{{coord, 28.69, 77.19, display=title Gurdwara Nanak Piao is a historical ''Gurudwara'' located in north

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...

in India. This gurdwara sahib is dedicated to the first Sikh Guru,

Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji Gurū Nānak (15 April 1469 – 22 September 1539; Gurmukhi: ਗੁਰੂ ਨਾਨਕ; pronunciation: , ), also referred to as ('father Nānak'), was the founder of Sikhism and is the first of the ten Sikh Gurus. His birth is celebrated wor ...

. Gurdwara Nanak Piao was built at the site, in the garden where Guru Nanak Dev camped when he visited

in 1505 during the reign of Sultan Sikandar Lodi. It is on Rana Pratap Road (also known as Grand Trunk Road or GT Road). It is said that people flocked to the revered prophet and offered him and

Bhai Mardana Bhai Mardana ( pa, ਭਾਈ ਮਰਦਾਨਾ; 6 February 1459 — 1534) was one of the first Sikhs and longtime companion of Guru Nanak Dev, first in the line of gurus noted in Sikhism. Bhai Mardana, a Muslim, accompanied Guru Nanak Dev on hi ...

precious gifts and offerings.

Guru Nanak Dev Ji Gurū Nānak (15 April 1469 – 22 September 1539; Gurmukhi: ਗੁਰੂ ਨਾਨਕ; pronunciation: , ), also referred to as ('father Nānak'), was the founder of Sikhism and is the first of the ten Sikh Gurus. His birth is celebrated wor ...

used to distribute all these offerings to the poor and needy. Besides this, he used to offer food and water to the hungry and thirsty, hence the name of the shrine. The word "Piao" mean to "offer liquid to drink" and refers to the offering of water to all the thirsty who visited this shrine. Even today, the ''Well'' used by the Guru is preserved and one can still see the well from which Guru Nanak served water at the shrine. Consequently, over time Gurdwara Nank Piao attained a status of a holy and revered historical shrine. Guru Nanak Dev was an apostle of peace, brotherhood, non-violence and amity. His sermons created very uplifting and healthy impact on the people who bowed before him as respect for his spiritual guidance. The garden surrounding the

Gurdwara A gurdwara (sometimes written as gurudwara) (Gurmukhi: ਗੁਰਦੁਆਰਾ ''guradu'ārā'', meaning "Door to the Guru") is a place of assembly and worship for Sikhs. Sikhs also refer to gurdwaras as ''Gurdwara Sahib''. People from all faiths ...

became a place of pilgrimage for the people from all over Delhi. This is where they received the message of spiritual deliverance.

History

A story goes that during his stay in

, rumours spread that

Guru Nanak Gurū Nānak (15 April 1469 – 22 September 1539; Gurmukhi: ਗੁਰੂ ਨਾਨਕ; pronunciation: , ), also referred to as ('father Nānak'), was the founder of Sikhism and is the first of the ten Sikh Gurus. His birth is celebrated wor ...

by the grace of God had revived a dead elephant. Emperor Sikander Shah Lodi learned of this holy man who had won the admiration of all the

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

and

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

divines of

and had brought a dead elephant to life. It is said that when one of his favourite royal elephants died, he sent for the Guru and requested him to revive his elephant too. But the Guru refused to oblige him. Consequently, the Guru was immediately imprisoned. In the prison his deep compassion for the suffering of prisoners had a great moral and spiritual influence on the prison officials. They informed the Emperor that

was not an idolater and that as a saint he was greatly respected all the people including

s and

s. A strange thing happened during the imprisonment of

. A great earthquake shook the capital on 3 July 1505. According to a chronicler "the mountains were overturned and lofty edifices were dashed to the ground. The living thought the day of judgment had come and for dead the day of resurrection". Many thought that the new Faqir Nanak who had been imprisoned by the Emperor had cursed the King and the empire. This or some other equally strong influence like the intervention of the Chisti Sufi saints changed the mind of Emperor and he ordered the release of the Guru Nanak and at his request many other prisoners were released with the Guru. Gurdwaras in Delhi Memorials to Guru Nanak