhand Legislative Assembly holding its winter sessions in the city as its winter capital. Part of the Garhwal region, and housing the headquarters of its Divisional Commissioner. Dehradun is one of the "Counter Magnets" of the National Capital Region (NCR) being developed as an alternative center of growth to help ease the migration and population explosion in the Delhi metropolitan area and to establish a smart city in the Himalayas. It is the third largest city in the Himalayas after Kathmandu and Srinagar.

Jainism (/ˈdʒeɪnɪzəm/), traditionally known as Jain Dharma, is an ancient Indian religion. Jain dharma traces its spiritual ideas and history through a succession of twenty-four leaders or tirthankaras, with the first in current time cycle being Lord Rishabhanatha, whom the Jain tradition holds to have lived millions of years ago, the twenty-third tirthankara Parshvanatha whom historians date to 8th or 7th century BCE, and the 24th tirthankara, Mahāvīra around 500 BCE. Jains believe that Jainism is an eternal dharma with the tirthankaras guiding every cycle of the Jain cosmology.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anandpur Sahib</span> City in Punjab, India

Anandpur Sahib, sometimes referred to simply as Anandpur, is a city in Rupnagar district (Ropar), on the edge of Shivalik Hills, in the Indian state of Punjab. Located near the Sutlej River, the city is one of the most sacred places in Sikhism, being the place where the last two Sikh Gurus, Guru Tegh Bahadur and Guru Gobind Singh, lived. It is also the place where Guru Gobind Singh founded the Khalsa Panth in 1699. The city is home to Takhat Sri Kesgarh Sahib, Third of the five Takhts in Sikhism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bhai Mani Singh</span> 18th-century Sikh religious leader and martyr

Bhai Mani Singh was an 18th-century Sikh scholar and martyr. He was a childhood companion of Guru Gobind Singh and took the vows of Sikhism when the Guru inaugurated the Khalsa in March 1699. Soon after that, the Guru sent him to Amritsar to take charge of Harmandir Sahib, which had been without a custodian since 1696. He took control and steered the course of Sikh destiny at a critical stage in Sikh history.

Guru Nanak founded the Sikh faith in the Punjab region of the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, and present-day Pakistan, in the end of fifteenth century. He was first of the ten Sikh Gurus. The tenth, Guru Gobind Singh, formalised its practices on 13 April 1699. He baptised five Sikh people from different parts of India, with different social backgrounds, to form Khalsa (ਖ਼ਾਲਸਾ). Those five Beloved Ones, the Pañj Piārē, then baptised him into the Khalsa fold. This gives the order of Khalsa a history of around 500 years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bhai Dayala</span>

Bhai Dayala Ji died 9 November 1675, also known as Bhai Dayal Das He was boiled alongside his Sikh companions Bhai Mati Das and Bhai Sati Das and the Ninth Guru, Guru Tegh Bahadur.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Doiwala</span> Town in Uttarakhand, India

Doiwala is a town and a Nagar Palika in Dehradun district in the state of Uttarakhand, India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sikh architecture</span> Style of architecture

Sikh architecture is a style of architecture that was developed under Sikh Empire during 18th and 19th century in the Punjab region. Due to its progressive style, it is constantly evolving into many newly developing branches with new contemporary styles. Although Sikh architecture was initially developed within Sikhism its style has been used in many non-religious buildings due to its beauty. 300 years ago, Sikh architecture was distinguished for its many curves and straight lines; Shri Keshgarh Sahib and the Sri Harmandir Sahib are prime examples.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Dehradun</span>

Dehradun is the capital of The Indian state of Uttarakhand, and has a rich and eventful history, it also finds mention in scriptures as well.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ramraiya</span>

Ramraiyas, also referred to as Ram Raiyas, are a Sikh sect that follow Baba Ram Rai, the excommunicated eldest son of Guru Har Rai (1630–61).

Shri Guru Ram Rai Institute of Medical & Health Sciences is a private medical college located in Patelnagar in Dehradun district, Uttarakhand, India. The medical college hospital was started in April 2002 and the college received permission for MBBS admission in 2006 and Postgraduate courses started in 2011. It was affiliated to Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna Uttarakhand Medical Education University. It has an annual intake of 150 for MBBS seats and 97 Post graduate seats in various specialties recognized by MCI. In 2017 it became a constituent college of Shri Guru Ram Rai University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sects of Sikhism</span> Sub-traditions within Sikhism

Sub-traditions, also known as Samparda in the Punjabi language, are sub-traditions within Sikhism that believe in different approaches to practicing the religion. While all sampradas believe in Waheguru and one creator, do not believe in idol worship or caste system, different interpretation have emerged over time, some of which practise having a living teacher as the leader orthodox. The major historic traditions in Sikhism, states Harjot Oberoi, have included Udasi, Nirmala, Nanakpanthi, Khalsa, Sahajdhari, Namdhari Kuka, Nirankari and Sarvaria. During the persecution of Sikhs by Mughals, several splinter groups emerged such as the Udasis, Minas, and Ramraiyas during the early Guru period during the period between the death of Guru Har Krishan and the establishment of Guru Tegh Bahadur as the ninth Sikh Guru. These sects have had considerable differences. Some of these sects were financially and administratively supported by the Mughal Empire in the hopes of gaining a more favorable and compliant citizenry.

Darbar Sahib may refer to:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baba Ram Rai</span>

Baba Ram Rai was the eldest son of the seventh Sikh Guru, Guru Har Rai, and the founder of the Ramraiyas, an unorthodox sect in Sikhism. He founded the Guru Ram Rai Darbar Sahib, a Darbar in Dehradun which was built in Indo-Islamic architecture style. Ram Rai's brother, Guru Har Krishan, was the eighth of the ten Sikh Gurus. After his death, he was succeeded as head of the sect by mahant Aud Dass, who was helped by Ram Rai's widow, Panjab Kaur.

References

  1. Wright, Colin. "No. 12. Temple of Gaaraa Nanule [sic for Baba Ram Rai], Dhera [Dun]". www.bl.uk.
  2. 1 2 Jain & Handa , p. 37
  3. Jain & Handa , p. 35: "At that time Fateh Shah was reigning in Garhwal. The Emperor Aurangzeb directed him to grant some villages to the Baba in the Doon to provide for his sect and the service at the Dehra."
  4. 1 2 Jain & Handa , p. 34
  5. Jain & Handa , p. 36
  6. Jain & Handa , pp. 35–36
  7. Dehra Town The Imperial Gazetteer of India, 1909, v. 11, p. 221-223
  8. 1 2 "Come away for a slice of art at Jhanda fair". March 7, 2017.
  9. Jain & Handa , p. 39
  10. "Facelift for Guru Ram Rai Darbar Sahib murals | Dehradun News - Times of India". The Times of India.
  11. Pioneer, The. "Historical Jhanda Mela in Doon from today". The Pioneer.
  12. "Pole falls on Jhanda Mela gathering, 8 injured | Dehradun News - Times of India". The Times of India.