This shrine’s legacy is etched in Awadh’s history

Lucknow: The congested lanes of Naka Hindola were swarmed by people on the eve of Guru Nanak Jayanti on Sunday where the revered shrine of Guru Singh Sabha Gurdwara Naka Hindola is located. Popularly known as Bada Gurdwara, the shrine is celebrating 125 years of its existence.“This is the first gurdwara of the city that became the bedrock of the Sikh Sangat in Lucknow. Besides, it is the only gurudwara, at least in entire Uttar Pradesh, where all the fairs and festivals of the Sikh community are celebrated. It also laid the legacy of Nagar Kirtan,” said the head of Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee Sardar Rajendra Singh Bagga.The records tracing the roots of the shrine were burnt during communal frenzy that gripped the country at the time of Partition but oral accounts claim that in the 16th century, Guru Nanak Dev stayed here for the night during his first ‘Udasi’ (travel) between 1497 and 1509.A booklet published in 1998 established that in 1506, Guru Nanak Dev, during his expedition from Haridwar to Ayodhya, stayed at Naka Hindola. He also visited Kakori to meet Bhagat Bikhan, a medieval saint two of whose hymns are included in the Guru Granth Sahib. Centuries later, when Rai Bahadur Sardar Saligram Singh came to know about the visit, he purchased land and built the gurdwara in 1898. The shrine became the cultural nerve centre of the Sikh community in the early 20th century and a refuge for many during Partition and the 1984 riots.“Gradually, this gurdwara became the centre of many ‘sangats’ and ‘kirtans’,” recalls Satpal Singh Meet, religious secretary of the gurdwara.It is only in this gurdwara where Amrit Sanchar (the Khalsa initiation or baptism ceremony) is held. “In the post-Independence era, ‘sangats’ were attended by likes of Surendra Pratap Singh Kohli who was home minister of Patiala state in pre-Independence era and Congress leader from Alambagh Dr Charan Singh,” said Lucknow-based oral & cultural history exponent Mehmood Abdi.Charan Singh, 86, still remembers how he was separated from his parents in Mirpur (now in PoK) when he was just nine and finally found a home here. “It was 1949. Years later when I got in touch with my brothers, I called them here. This gurdwara has been home ever since,” he said. About four decades later, the shrine again came forward to provide shelter to Sikhs during the 1984 riots. Therewith, it organized multiple inter-religious conferences to strike harmony and uphold the Ganga-Jamuna ‘tehzeeb’ of Awadh. The gurdwara has also been a saviour of poverty-stricken masses and has made a stellar contribution in the field of education and healthcare as well. During the first Covid-induced lockdown, it relentlessly looked out for migrant labourers and ensured that nobody slept on an empty stomach. During the second wave of pandemic, it inoculated over 1.75 lakh people.“Providing langar services to beggars and homeless, the gurudwara is known for its social services,” says Bagga. It is because of this legacy that the likes of late Atal Bihari Vajpayee would file his nominations only after visiting the shrine. MP Rajnath Singh and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath have also visited the gurdwara on various occasions.
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