Gurdwara Takht Sri Hazur Sahib, Nandedਗੁਰਦੁਆਰਾ ਤਖ਼ਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਹਜ਼ੂਰ ਸਾਹਿਬ, ਨਾਂਦੇੜ

Takht Sachkhand Sri Hazur Abchalnagar Sahib at Nanded, Maharashtra, is one of five Takhts of the Sikhs. On the banks of the Godavari, it marks Guru Gobind Singh Ji’s last camp in 1708, where he declared Guru Granth Sahib Ji the eternal Guru and became Joti Jot on 7 October 1708. Maharaja Ranjit Singh built it between 1832 and 1837.

History

After the death of Emperor Aurangzeb in 1707, Guru Gobind Singh Ji travelled south and reached Nanded on the banks of the Godavari. When Emperor Bahadur Shah moved on, the Guru pitched his own camp here in 1708, holding court and congregation. It was at Nanded that two would-be assassins attacked him: one stabbed the Guru, who killed him with a single stroke of his talwar, while the other was killed by the Guru’s followers. The deep wound was stitched by an English surgeon sent by Bahadur Shah and seemed to heal — until it reopened as the Guru was stringing a bow for one of his Sikhs.

Knowing his end was near, the Guru conferred the Guruship on the holy Granth — “Sabh Sikhan ko hukam hai, Guru manyo Granth” — and on 7 October 1708 became Joti Jot at Nanded. Before the attack he had dispatched Banda Singh with five Sikhs to Punjab, sent Mata Sahib Devan to Delhi, and bade Bhai Santokh Singh stay on to keep Guru ka Langar going. The Sikhs who remained built a room over the platform where the Guru had held his court, installed the Guru Granth Sahib Ji there, and called it Takhat Sahib. The Guru himself is said to have named Nanded “Abchalnagar” — the Steadfast City — after the first word of a hymn read at random on the occasion.

Architecture

The white-marble shrine seen today was raised between 1832 and 1837 by Maharaja Ranjit Singh, who sent money, artisans and labour from the Punjab under Sardar Chanda Singh. It stands on the banks of the Godavari, over the site of the Guru’s cremation. The gurdwara within the complex is known as Sach-Khand — the Realm of Truth. Its inner room is the Angitha Sahib, built directly over the spot where Guru Gobind Singh Ji was cremated in 1708: a vault that keeps the Guru’s weapons and personal belongings, which only the head priest may enter, while all the daily functions are carried out in the outer room.

Significance

Hazur Sahib — “the presence of the Master” — is one of the five Takhts, the thrones of Sikh authority, and along with Takht Sri Patna Sahib, one of the two Takhts outside Punjab. It guards the memory of the moment the line of human Gurus ended and the Shabad-Guru began: the tercentenary of the Guruship of Guru Granth Sahib Ji was celebrated here in October 2008, drawing millions of pilgrims. The shrine also stands at the heart of the Deccan Sikhs, whose forebears settled in the Nizam of Hyderabad’s army and kept the flame of Sikhi alive in the south. It anchors this Kosh’s guide to India’s gurdwaras.

Festivals and the yatra

Gurpurabs are marked with special divans and kirtan at the Takht, and katha and ardas fill the Sach-Khand hall through the year. The greatest gathering in living memory was the 300th anniversary of the Guruship of Guru Granth Sahib Ji in October 2008, when an estimated two and a half to three million pilgrims passed through Nanded. Pilgrims often combine the visit with the historic gurdwaras around the city — Nagina Ghat, Banda Ghat, Sangat Sahib, Maltekri Sahib, Hira Ghat Sahib, Mata Sahib and Shikar Ghat Sahib — all within the Nanded area.

How to reach

Nanded has its own airport, Guru Gobind Singh Airport, with domestic connections, and a busy railway station. The Sachkhand Express runs directly between Nanded and Punjab, linking the Deccan Takht with the homeland. Within the city the shrine sits on the Godavari’s banks, easily reached by taxi or auto-rickshaw, with yatri niwas rooms for pilgrims around the complex.

Why is Hazur Sahib one of the five Takhts?

Because it marks the place where Guru Gobind Singh Ji became Joti Jot in 1708 after declaring Guru Granth Sahib Ji the eternal Guru — the moment the line of human Gurus ended. The other Takhts are the Akal Takht at Amritsar, Takht Keshgarh Sahib at Anandpur Sahib, Takht Damdama Sahib at Talwandi Sabo, and Takht Sri Patna Sahib.

What is the Angitha Sahib?

The Angitha Sahib is the inner room of the gurdwara, built directly over the spot where Guru Gobind Singh Ji was cremated in 1708. It is a vault holding the Guru’s weapons and personal belongings; only the head priest may enter.

Which other historic gurdwaras stand around Nanded?

Seven historic gurdwaras mark the Nanded area alongside the Takht: Nagina Ghat, Banda Ghat, Sangat Sahib, Maltekri Sahib, Hira Ghat Sahib, Mata Sahib and Shikar Ghat Sahib — each with its own story from the Guru’s time in the Deccan.