Gurdwara Nanak Shahi ( bn, গুরুদুয়ারা নানকশাহী, pa, ਗੁਰਦੁਆਰਾ ਨਾਨਕ ਸ਼ਾਹੀ) is the principal

Sikh Sikhs ( or ; pa, ਸਿੱਖ, ' ) are people who adhere to Sikhism, Sikhism (Sikhi), a Monotheism, monotheistic religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Gu ...

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 ...

'' (prayer hall) in

Dhaka Dhaka ( or ; bn, ঢাকা, Ḍhākā, ), formerly known as Dacca, is the capital and largest city of Bangladesh, as well as the world's largest Bengali-speaking city. It is the eighth largest and sixth most densely populated city ...

, Bangladesh. It is located at the campus of the

University of Dhaka The University of Dhaka (also known as Dhaka University, or DU) is a public research university located in Dhaka, Bangladesh. It is the oldest university in Bangladesh. The university opened its doors to students on July 1st 1921. Currently i ...

and considered to be the biggest of the 9 to 10 Gurdwaras in the country. The Gurudwara commemorates the visit of

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 ...

(1506–1507). It is said to have been built in 1830. The present building of the Gurdwara was renovated in 1988–1989. The parkarma

verandah A veranda or verandah is a roofed, open-air gallery or porch, attached to the outside of a building. A veranda is often partly enclosed by a railing and frequently extends across the front and sides of the structure. Although the form ''veran ...

had been constructed on all four sides of the original building to provide protection.

History

The Gurudwara was built originally by Bhai Natha ji, a missionary who came to Dhaka during the time of the sixth guru. The building was completed in 1830. This Gurudwara commemorates the stay of Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji (1469–1539). In 1988 to 1989 the building was renovated and the outside verandah was constructed for its protection and preservation with contributions received from shri guru Nanak dev ji's followers in Bangladesh and other countries. This work was carried out under the guidance of Sardar Harban Singh.

Architectural significance

This building is historic and it is one of the part of national heritage. This building is more valuable for the followers of Sikh religion. This building is the main meeting place for this religion. This is one of the part of national heritage preservation. The care-taking is done by The Bangladesh Gurdwara Management Committee.

Present condition

The gurudwara is in a good condition. The whole building is fully white coloured. After the renovation in 1988–1989 this building is now under good observation.

Sikh relics

There are two hand-written Birs (

Recension Recension is the practice of editing or revising a text based on critical analysis. When referring to manuscripts, this may be a revision by another author. The term is derived from Latin ''recensio'' ("review, analysis"). In textual criticism (as ...

s) of

Guru Granth Sahib The Guru Granth Sahib ( pa, ਗੁਰੂ ਗ੍ਰੰਥ ਸਾਹਿਬ, ) is the central holy religious scripture of Sikhism, regarded by Sikhs as the final, sovereign and Guru Maneyo Granth, eternal Guru following the lineage of the Sikh gur ...

in the Gurdwara, one of 18 x 12 inches with 1336 angs.

Religious rituals

Gurdwara Nanak Shahi is open for people of all religion. Each day, recitation from the holy scripture of Sikh religion

Granth Sahib The Guru Granth Sahib ( pa, ਗੁਰੂ ਗ੍ਰੰਥ ਸਾਹਿਬ, ) is the central holy religious scripture of Sikhism, regarded by Sikhs as the final, sovereign and eternal Guru following the lineage of the ten human gurus of the re ...

and prayer takes place in Gurdwara Nanak Shahi. Weekly prayer and

Kirtan Kirtana ( sa, कीर्तन; ), also rendered as Kirtan, is a Sanskrit word that means "narrating, reciting, telling, describing" of an idea or story, specifically in Indian religions. It also refers to a genre of religious performance arts ...

are organized every Friday. On this day in the morning and after prayer, free food known as

langar Langar may refer to: Community eating *Langar (Sikhism) * Langar (Sufism) Places Afghanistan *Langar, Badakhshan, Afghanistan * Langar, Bamyan, Afghanistan * Langar, Faryab, Afghanistan * Langar, Herat, Afghanistan * Langar, Wardak, Afghanis ...

is served.

References

* Archaeological Heritage (Page-345-346), Published By Asiatic Society Of Bangladesh, (December 2007).

External links

Gurdwara_Nanak_Shahi_Dhaka
{{Sikhism Gurdwaras in Bangladesh Religious buildings and structures in Dhaka 19th-century gurdwaras University of Dhaka