RockyDill0015 at 15:06, 5 May 2026

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{{short description|Gurdwara in Delhi, India}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{Use Indian English|date=March 2020}}
{{Infobox religious building
| building_name = Gurdwara Bangla Sahib
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| image = Front view of Gurudwara Bangla Sahib, Delhi.jpg
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| caption = Gurdwara Bangla Sahib as viewed from Main Entrance.{{maplink|frame=yes|plain=yes|type=point|zoom=15|frame-align=center|frame-width=220}}
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| location = [[Connaught Place, New Delhi|Connaught Place]], [[Delhi]], [[India]].
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| religious_affiliation = [[Sikhism]]
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| architecture_style = [[Sikh architecture]], [[Mughal architecture]]
| founded_by = [[Baghel Singh|Sardar Baghel Singh]]<ref>{{Cite book |last=Singh |first=Sarbpreet |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IiXREAAAQBAJ&dq=Baghel+singh+founded+bangla+sahib&pg=PT41 |title=The Camel Merchant of Philadelphia: Stories from the Court of Maharaja Ranjit Singh |date=26 June 2023 |publisher=Penguin Random House India Private Limited |isbn=978-93-5708-133-7 |language=en |quote=In 1782, the Sikh Sardars, ever bolder, made an expedition to Delhi. Sardar Baghel Singh established a camp in Delhi and built four gurdwaras, Sis Ganj Sahib, Bangla Sahib, Rakabganj Sahib and Bala Sahib}}</ref><ref name="randhir">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BCyYDQAAQBAJ&q=1783+sikh+delhi&pg=PT62 |title=Sikh Shrines in India |first=G.S |last=Randhir |year=1990|publisher=Publications Division Ministry of Information & Broadcasting |isbn=9788123022604}}</ref>
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| year_completed = 1664 as a bungalow, again rebuilt in 1783, current structure mostly built post 1947
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'''Gurdwara Bangla Sahib''' ({{Audio-nohelp|Gurdwara Bangla Sahib pronunciation.ogg|listen}}) is one of the most prominent [[Sikhism|Sikh]] [[gurdwara]]s, or Sikh house of worship, in [[Delhi]], India, and known for its association with the eighth [[Sikh Guru]], [[Guru Har Krishan]], as well as the holy pond inside its complex, known as the "Sarovar." Originally a bungalow of Raja [[Jai Singh I]] of [[Kingdom of Amber|Amber]], it was rebuilt as a small shrine by Sikh General Sardar [[Baghel Singh]] in 1783. In the same year, there was reconstruction of nine Sikh shrines in Delhi.<ref name=":0">{{cite web|url=http://www.bharatonline.com/delhi/religious-places/gurdwaras/bangla-sahib.html|title=Gurdwara Bangla Sahib - Delhi Gurdwara Bangla Sahib - Banglasahib Gurduwara New Delhi|website=www.bharatonline.com}}</ref>

It is situated near [[Connaught Place, New Delhi]] on Baba Kharak Singh Marg and it is instantly recognisable by its golden dome and tall flagpole.

==History==
[[File:Painting of Guru Har Krishan blessing Raja Jai Singh of Jaipur, by D.A. Ahuja of Rangoon.jpg|thumb|Painting of Guru Har Krishan blessing Raja Jai Singh of Jaipur, by D.A. Ahuja of Rangoon]]
The estate of the Maharaja of the Parmar Rajputs, chosen for its supernatural appeal, caught the attention of Raja Jai Singh. Impressed by the location, he decided to rebuild the estate into what became the Jaisinghpura Palace. The estate, originally transformed into Jaisinghpura Palace, was later repurposed as Gurdwara Bangla Sahib and became the prominent site.

Gurdwara Bangla Sahib was originally a [[bungalow]] belonging to [[Jai Singh I|Raja Jai Singh]], a Hindu [[Rajput]] ruler in the seventeenth century.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Randhir |first=G. S. |title=Sikh Shrines in India |date=February 1990 |publisher=Publications Division Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Government of India |pages=58–59 |chapter=Delhi: Bangla Sahib}}</ref> Guru Har Krishan stayed at the bungalow after being invited to Delhi by Jai Singh.<ref name=":1" /> Guru Har Krishan had been summoned to Delhi by [[Aurangzeb]] as his legitimacy as the Sikh guru was challenged by [[Ram Rai]], however Raja Jai Singh and Raja Ram Singh decided to assist the Sikh guru during his visit, with Jai Singh offering the guru his bungalow as a residence until the succession dispute was solved.<ref name=":1" /> While in Delhi, Guru Har Krishan provided charity to the local people of the city who were sick, with him instructing Diwan Dargah Mal to spend all the daily offerings on the downtrodden.<ref name=":1" /> However, Guru Har Krishan died in Delhi on 6 October 1661.<ref name=":1" /> Raja Jai Singh would construct a [[Temple tank|small tank]] over its well, whose waters are taken home by modern Sikhs as ''[[Amrita|amrit]]'' for its supposed healing properties.<ref name=":1" />

Since Guru Har Krishan stayed at Raja Jai Singh's bungalow (pronounced ''bangla'' in the local vernacular), it has now been converted to a gurdwara called the ''Bangla Sahib'' to memorialise Guru Har Krishan's stay there.<ref name="bang12">[https://www.dailyexcelsior.com/guru-harkrishan-ji-an-apostle-of-humility/ Guru Harkrishan ji an apostle of humility], Daily Excelsior, 1/8/2021.</ref><ref name=":1" /> The eighth Sikh Guru, [[Guru Har Krishan|Har Krishan]] resided here during his stay in Delhi in 1664. He died on 30 March 1664.<ref name="bang1">[https://www.dailyexcelsior.com/guru-harkrishan-ji-an-apostle-of-humility/ Guru Harkrishan ji an apostle of humility], Daily Excelsior, 1 August 2021.</ref> The gurdwara and its ''Sarovar'' are now a place of great reverence for [[Sikhs]], and a place for special congregation on birth anniversary of [[Guru Har Krishan]]. The ''sarovar'' measures 225 by 235 feet with an 18 foot wide ''[[Parikrama|parkarma]]'' and a 12 foot wide [[veranda]] along its three sides.<ref name=":1" />

In 1984, during the anti-Sikh riots, some 150 Sikhs took sanctuary inside the gurdwara. A Hindu mob carrying cans of gasoline, attempted to storm into the temple, but were driven back.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2 November 1984 |title=Angry Indian Mobs Hunt Down Sikhs |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1984/11/02/angry-indian-mobs-hunt-down-sikhs/8843ec07-a2d2-4331-861c-b0b196e47b62/ |access-date=7 August 2023 |newspaper=Washington Post |language=en}}</ref>

The Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee operates a hospital in the sublevels of the structure.<ref name=":1" /> In March 2021, the gurdwara inaugurated the cheapest diagnostic centre with the aim to provide healthcare for the poor. The patients can get an [[MRI scan]] at {{INR|50}}.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Khan |first1=Sami |title=MRI scan at just Rs 50: Delhi's Bangla Sahib Gurudwara promises affordable healthcare [details] |url=https://www.ibtimes.co.in/mri-scan-just-rs-50-delhis-bangla-sahib-gurudwara-promises-affordable-healthcare-details-834068 |access-date=11 March 2021 |work=www.ibtimes.co.in |date=10 March 2021 |language=en}}</ref> Also connected to the site is a Khalsa Girls School and an art-gallery and museum named after Baghel Singh.<ref name=":1" />

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:Night view of Gurdwara Bangla Sahib and the Sarovar.jpg|Night view of Gurdwara Bangla Sahib and the ''[[Temple tank|sarovar]]''.
File:Group of Nihang Singhs with Gurudwara Bangla Sahib in background.jpg|Nihangs at Gurdwara Bangla Sahib
File:Gurudwara Bangla Sahib, Sarowar view.jpg|Gurdwara Bangla Sahib viewed across from the sarovar
File:Bangla Sahib Gurdwara Panorama.jpg|Panorama view across the sarovar of the complex
File:Bangla Sahib Gurdwara in Delhi.jpg|Lighting decorations of the gurdwara
</gallery>

==See also==
* [[Gurdwara Rakab Ganj Sahib]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category-inline|Gurudwara Bangla Sahib}}
{{portal|India|Architecture}}

* [http://www.npsin.in/mandir/bangla-sahib Gurudwara Bangla Sahib Photo Gallery]
* {{official website|http://banglasahib.org/|name=Unofficial website}}
* {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20100614075748/http://banglasahib.org.in/ Gurudwara Bangla Sahib]}}

{{Sikhism}}
{{Delhi landmarks|state=collapsed}}
{{coord|28.6267|N|77.2089|E|format=dms|source:kolossus-ukwiki|display=title}}

[[Category:Gurdwaras in Delhi]]
[[Category:Religious buildings and structures completed in 1783]]
[[Category:18th-century gurdwaras]]

Gurdwara Bangla Sahib - Revision history

RockyDill0015 at 15:06, 5 May 2026