Sikh Temple: Gurudwara Bangla Sahib
Night view of Gurdwara Bangla Sahib and the Sarovar
Our bus took us through New Delhi in the late afternoon. We arrived at the bustling temple grounds and received an education about Sikh spiritual life. Everyone entering the temple must do so barefoot and wearing a head covering. Volunteers clean and polish the footwear in a room filled with racks of shoes and smells of shoe polish. Our guide took us through the main hall where devotees sang, played music, and prayed following the words projected on screens.
Water has an important focus to Sikhs. In 1664, the eighth Sikh guru, Harkrishan Dev, stayed in a hut at this location and offered water to those suffering from a smallpox and cholera epidemic. He contracted the disease and died but Sikhs believe the waters in the huge central area (“tank” or sarovar) contain special healing power.
We learned to touch the steps leading into and out of the central part of the temple as a sign of respect. Following the lead of many pilgrims, we stepped into the sarovar, the huge pool of water that fills the marble-bordered complex. A booth provides karah parshad, a soft bread made from flour, ghee (clarified butter), and sugar, which marks the end of the worship cycle.
Secular and religious themes mix freely in India. In a culture of spiritual involvement, the schools must balance secular needs of budgets and education policy with religious beliefs
Part of the spiritual aspect of the Sikh religion follows the ancient Indian tradition of feeding anyone who enters, a sign of the equality that exists among all people. This langar, a Punjabi word meaning “kitchen,” prepares over 10,000 meals a day in huge woks, kettles, and on hot stone ovens. Volunteers and gursikh prepare the food, kneeling on benches around a central platform to roll chapati, a whole wheat bread served with each meal. Our group moved through the kitchen itself into a private room at the rear, where we sat on the floor to show humility. A volunteer handed us metal trays with divisions for each food: Flatbread which the volunteer places in our open palm, rice, dal (lentil stew), a chickpea vegetable stew, and a sweetened milk and coconut dessert.
On the way out of the kitchen, we passed the great hall filled with more pilgrims just beginning their meal. A young girl passed out spoons as more people entered the room.
