AD

by anilrajput

Gurudwara Pahli Patshahi, Lakhpat, Gujarat

Situated 171 km from Bhuj , Lakhpat is a  city of ruins of buildings , once it use to be a flourishing town within a seven km fortress wall protected and guarded by the soldiers . It use to be a port on the mouth of river Sindhu ( Indus) on Arabian Sea. This city was established by Rao Lakha Ji and wall to protect the city was erected under the supervision of  Fort Commander  Fatheh Mohmmad in 1801 AD . The earth quake in the year 1819 changed the course of Sindhu River it drifted further to west about 50 km and this city lost its importance as a port.

Gurudwara Paheli Patshahi , Lakhpat , Gujarat


Lakhpat was also called Basta Bander and was part of Sindh till 1947 . Historically it has been very important trading post connecting Gujarat to Sindh. The waters of Sindhu River used to flow into Lakhpat and further onto Deshalpar  travelers were using this port for travel to Persia , Basra and Saudi Arabia , it was famous for Muslim pilgrims traveling for Hajj to Mecca and Madena in Saudi Arabia  , Guru Nanak Dev Ji who started travelling ( Udasis )  at the age of thirty with his Muslim companion Mardana who played Rabab instrument  to preach about his views the message of GOD in local languages , during his Udasis in 1506-1513 AD  and 1519-1521 AD he stayed in Lakhpat on his way to Mecca and Madina .

Door to the Compound


Until 1972 this place where Guru Nanak Dev Ji stayed was a   Satnami Udasi Dera . Satnami  Udasi sect was established  by Sri Chand  elder son of Guru Nanak Dev Ji , The Udasi Sect principles were more close to the the Yogis way of life, staying away from the mortal world where as Guru Nanak Dev Ji teachings were with the normal family way of life ,  the last care takers were Baba Mool Dass Hari Dass until 1972  The Udasis Sect. claimed to be followers of Guru Nanak Dev Ji . The Sindhi and Sikh community who were settled in nearby  cities after the partition of India , requested the Govt. to hand over the place to them , it was handed over with the condition that its original structure will not be changed as it is a Historical Heritage property .
The Gurdawara was restored to its present  state by the  efforts of United Nations volunteer program and the locals of nearby areas. It has the unique distinction of being awarded the Asia Pacific Heritage Conservation award for the year 2004 by UNESCO

Varanda and door to the Gurudwara


The 200 years old building a courtyard structure with a nakkar khana ( drums beating enclosure)  constructed in limestone, the Gurdwara has elephants, flowers, Chabutras, statues in human and animal form embedded to its walls. The wooden doors , pillars and roof was carefully cleaned of over paint of enamel ,natural chemicals were  used to preserve the age old structures ,  best thing came out when the layers of white wash lime were removed the inscription on wall in Lariwar Gurmukhi  which is extinct from Punjab  was found , it was written by the pilgrims about their stay their visit to other places of pilgrimage and their names in bright ink about 200 years ago.

Original Wooden pillars and ceiling


The Gurudwara was damaged in the year 2000 AD by a strong Cyclone and then by earthquake in 2001 AD
 

Wooden Sandals of Guru Nanak Dev Ji


Here in one room the Charan Paduka or Khadaun ( Wooden Sandals) and a wooden Palki suppose to be used by Guru Nanak Dev Ji are kept with high respect , there are two manuscripts belonging to the heads of  Udasi sect.

More than 200 years old Lariwar Gurmukhi  on wall of Gurudwara


There are no hotels or staying facilities or meals available in the ruined city but one can stay a night at gurudwara   and have food from the community kitchen the Langar .

Old Floral design on wall of Gurudwara


 
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by anilrajput

Harmandir Sahib, Golden Temple, Amritsar

Harmandir Sahib or Darbar Sahib and as western’s call it the Golden Temple the supreme religious seat of Sikhs  is in the holy city of Amritsar , Punjab state  in North India .
Amritsar is also mentioned  as Ramdas Pur in earlier historical records , it is also pronounced as Ambarsar ( Pool of Ambrosia ) . City was established by the fourth Sikh Guru Ram Dass Ji by purchasing the land from the residents of the village Tung in 1574 AD The area around Amritsar has the legend of Ramayana associated with it ,  Rishi Balmiki’s ashram was here , the Devi Sita the Lord Rams wife  lived in exile and gave  birth twin sons  Lavh and Kush. It is said when the twin brothers  killed the entire  army of Lord Ram , at that time a jug of Ambrosia descended from heaven to restore the soldiers to life.

First view of Darbar Sahib from Eastern Gate, Amritsar


It was in 1574 A.D. Guru Ram Das Ji made his home by the side of the pool, finding the air and water of his abode health-giving  which was regarded as blessed with miraculous powers of healing and in 1577 AD.holy tank was excavated and named it Amritsar and the present city grew around it . The Fifth Guru Arjan Dev Ji conceived the idea of construction of the Gurudwara in the center of the pool, he himself designed and laid the foundation stone in late 1588  , it has four entrances symbolizing it open for all , it was completed in 1604 AD and Guru Granth Sahib was installed in it . After this event it attained the status of ‘Ath Sath Tirath’ and  the Sikh community had their own Tirath, a pilgrimage center .

Darshani Deori , main entrance to the Harmandir Sahib


The present  Harmandir Sahib was rebuilt in 1764 by the Jassa Singh Ahluwalia later  the founder of Kapurthala State in Punjab , it is said he in a battle with Afghans in 1762  (Wadha Gulughara) who had destroyed Harmandir Sahib,  received Sixty Four wounds .

The Nishan Sahib ( Flag)


The Gold plating and marble work was carried out in 19 centenary under the patronage of Maharaja Ranjit Singh Ji and Sardar Hukam Singh Chimni who happened to be member and speaker of Parliament and then the Governor of Rajasthan state.
Architecture of Harimandir Sahib is a unique harmony between the Muslims and the Hindus way of construction work . It is often quoted that this architecture has created an independent Sikh school of architecture in the history of art in India.

View early morning Darbar Sahib , Amritsar


 Harmandir means the temple of God , Its sanctum came to house the Adi Granth , comprising compositions of Sikh Gurus and other saints considered to have Sikh values and philosphies

Harmandir Sahib , Amritsar


 
 
 

Darbar Sahib at Night , Amritsar


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by anilrajput

Hemis Gompa, Leh , Ladakh

Hemis Gompa in Hemis town 40 km from Leh city , it is a famous monastery founded by King Senge Nampar Gyalva  in 1672 AD , every year in the month of July a colorful festival is held in the compound attended by not only the locals but people from all over the world. Hemis gompa is also believed to have been established in 1630 by Lama Tagstang Raspa and built by Palden Sara under the patronage of King Sengge Namgyal on a site previously sanctified by the construction of a cave hermitage dating from the 12th century. This monastery is the oldest one in the area belonging to the Kargyu school .

Hemis Gompa main compound


This two-day festival depicts a dance-homage to the birth anniversary of Lord Padmasambhava or Guru Rinpoche. The festival is the largest and biggest of the Tibetan Buddhist Gompa festivals in Ladakh. It is celebrated across three days from the 9th to the 11th day of the fifth month of the lunar Tibetan calendar, vibrant and endless dances are accompanied by discordant sounds of cymbals, large-pan drums, small trumpets and large  size wind instruments . The lamas  get transformed into demons and gods , bang on drums and crash symbols together as others gyrate and leap to fight off demons.
 

Hemis information display at entrance


The predominantly practiced religion in Ladakh is the Mahayana Buddhism. Mahayana Buddhism is based on the eighth tenet of the concept of the eight fold part as propagated by Lord Buddha. This form of Buddhism stresses on meditation and concentration. One of the most innovative concepts introduced by the Mahayanists is that of the bodhisattvas. 
As one enters the courtyard, to the right are two large temples up small flight of stone steps. The fronts have a wooden verandah of Kashmiri style, rising two storeys. As one faces them, the temple on the left is the Tshogs-khang and on the right is the Dukhang. The Dukhang contains the throne of the Rimpoche and seating areas for the lamas.  Tall wooden pillars rise in the center to a square cupola with windows that supply light to the throne. The walls also have paintings of Sakyamuni (the Historical Buddha) with the blue hair, other Buddha figures and paintings of Tantric deities such as Hevajra and Samvara. In the Tshogs-khang is a large gilded statue of the Sakyamuni Buddha with blue hair surrounded by several silver chortens decorated with semi-precious stones. In front of the Buddha is a throne made of painted and lacquered wood, a present from the former Maharaja of Kashmir to a former Incarnate Lama of Hemis

Pehar Gyalpo the protective Deity of Hemis


Pehar Gyalpo, revered as the protective deity of Hemis. It is said that Pehar was once the lord protector of Sam-Yas monastery and a monk from there by hiding the spirit of this deity inside a cymbal had brought it to Hemis. Each day sacred rituals are performed to evoke Pehar’s blessings.
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by rkgoel

A memorable trip to Ajanta & Ellora Caves

Before our visit to Aurangabad (the capital of Mughal emperor, Aurangzeb during his long sojourn in Deccan), Maharashtra during the first week of August 2011, the very name of Ajanta & Ellora caves would conjure an image of grand statues of Lord Buddha and his disciples, cut into gigantic hills. A google search before the visit informed me that Ajanta Caves are among 15 sites in India which are included in the list of UNESCO’s World Heritage sites (Ellora being another).
 

The Ajanta Caves

From Aurangabad where we based ourselves, Ajanta is a two-hour comfortable journey by road. Spread around a horse-shoe shaped mountain range, there are 29 caves in all, carved from 2nd century BC onwards upto 7th century AD . While few of them are chaitya-grihas (meditation halls), the rest are monasteries (resting places for the monks).
These caves remained hidden from human eyes for some 1100 years and were accidentally discovered in AD 1819 during an expedition by British soldiers in nearby mountains. On 28 April 1819, a British officer for the Madras Presidency, John Smith, while hunting tiger, accidentally discovered the entrance to one of the cave temples (Cave No. 9) deep within the tangled undergrowth. Shortly after this discovery, the Ajanta Caves became renowned for their exotic setting, impressive architecture, historic artwork, and long-forgotten history. All paintings show heavy religious influence and centre around Buddha , Bodhisattvas (enlightened beings), incidents from the life of Buddha and the Jatakas (Buddhist literature).
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The Ellora Caves

The Ellora caves are located at a distance of 30 km from Aurangabad. There are 34 caves here and unlike Ajanta where only Buddhist caves are carved, at Ellora, three major religions i.e. Buddhism , Jainism and Hinduism are represented- starting with the Buddhist caves, you move on to the Hindu caves and finally to Jain caves. These caves were carved from 6th century AD to 12th century AD . Ellora is justly world-famous for the largest single monolithic excavation in the world, the great Kailasa (Cave 16).
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The Best Time

The visit to these caves is enjoyed maximum during monsoon , when every stream is filled with rainwater and the entire surroundings are lush green. We were indeed lucky to be there during height of monsoon this year and the monsoons surely made the environment very pleasant throughout our stay.
 

Shirdi

PS. While at Aurangabad, also take-out time to visit Shirdi which is some 100 km away. It is a two-hour drive from Aurangabad. If you are pressed for time, avoid the festival days and the weekends when crowds are much larger. We were lucky to be there on a Friday and it took just about 30 minutes of waiting before we were ushered into the sanctum sanctorum.
 

About the Author

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[author_image timthumb=’on’]wp-content/uploads/sites/2/authors/rajinder-goel.jpg[/author_image] Rajinder Goel is based in Delhi Graduate from Pant Nagar University in Civil Engineering, presently working with Steel Authority of India as Deputy General Manager – Projects and he has a keen interest in travelling and study of old architectures.

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