A Day at the Darbar Sahib
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Amrit
vela
For thousands of Amritsar's inhabitants, the day begins very early. It
begins, in fact, the night before, at three o'clock or so in the
morning, as households in the city stir with the activity of people
preparing for a predawn visit to the Darbar Sahib - a routine that
hasn't changed for four centuries. The devout of Amritsar eagerly await
this hour each morning with the keen sense of anticipation that comes
from knowing they will soon visit the Harimandir.
As they walk through the familiar streets of the old city, their pace
quickens in expectation of soon seeing the beloved shrine. Some of them
have made this walk at this hour each morning for as long as they can
remember.
Outside the main entrance, they take their shoes off, check them with an
attendant and proceed into the complex. At a trough of swiftly running
water, they dip their feet to cleanse them. As they pass the flower
stalls, some stop to buy garlands of yellow, gold or russet marigolds to
carry inside as offerings.
The Harimandar Sahib
Descending the marble stairs (teaching humility to mankind) to the
parikarma, they behold, in the center of the Sarowar, the serene and
immortal Harimandar Sahib. They gaze at it with awe, and with reverence
and love-the very emotions others before them have experienced for as
long as the Harimandar has existed.
They are transfixed by this first sight of it, by its golden facades and
domes. The waters around it are still and glassy in the peaceful early
morning silence, and capture an almost perfect reflection. Bowing low to
touch their foreheads to the cool marble of the Parikarma, worshippers
pay homage and express thanks for the divine grace that has made the
visit possible. Then, as is customary, they turn left to go around the
entire parikarma, and to stop at shrines on the way, before finally
reaching the Harimandar Sahib.
The
Parikarma Shrines & Ath Sath Tirath
The first shrine along the marble walkway is the Dukh bhanjani Ber.
Built around a jujube tree, it marks the spot where, it is said, a dip
in the sacred pool miraculously cured a crippled youth. Since many
consider their visit to the temple incomplete without bathing at this
spot, they stop here and enter the water, hoping to shed their
afflictions and troubles.
Past the Dukh Bhanjani Ber is a raised marble platform which is the Ath
Sath Tirath, the Shrine of the Sixty-Eight Holy Places. To bathe near
it, some believe, their dreams of visiting the 68 holy places of India
will be fulfilled.
Further along the parikarma, around the next corner, is the shrine of
Baba Deep Singh, the legendary old warrior who died at this spot. Ever
since, pilgrims have paused here to pray, to sprinkle rose petals or to
lay fresh garlands in his honor.
Such cameos of valor enliven the rich mosaic of a military tradition
that continues to this day. Even now, the names of Sikh martyrs and
soldiers who die in battle are inscribed on marble plaques embedded in
the floor of the parikarma or on the pillars of the adjoining verandahs.
Many Indian army regiments still maintain the tradition of installing
commemorative plaques here to honor their war heroes.
As the devout turns the next corner of the parikarma, leading to the
Akal takht and the Darshani Deorhi, their excitement builds, for soon
they will witness, and possibly join in, the ceremonies that only those
who visit the Darbar Sahib at this hour can. These are the rituals that
attend the traditional bearing of the Siri Guru Granth Sahib from the
Kotha Sahib in the Akal Takht, where it is kept each night, to the
Harimandar Sahib, to which it is always returned before five o'clock in
the morning.
The
Decorated Palki and Sawari
About half an hour before the Siri Guru Granth Sahib is brought down
from the Akal Takht, the palki, a gold and silver palanquin, is prepared
for it. Attendants replace the cushions and pillows on which the Siri
Guru Granth Sahib will rest. They lay down fresh sets of silk and
brocade coverings and, when everything is ready, they sprinkle
delicately scented rose water over all.
As the head priest of the Harimandar Sahib appears with the Siri Guru Granth
Sahib on a cushion on his head, a series of deep, resonant drum beats of
the nigara heralds its arrival to the assembled worshippers who, even at
this hour, fill the large plaza to capacity. Showering fragrant red,
pink and white rose petals, and reciting hymns from the holy scriptures,
they make way for the palki's journey to the Harimandar Sahib. This passage,
though short, sometimes takes up to half an hour while as many
worshippers as possible share the honor of carrying it.
The procession solemnly moves across the plaza, through the Darshani
Deorhi, and along the causeway, stopping as it reaches the main door of
the Harimandar Sahib. The head priest reverently lifts the Siri Guru Granth
sahib out of the Palki, places it on a silk cushion on his head, and
enters the holy shrine.
Parkash
He carries it to its customary place of honor beneath a velvet canopy
richly brocaded with the silver and gold, and carefully sets it on
velvet cushions and silks placed on a manji sahib. As the Sangat
(congregation) stands in hushed silence, the head priest seats himself
in front of the Siri Guru Granth Sahib, ceremoniously opens it, and
reads aloud the vaaq, or Lord's message, for the day.
The recitation of Asa di War, which had been in progress here since a
little after three a.m., had stopped as the Siri Guru Granth Sahib was
carried in. Sung always at this predawn hour of the morning, the Asa di
War also, like all other compositions recited here, is taken from the
Siri Guru Granth Sahib.
After the vaq is read, the singing of the Asa di War continues. As it
ends, the entire Sangat and the sewadars of the temple stand up for the
ardas, a prayer that is recited at the conclusion of each service. After
the ardas, the shabad kirtan, the vocal and musical renditions from the
sacred verses, are resumed. The shabad kirtan will be sung throughout
the day and late into the evening by a succession of ragis.
Har
ki Pauri and Darshani Deorhi
The early morning worshippers now step out of the Harimandar Sahib, walk on
the inner parikarma that encircles it, and stop on its southern side at
the Har ki Pauri. Here, marble steps descend into the sarowar, so that
visitors may cup the water of the sacred pool into their hands and
sprinkle it on their heads. Some take a small sip of it as well.
Tradition has it that Siri Guru Arjan Dev himself gave this place its
name.
Continuing around the Harimandar Sahib, on the inner parikarma, the devotees
once more bow in the direction of the Siri Guru Granth Sahib, then make
their way back over the causeway, through the Darshani Deorhi and onto
the main parikarma. As they proceed along the parikarma, towards the
stairs by which they had entered, some pause by the Ber Baba Buddha,
popularly known as the Tree Shrine. Baba Buddha, the first head priest
of the Harimandar Sahib, is said to have sat under this tree as he
supervised the construction of the Harimandar Sahib.
Before leaving the Darbar Sahib, once more the early morning worshippers
turn to face the Harimandar Sahib with folded hands and touch their foreheads
to the marble floor of the parikarma in farewell. As they ascend the
stairs on the way out, they feel renewed, invigorated and reinforced by
the knowledge that the hand of the Divine will guide them through the
day.
The
Daylight Hustle and Bustle
With daylight, the pace of activity at the Darbar Sahib quickens. Groups
of visitors and pilgrims steadily arrive at the main entrance, in tongas,
scooters, cars, buses, trucks, tractors, trailers and on foot. Unlike
the predawn devotees who had come to pray or to participate in the early
morning rituals, these people have come from longer distances for the
pleasure of a pilgrimage whose purpose is both pious and festive. Some
will stay in the sacred precincts for a day or more.
This colorful flow of visitors continues all day and late into the
night: executives in business attire; farmers in their working clothes;
women in a myriad variety of dress and personal adornment; and children
in clothes specially made for the occasion. All ages are represented,
from those who have already made the better part of their journey
through life, to newlyweds come to seek blessings for the life that lies
ahead - brides in scarlet and gold wedding finery, the grooms in crisply
tied pink or red turbans.
People are spread out everywhere. Some are in the Harimandar Sahib listening
to the shabad kirtan on the ground floor, others are absorbed in the
words of the akhand path in the quiet of its upper floors. Some visit
the Akal Takht where the swords and personal weapons of Siri Guru Gobind
Singh are enshrined.
Many join the line in front of the special kitchen where karah parsad is
prepared. They make a contribution of money for this sacramental food
and carry it into the Harimandar Sahib. They give it to the attendants
stationed at the door specially to receive it. The attendants in turn
pass it on with God's blessings to those leaving the sanctum. Some
devotees sit in quiet contemplation in the shrine of Baba Atal, built to
honor Siri Guru Hargobind's remarkably gifted son who died young, or in
the shrine built in Siri Guru Tegh Bahadur's memory. Since voluntary
service is the very essence of Sikhism, a continuous stream of visitors
makes its way to the Siri Guru Ram Das langar, to help prepare the food
that will be served to the thousands who eat there daily.
Rahras
& Arti
As the sun sets, and the time for evening prayers nears, there is a
perceptible change in the nature of the people who now enter the
Harimandar Sahib. These devotees come to sit and listen in rapt attention to
the evening recitations, and to enjoy the beauty of the verses and the
ragas in which these prayers are rendered. Just as in the morning,
prayers began with the Asa di War, in the evening, prayers end with the
Rahras, the Arti and the shabad kirtan, concluding with the ardas at
9:45p.m.
When the prayers end, the Siri Guru Granth Sahib is reverently closed,
wrapped in fresh layers of rich silk and muslin, and ceremoniously
carried to the palki waiting outside. As in the morning, so also now,
the palki is shouldered by devout Sikhs and taken to the Kotha Sahib
where the Siri Guru Granth Sahib will rest for the night.
The massive silver and rosewood doors of the Darshani Deorhi are shut
and a group of volunteers inside the Harimandar Sahib starts the ritual
cleansing of the shrine with milk and water in preparation for the next
day. In a few hours, the doors of the Darshani Deorhi will once again be
opened to worshippers, and the Harimandar Sahib will be ready to receive them
so they can welcome the arrival of the Siri Guru Granth Sahib and seek
its spiritual guidance for another day.
Seeing the glow of the lamps and their myriad reflections in the pool,
hearing the melodic chanting of hymns, tossing handfuls of rose petals
before the procession of the Siri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, and feeling the
intensity of the love and reverence that attend each ritual, are
experiences that will always be remembered.
Day after day, the Harimandar Sahib, the abiding symbol of the Sikh
faith, continues to inspire and uplift those thousands who come to it.
It is, in a sense, the heart of the Sikhs, for wherever beats a Sikh
heart, there throbs the sentiment of undying devotion for this holiest
of all Sikh shrines.