Saturday 28 May 2011

Shri Hazur Sahib, Nanded



Hazūr Sāhib hazūrī sāhib ("presence of the master"), also spelled Hazoor Sahib, more called as Takht Sri Hazur Sahib and also known as Abchal Nagar, is one of the five takhts ("thrones", seats of temporal authority) in Sikhism. It is located on the banks of the River Godavari at the city of Nanded in the state of Maharashtra, Western India. It is where the 10th guru, Guru Gobind Singh Ji completed his last breath. The gurudwara within the complex is known Sach-Khand "Realm of Truth".

The structure is built at the place of death of Guru Gobind Singh. The inner room of the gurdwara is called the Angitha Sahib and is built over the place where Guru Gobind Singh was cremated in 1708. The construction of the gurdwara was done from 1832 to 1837 by order of Maharaja Ranjit Singh (1780–1839).

Takhat Sachkhand Sri Hazur Sahib is the principthe Indian state Deccan region. It marks the site where Guru Gobind Singh had his camp in 1708, after the departure of the Emperor Bahadur Shah and where, in October 2008, the 300th anniversary celebration of the Guruship of Guru Granth Sahib took place. The tenth Guru held his court and congregation here. It is the site of his own tent where he was convalescing after he was attacked by assassins and the place at which Guru Gobind Singh ji 's light rose to rejoin the light of the Creator. This site is now one of five Takhats which are places of primary importance to the Sikhs. The other four takhats are: Akal Takhat at Amritsar, Takhat Keshgarh Sahib at Anandpur, Takhat Patna Sahib in Bihar District and Takhat Damdama Sahib in Talwandi Sabo, Bhatinda, Punjab.

In 1708 being prescient of the end of his earthly role, the Guru had dispatched Banda Singh with five of his Sikhs to Punjab and Mata Sahib Devan under a separate escort to Delhi before the stabbing incident. He told the rest of his retinue to retire to their homes if they so wished, but he made one Bhai Santokh Singh to stay on here and keep Guru ka Langar going. However, many others also chose to remain. Together they built a room over the platform where Guru Gobind Singh would sit while holding his court and installed the Guru Granth Sahib on it. They called it Takhat Sahib. Guru Gobind Singh, while conferring Guruship on the holy Book, had himself named Nanded as "Abchalnagar" (literally "Steadfast city") after the first word of a hymn read at random on the occasion.

Sachkhand (literally "region of Truth") had been used by Guru Nanak Dev to mean the abode of God. Maharaja Ranjit Singh Sher-e-Panjab had the present building of the Takhat Sahib constructed with money, artisans and labor sent from the Punjab during the early 1830s. Around the same time the Nizam of Hyderabad State a Muslim Ruler of the Deccan Region raised a contingent of Northern Sikhs as part of his army. Most of these men settled permanently in Hyderabad State and also Many militant and righteous Hindus of the Deccan embraced Sikhism in the 19th century. The control of Takhat Sachkhand Sri Hazoor Sahib, which had formerly passed into the hands of Udasi Sikh priests was regained by the Sikhs under the influence of the Singh Sabha Movement of the late nineteenth century. Some of the 'rituals and ceremonies connected with working' are peculiar to this Takhat Sahib. In 1956 an Act was passed by the legislature of Hyderabad under which the management of the Takhat Sahib and other historical Gurdwaras was legally placed under a 17 member Gurudwaras Board and a five member Managing Committee.

The Takht houses both the Sri Guru Granth Sahib and the Sri Dasam Granth. This follows the pattern of Takht Sri Patna Sahib.

In 2008, the 300'th Gurudomship Ceremony of Shri Guru Granth Sahibji and 300'th Death Anniversary of Shri Guru Gobind Singhji were celebrated on a grand scale at Hazoor Sahib, Nanded. Prime Minister of India, Manmohan Singh also addressed to the Sad-Sangat on the main event function. To publicize the event the "Jagriti Yatra" was arranged which travelled through different cities across the country and also some places in abroad.

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