Gurdwaras in Delhiਦਿੱਲੀ ਦੇ ਗੁਰਦੁਆਰੇ

Gurdwaras in Delhi are the historic Sikh shrines of Delhi, India, where five of the ten Gurus left their mark between 1505 and 1707. This guide gathers every Delhi shrine in the Jugti Kosh: Bangla Sahib, the golden domed shrine of the child Guru Har Krishan Ji, Sis Ganj Sahib and Rakab Ganj Sahib, the two shrines of Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji's martyrdom, and the Guru Nanak Dev Ji shrines of Nanak Piao and Majnu ka Tilla, with Bala Sahib and Damdama Sahib completing the seven. Delhi counts nine historic gurdwaras in all, and this guide sits inside our country hub for Gurdwaras in India.

Why does Delhi hold so much Sikh history?

Delhi was the Mughal capital, and the Gurus kept having to reckon with it. Guru Nanak Dev Ji camped here in 1505, in the reign of Sikandar Lodhi, before there was a Sikh community to speak of. Guru Har Krishan Ji, the eight year old eighth Guru, came in 1664 at the emperor's summons and died here serving the sick. His successor Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji was executed here in 1675 for defending the religious freedom of others, the event around which Delhi's Sikh geography turns. Guru Gobind Singh Ji came in 1707 as an honoured ally of the new emperor. And in 1783 the Sikh general Baghel Singh, holding the city for a few months, marked the Guru sites with shrines, raising or rebuilding the nine historic gurdwaras whose successors stand today.

Guru Nanak Dev Ji in Delhi, 1505

Two northern shrines keep the Guru's 1505 camp. At Nanak Piao, on the old Grand Trunk Road in the Sabzi Mandi area, Guru Nanak Dev Ji camped in a garden during his first udasi, sang kirtan with Bhai Mardana Ji and gave away to the poor every offering visitors brought him. He had a deep well dug and served cool water to thirsty travellers with his own hands: piao means to offer drink, and the well he used is still preserved and still served from today. Across the city on the Yamuna bank, Majnu ka Tilla, the hillock of Majnu, remembers the Iranian Sufi Abdulla, nicknamed Majnu, who ferried people across the river free as a service to God. Guru Nanak Dev Ji met him on 20 July 1505 and stayed by the mound until the end of July; Guru Hargobind Ji also stayed here on his Delhi journeys, and the shrine, among the oldest in Delhi, celebrates Vaisakhi with a vast langar.

Bangla Sahib and Bala Sahib: the child Guru's Delhi

In 1664 the eighth Guru, Guru Har Krishan Ji, a child of eight, was summoned to Delhi over the succession dispute and lodged in Raja Jai Singh's bungalow near today's Connaught Place. While the city suffered a smallpox and cholera epidemic, he spent the offerings on the poor and gave the sick fresh water from the house well, before he himself fell ill and died on 30 March 1664. Raja Jai Singh built a small tank over that well, and Baghel Singh raised a shrine on the bungalow site in 1783: Bangla Sahib, named for the bangla, the bungalow, is today Delhi's most prominent gurdwara, its golden dome and tall Nishan Sahib rising over a sarovar of 225 by 235 feet, its langar and its committee run hospital serving the whole city. The Guru had moved to the Yamuna bank before his death and was cremated there, where Bala Sahib now stands on the Ring Road near Maharani Bagh, the river having since changed course. Bala Sahib also holds the samadhis of Mata Sundri Ji and Mata Sahib Kaur Ji, the wives of Guru Gobind Singh Ji; its new hall was completed in 1957 to 1958.

Sis Ganj and Rakab Ganj: the martyrdom of Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji

In November 1675 Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji was beheaded in Chandni Chowk on the orders of Emperor Aurangzeb, after he refused to convert and stood for the freedom of the Kashmiri Pandits to practise their own faith. Sis Ganj Sahib, sis being the head, marks the execution spot beside the old Mughal kotwali where he was imprisoned; the trunk of the tree under which he was executed and the well he bathed from are preserved inside, and since 1979 the Sikh Regiment has saluted this gurdwara before saluting the President in the Republic Day parade. That night Bhai Jaita carried the Guru's head to Anandpur Sahib, while Lakhi Shah Banjara and his son Naghaiya hid the body in a cart, took it to their house in Raisina village and set the house itself on fire to cremate it unseen. Rakab Ganj Sahib, near Parliament House on Pandit Pant Marg, keeps that cremation ground: Baghel Singh built here in 1783, the gurdwara took 12 years to complete, and the complex today houses the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee and the Wall of Truth memorial to the victims of 1984.

Damdama Sahib: Guru Gobind Singh Ji's meeting of 1707

Delhi's seventh Jugti shrine stands near Humayun's Tomb on the Outer Ring Road. Damdama Sahib, the place of rest, commemorates the 1707 meeting of Guru Gobind Singh Ji with Prince Muazzam, who after Aurangzeb's death asked the Guru's help against his brother in the struggle for the throne. The two met on the Yamuna bank behind the tomb, drew up their strategy and watched elephant and bull fights arranged for them; the Guru helped the prince, who became Emperor Bahadur Shah I. Baghel Singh first built a small gurdwara here in 1783, Maharaja Ranjit Singh had it renovated, and a new building rose in 1984; thousands gather here every year for Hola Mohalla.

All Gurdwaras in Delhi

• Gurdwara Bangla Sahib, Delhi - Delhi's most prominent gurdwara, the bungalow shrine of Guru Har Krishan Ji by Connaught Place
• Gurdwara Sis Ganj Sahib, Delhi - the martyrdom site of Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji in Chandni Chowk, Old Delhi
• Gurdwara Rakab Ganj Sahib, Delhi - the cremation site of Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji near Parliament House
• Gurdwara Majnu ka Tilla Sahib, Delhi - where Guru Nanak Dev Ji blessed the Sufi Majnu on the Yamuna bank in 1505
• Gurdwara Nanak Piao Sahib, Delhi - Guru Nanak Dev Ji's 1505 camp on the Grand Trunk Road, where he served water to travellers
• Gurdwara Bala Sahib, Delhi - the cremation site of Guru Har Krishan Ji, with the samadhis of Mata Sundri Ji and Mata Sahib Kaur Ji
• Gurdwara Damdama Sahib, Delhi - where Guru Gobind Singh Ji met Prince Muazzam in 1707, near Humayun's Tomb

How do you visit Delhi's historic gurdwaras?

The seven fall into walkable clusters. In Old Delhi, Sis Ganj Sahib stands in the Chandni Chowk bazaar, best reached on foot or by metro. In the centre, Bangla Sahib by Connaught Place and Rakab Ganj Sahib by Parliament House are a short ride apart, and Bangla Sahib's langar runs through the day. In the north, Nanak Piao on the Grand Trunk Road and Majnu ka Tilla on the Yamuna bank pair naturally, and in the south Bala Sahib on the Ring Road pairs with Damdama Sahib near Humayun's Tomb. At every gurdwara, cover your head, remove your shoes and wash your hands; all are open to everyone, and the langar is open to all.

What is the most famous gurdwara in Delhi?

Gurdwara Bangla Sahib near Connaught Place: Delhi's most prominent gurdwara, known for its golden dome, its sarovar and its association with the eighth Guru, Guru Har Krishan Ji.

How many historic gurdwaras are in Delhi?

Nine historic gurdwaras, most of them first marked by Baghel Singh in 1783. Seven have full Jugti entries today: Bangla Sahib, Sis Ganj Sahib, Rakab Ganj Sahib, Majnu ka Tilla, Nanak Piao, Bala Sahib and Damdama Sahib.

Which Sikh Guru was martyred in Delhi?

Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji, the ninth Guru, executed in Chandni Chowk in November 1675 on the orders of Emperor Aurangzeb. Sis Ganj Sahib marks the spot, and Rakab Ganj Sahib the cremation of his body.