‘Nanded will be the epicentre of peace’

NANDED: For an otherwise sleepy town of half-a-million people, this Diwali is going see unprecedented festivity in Nanded, at a scale no one here could have comprehended.

Already, the opulence can be seen all over the city, 650 km away from Mumbai, in eastern Maharashtra. Sikhs are known to do everything on a grand scale and this is no different.

Explains Sikh scholar Giani Avataar Singh Sheetal, “Nanded is to Sikhs what Mecca is to Muslims, Rome is to Catholics and Kashi is to Hindus.” The city is home to one of the five seats of authority (takhats) of the Sikhs, the Sachkhand Shri Hazur Abchalnagar Sahib.

Importance-wise, it is pivotal, for it was here, exactly three centuries ago, that the world’s youngest religion saw its tenth and last mortal master, Guru Gobind Singh, elevate the immortal written word of the previous enlightened gurus and saints, the Granth Saheb, as the perpetual master, just before his death. Every year, the Sikhs celebrate the anniversary of that event on the second day (Duj) after Diwali.

Come October 30, and tens of millions of Sikhs will descend on Nanded to re-enact the consecration of Granth Sahib — called Guru-ta-Gaddi — on its tercentenary. The celebrations will easily see one of the biggest congregations of Sikhs in recent times, and the city is slowly waking up to its tryst with history, as the jatthas (sangats) arrive from all over.

The last time they congregated on such a large scale was when the community marked the tercentenary of the Khalsa, some eight years ago, in Punjab.

Nearly 2.5 million Sikhs from across India and abroad are expected to throng Nanded from October 27 to November 3, the day observed as Parlok Gaman or the eternal journey, of Guru Gobind Singh. Thousands of them have already arrived in buses, trucks, trains and by flight.

Historians say that Nanded, which falls on the divine river Godavari, was visited by both, the first and last Sikh Gurus, Guru Nanak and Guru Gobind Singh.

The tenth Guru came to Nanded in 1708, to seek Maratha support to fight the Mughal Empire that was then under Aurangzeb, after his glorious victories in the Anandpur Saheb, Sarsa and Chamkaur wars.

As history would have it, Guru Gobind Singh was mortally wounded by men from his own group and died of his injuries in Nanded, in October 1708. Before his death, he consecrated the holy book as the perpetual guru, thus ending the tradition of anointing humans as gurus.

The Guru Gobind Singh probably chose Nanded as his dera because of its serene, peaceful ambience and for the river Godavari, Sikh believers say.

The Sikh Gurus did not travel southward beyond Nanded, making it a place of pre-eminence for the community. “Every Sikh dreams of visiting Nanded at least once in his lifetime,” says Sheetal. “This place is that important.”

And the Sachkhand Gurudwara is the only gurudwara whose jathedar (chief priest) is not supposed to marry. Nanded is home to 12 gurudwaras, including the Sachkhand Shri Huzur Abichalnagar Saheb. Seven of these are historic — Sangat Saheb, Maltekdi, Shikar Ghat, Heera Ghat, Mata Saheb Devi, Banda Ghat and Nagina Ghat.

The gurudwara housing Angeetha Saheb, the samadhi of Guru Gobind Singh, was built by Maharaja Ranjit Singh in 1831.

“The Hazur Sahib is famous the world over and hundreds of pilgrims are drawn to its grandeur every year,” says Sheetal, who also holds additional charge as editor of the press run by the Gurudwara Board in Nanded. Avataar Singh says the tercentenary is an important event in more ways than one. “For the first 100 years, we were fighting the Mughals; the following 100 years, we fought the British. This is the first time that the (third) centenary is being celebrated in free India.”

Nanded, he says, will see a massive tourist inflow in the coming years. “The standard of living here will change and it will become the epicentre of the message of peace and secularism for humanity.”

Retired Maharashtra DGP and chairman of the Sachkhand Gurudwara, Dr P S Pasricha says this will be an event on such a grand scale, that the city will be placed firmly on the world map forever.

No wonder the governing body of the Sachkhand Gurudwara, the district administration and thousands of volunteers from in and around the city have geared up to accord a warm welcome to the pilgrims. Hundreds of Sikhs  young and old alike — are rendering services (seva) for different arrangements — from serving food, to sharing information with pilgrims, to making road security arrangements.

The Langar Saheb Gurudwara has made arrangements to feed about 1.5 crore pilgrims from Dussera to November 3. Hundreds of volunteers are rendering seva — one of the basic tenets of Sikhism — free.

The entire Huzur Saheb complex has been redone on a massive scale to accommodate at least 40,000 devotees at a time. And at least 40 campsites have come up on the outskirts of Nanded with, tents to house over 200,000 devotees.

A Guru Granth Saheb Bhawan has been constructed for religious and spiritual congregations and talks, and a world-class museum showcasing the entire history of the Sikhs is being given the finishing touches. Apart from this, Gobind Baug, a park spread over eight acres of land, with musical fountains and a blissful ambience, is also being developed.