Pandori Dham

Last updated

Thakurdwara Bhagwan Narainji
Ram Panchayat Pandori Dham.jpg
Shri Ram panchayat painting at Thakurdwara Bhagwan Narainji
Religion
Affiliation Hinduism
District Gurdaspur
Deity Shri Raghunath ji
Festivals Rama Navami and Baisakhi
Location
Location Gurdaspur
State Punjab
Country India
India Punjab location map.svg
Om symbol.svg
Location in Gurdaspur, Punjab, India
India location map.svg
Om symbol.svg
Pandori Dham (India)
Geographic coordinates 32°03′26″N75°30′08″E / 32.0571°N 75.5023°E / 32.0571; 75.5023
Architecture
Type Rajputana

Thakurdwara Bhagwan Narainji (popularly known as Pandori Dham [note 1] [1] [2] ) is a historical Hindu temple belonging to Ramanandi Sampradaya, [3] located in the village Pandori Mahantan [4] in Gurdaspur district of Punjab in India. It constitutes one of the fifty-two Vaishnav dvaras of Indian subcontinent into which Bairagis have been organized. [1] The shrine was founded by Ramanandi saint Shri Bhagwanji [5] and his disciple ShriNarainji [6] after whom the shrine has been name.The temple is known for its spectacular Baisakhi fair. [4]

Contents

History and tradition

Mural depicting four mahants of Pindori Dham located in Pindori, Gurdaspur district, Punjab Mural depicting four mahants of Pindori Dham located in Pindori, Gurdaspur district, Punjab.jpg
Mural depicting four mahants of Pindori Dham located in Pindori, Gurdaspur district, Punjab

The Vaishnav establishment at Pandori Dham was founded by local Ramanandi saint Shri Bhagwanji who was a Dogra Khajuria Brahmin born at Kahnuwan town in Gurdaspur. As per local tradition, Shri Bhagwanji during his early years had met Ramanandi saint Shri Krishnadas Payahari of Galta dham in Rajasthan who had brought him into order of Ramanandi Vaishnavism. [7] The shrine is also said to have won the allegiance of Hindu princely states of hills of Jammu & Himachal. The Rajput rulers of princely states especially Nurpur, Jammu, Mankot, Guler, Basohli, Chamba, Bandralta, Jasrota, Jaswan were particularly devoted to the Pandori dham. [8] The second Mahant of Pandori dham, Shri Narainji is said to have survived the ordeal inflicted to him by Muslim Emperor Jahangir who had poisoned him to test his miraculous powers. Shri Narainji survived which left Jahangir feel ashamed and ultimately led him to accept the supremacy of the shrine. [9] The shrine of Pandori also received royal patronage during the reign of Maharaja Ranjit Singh who often journeyed the shrine for happiness. [10] [11]

Dogra wall painting on walls of temple at Pandori dham depicts incident when Shri Narainji was poisoned by Emperor Jahangir Pandori Narainji painting.jpg
Dogra wall painting on walls of temple at Pandori dham depicts incident when Shri Narainji was poisoned by Emperor Jahangir

Festivals and cultural events

The Baisakhi fair is at Thakurdwara of Bhagwan Narainji at Pandori Mahatan village in Gurdaspur district of Punjab where the fair lasts for three days from 1st Vaisakha to 3rd Vaisakha. [4] The celebrations start in form of procession on morning of 1st Vaisakha, carrying Mahant in a palanquin by Brahmacharis and devotees. After that Navgraha Puja is held and charities in money, grains and cows are done. [12] At evening, Sankirtan is held in which Mahant delivers religious discourses and concludes it by distributing prasad of Patashas (candy drops). Pilgrims also take ritual bathings at sacred tank in the shrine. [13]

Branches and Daughter shrines

The Thakurdwara at Pandori dham extended its influence not only on neighboring Hindu hill states but also spread its branches in the form of daughter shrines, spreading all over Indian subcontinent, from Jammu in the North, Chinapattan (Chennai) in South India, Girnar (Gujarat) in the West and Ayodhya & Kashi in the east. [14] As per the genealogy published by the Pandori dham itself, there are a total of 39 maths associated with dham which are established all over India. [15] Apart from this, numerous minor branches are established in the towns of North Punjab, Jammu and Himachal.

Some important historical daughter shrines are that of Damtal in Kangra, Bathu in erstwhile Guler state and Lehal in Dhariwal of Gurdaspur. [16] The list of 39 mathas spread across various Indian states and towns are as follow: 7 shrines in Hoshiarpur district (Punjab), 2 in Jalandhar district (Punjab), 1 in Amritsar district (Punjab), 2 in Kangra district (Himachal), 1 in Mandi district (Himachal), 2 in Ambala district (Haryana), 1 in Thanesar (Haryana), 1 in Saharanpur (Uttar Pradesh), 5 in Ayodhya (Uttar Pradesh), 1 in Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh), 1 in Girnar (Gujarat), 1 in Nagpur (Maharashtra), 1 each in Hyderabad, Parshottam & Chinnapattan in South India. There are 2 mathas in Jammu and 3 were there in Lahore. [15]

Notes

  1. Alternatively spelt as 'Pindori Dham'.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ravi River</span> River in India and Pakistan

The Ravi River is a transboundary river crossing northwestern India and eastern Pakistan. It is one of five rivers associated with the Punjab region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vaisakhi</span> Religious, harvest and traditional new year festival

Vaisakhi, also known as Baisakhi, marks the first day of the month of Vaisakh and is traditionally celebrated annually on 13 April and sometimes 14 April. It is seen as a spring harvest celebration primarily in Punjab and Northern India. Whilst it is culturally significant as a festival of harvest, in many parts of India, Vaisakhi is also the date for the Indian Solar New Year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ramananda</span> 14th century Vaishnava Bhakti poet-saint from India

Jagadguru Swami Ramananda or Ramanandacharya was an Indian 14th-century Hindu Vaishnava devotional poet saint, who lived in the Gangetic basin of northern India. The Hindu tradition recognizes him as the founder of the Ramanandi Sampradaya, the largest monastic Hindu renunciant community in modern times.

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

Pathankot is a city and the district headquarters of the Pathankot district in Punjab, India. Pathankot is the 6th most populous city of Punjab, after Ludhiana, Amritsar, Jalandhar, Patiala and Bathinda. Its local government is a municipal corporation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ramanandi Sampradaya</span> Branch of the Vaishnava Hinduism

The Ramanandi, also known as Ramavats, is one of the largest sects of Vaishnavas. Out of 52 sub-branches of Vaishnavism, divided into four Vaishnava sampradayas, 36 are held by the Ramanandi. The sect mainly emphasizes the worship of Rama, Sita, Hanuman, and the avatars of Vishnu. They consider Rama and Sita as the Supreme Absolute who are not different from each other. It is considered to have been founded by Ramananda, a 14th-century Vaishnava saint.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Majha</span> Region in the central parts of the historical Punjab region

Majha is a region located in the central parts of the historical Punjab region, currently split between the republics of India and Pakistan. It extends north from the right banks of the river Beas, and reaches as far north as the river Jhelum. People of the Majha region are given the demonym "Mājhī" or "Majhail". Most inhabitants of the region speak the Majhi dialect, which is the basis of the standard register of the Punjabi language. The most populous city in the area is Lahore on the Pakistani side, and Amritsar on the Indian side of the border.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Basohli (town)</span> Town in Jammu and Kashmir, India

Basohli is a town near Kathua in Kathua district in the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir, India. It is situated on the right bank of the River Ravi, at an altitude of 1876 ft. The town was founded by Raja Bhupat Pal sometime in 1635. It was known for the palaces which are now in ruins and miniatures paintings. The Battle of Basoli was fought in this region.

Dinanagar is a town and a municipal council in Gurdaspur district in the Majha region of the state of Punjab, India. It takes its name after Adina Beg, who served as the subahdar of Punjab for the Mughals and Marathas. He built up his residence and exercised his government mainly from this town, whilst he was serving as the governor of the nearby town of Behrampur. During the rule of the Sikh Empire, it was the favourite summer resort of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, who held durbar there during summer, effectively making the town his summer capital.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Galtaji</span> Temple complex in Rajasthan, India

Galtaji is an ancient Hindu pilgrimage about 10 km away from Jaipur, in the Indian state of Rajasthan. The site consists of a series of temples built into a narrow crevice in the ring of hills that surrounds Jaipur. A natural spring emerges high on the hill and flows downward, filling a series of sacred kunds in which pilgrims bathe. Visitors and pilgrims can ascend the crevasse, continuing past the highest water pool to a hilltop temple from there are views of Jaipur and its fortifications spreads out across the valley floor. It is believed that a Saint named Galav lived here, practiced meditation, and did penance (tapasya).

Pandori or Pindori may refer to: A village or villages in Punjab and a Jat Sikh clan and surname in Punjab named after Pandori villages.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mukteshwar Mahadev Temple</span> Shrine to Shiva in Punjab, India

Mukteshwar Mahadev Temple, also known as Mukesaran Mandir, is a shrine to Shiva and man-made cave complex located near Pathankot City, Punjab, India. on Shahpur Kandi Dam road. It is a Hindu temple containing representations of Ganesha, Brahma, Vishnu, Hanuman, and Parvati. It is considered to be one of the most sacred places around Pathankot. According to legend, the Pandavas stayed in the caves for a night during their exile (Agayatwas), and it is said that some of the caves date to the time of the Mahabharata.

Punjabi festivals are various festive celebrations observed by Punjabis in Pakistan, India and the jairish alipreet Punjabi found in Kannada. The Punjabis are a diverse group of people from different religious background that affects the festivals they observe. According to a 2007 estimate, the total population of Punjabi Muslims is about 90 million, with 97% of Punjabis who live in Pakistan following Islam, in contrast to the remaining 30 million Punjabi Sikhs and Punjabi Hindus who predominantly live in India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bhangra (dance)</span> Folk dance originating from the Punjab

Bhangra is a type of traditional folk dance of Punjab area of the Indian subcontinent. It is done in the season of harvesting. According to Manuel (2001), bhangra is especially associated with the vernal Vaisakhi festival, performed during harvest season between April and the first quarter of May.

<i>Bhaktamal</i> Medieval poem written in Braj language in India

Bhaktamal, written c. 1585, is a poem in the Braj language that gives short biographies of more than 200 bhaktas. It was written by Nabha Dass, a saint belonging to the tradition of Ramananda.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jammu division</span> Administrative division in Jammu and Kashmir, India

The Jammu division is a revenue and administrative division of the Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region. It is bordered by the Kashmir division to the north. It consists of the districts of Jammu, Doda, Kathua, Ramban, Reasi, Kishtwar, Poonch, Rajouri, Udhampur and Samba. Most of the land is hilly or mountainous, including the Pir Panjal Range which separates it from the Kashmir Valley and part of the Great Himalayas in the eastern districts of Doda and Kishtwar. Its principal river is the Chenab.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Datarpur</span> Village in Punjab, India

Datarpur is a village situated in Mukerian Tehsil, Hoshiarpur District, Punjab (India). Datarpur State was a small precolonial Indian hill state in the Lower Himalayas. The state was founded around 1550 and was annexed by the Sikh Empire in 1818.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nabha Dass</span> Ramanandi Vaishnava Bhakti poet-saint from India

Nabha Dass, was a Hindu saint, theologian and author of the Bhaktamal. In this sacred scripture, Nabha Das wrote the life history of almost every saint ranging from the Satya Yuga to the Kali Yuga age. Nabha Dass wrote ‘Bhakatmal’ in 1585. Nabha Dass, a saint belonging to the tradition of Ramananda. On his birthday 8 April, millions of followers remember him and his resolve to work for humanity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bawa Lal Dayal</span> 14th century Hindu saint

Bawa Lal Dayal, also known as Lal Das Bairagi, was a 15th-century Indian saint, revered in Hinduism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Krishnadas Payahari</span> 16th-century Ramanandi Hindu religious leader

Krishnadas Payahari, also known as Payahari Baba was a Ramanandi Hindu saint and disciple of Anantananda, one of the twelve disciple of Ramananda. Krishnadas Payohari was the founder and first Mahant of Gaddi of Galtaji dham, Jaipur. He came to Galta early in the 16th century. He was the guru of Prithvi Singh, ruler of Amber (Jaipur) and his wife Apurva Devi. He was also guru of Raja Jagat Singh of Kullu.

References

  1. 1 2 Census of India, 1991: Gurdaspur. Controller of Publications. 1996. Pindori known as Darbar Pindori Dham has a large establishment of Vaishnava sect which constitutes as one of 52 Vaishnava Dvars into which Bairagi establishments are organised.
  2. Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain & Ireland. Cambridge University Press for the Royal Asiatic Society. 1971. p. 157. The Dhyanpur gaddi is known as "Lāldvārā" much as the Pindori gaddi, also in the Gurdaspur district, is known as the dvārā of Bhagwan-Narain ji.
  3. Chaitanya, Krishna (1976). A History of Indian Painting. Abhinav Publications. ISBN   978-81-7017-310-6. The seat of the hieratic head or Mahant of the Ramanandi sect was Pindori, seven miles east of Gurdaspur.
  4. 1 2 3 Darshan. Consulate-General of India. 1982. The most spectacular Baisakhi gathering can be seen at Pandori mahantan in the village of Tallpur (Gurdaspur district)
  5. Ghurye, Govind Sadashiv (1964). Indian Sadhus. Popular Prakashan. ISBN   978-81-7154-605-3. The centre at Pindori in Gurdaspur district of Punjab, for example, is recorded to have been founded by one Bhagawan who was born in A.D. 1449.
  6. Charak, Sukh Dev Singh; Billawaria, Anita K. (1998). Pahāṛi Styles of Indian Murals. Abhinav Publications. ISBN   978-81-7017-356-4. Among the converts of Bhagwanji was a devotee, named Narainji who was afterwards known as Bhagwan-Nārāinji and whose miracles find illustration in the murals of the shrine
  7. Burchett, Patton E. (28 May 2019). A Genealogy of Devotion: Bhakti, Tantra, Yoga, and Sufism in North India. Columbia University Press. ISBN   978-0-231-54883-0. According to the tradition of Pindori Dhām, a major Rāmānandī center in the Gurdaspur district of Panjab, the young Bhagvān-jī met Kṛṣṇadās Payahārī at Galta while on a pilgrimage. Payahārī is said to have converted him to Vaiṣṇavism
  8. Roopa-Lekhā. All-India Fine Arts and Crafts Society. 1971. The Mahants of Pindori stood in a similar relationship with the Rajput chiefs of the hill States. There is evidence at Pindori that the rulers of Nurpur, Chamba, Guler, Jaswan, Jammu, Bandralta and Mankot, among others, offered...
  9. Bengal, Past & Present: Journal of the Calcutta Historical Society. The Society. 1971. ...dates back to the days of Emperor Jahangir. Narainji, the second Mahant, according to traditional accounts, survived an ordeal by poison in the presence of Jahangir who bequeathed to
  10. Sharamā, Rādhā (2007). Contemporary and Later Perspectives on Maharaja Ranjit Singh. Guru Nanak Dev University. p. 9. ISBN   978-81-7770-141-8. According to Indu Banga, the Bairagi establishment of Pindori near Batala was 'more affluent in the Sikh times than ever before or perhaps even after'
  11. Suri (lala), Sohan Lal (1961). pts.1-5.Chronicle of the reign of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, 1831-1839 A.D. S. Chand. p. 34. Secondly, it stated as to how he journeyed from Kapurthala to Talibpur Pindori and became a source of happiness for the Mahararja
  12. Punjab (India) (1992). Punjab District Gazetteers: Supplement. Controller of Print. and Stationery.
  13. Anand, R.L. (1962). Fairs and Festivals, Part VII-B, Vol-XIII, Punjab, Census of India 1961. p. 60.
  14. Proceedings - Punjab History Conference. Department of Punjab Historical Studies, Punjabi University. 1988. but also spread its branches from Jammu in the north to Chinapattan in the South, Girnar in the west and Ajodhya in the east
  15. 1 2 Sinha, Surajit; Saraswati, Baidyanath (1978). Ascetics of Kashi: An Anthropological Exploration. N.K. Bose Memorial Foundation. From a genealogy published by Pindoridham in 2018 VS, it appears that there are at least 39 important gaddis (or mathas), belonging to Bhagwanji Dwara, spread all over in different parts of the country
  16. Goswamy, B. N.; Fischer, Eberhard (1997). Pahari Masters: Court Painters of Northern India. Oxford University Press. ISBN   978-0-19-564014-4. The early years of the seventeenth century saw a concerted effort towards taking the message of Vaishnavism into the hills through the founding of monasteries like Pindori and its offshoots at Damtal and Bathu