Majnu ka Tilla Gurudwara violated the distancing norms; more about the Gurudwara

Majnu ka Tilla Gurudwara is one of the oldest Sikh shrines in the national capital. Nowadays, Majnu ka Tilla Gurudwara is in the headlines. The reason is that hundreds of people were evacuated from the Gurudwara on Wednesday who was stranded there. The evacuation comes after a number of coronavirus cases linked to a congregation at a Nizamuddin Markaz were discovered recently, taking the number of cases in Delhi to 219 on Thursday. 

The Delhi Police has filed a case against the management of Majnu ka Tilla, Gurudwara. They did not inform the authorities and social distancing was not been maintained on the premises. However, the Delhi Sikh Gurudwara Management committee had claimed that they have informed the authorities and the government. The president of the Committee had said that they had not conducted any religious or social gathering on the premises. These people had stayed there on March 29 when they didn’t find any bus to go to their hometowns in Punjab. He also said that 205 people now shifted to a school where they are still being given food by the gurudwara. 

Also See: Union HRD minister decision on the re-opening of the schools after 14th April.

Meanwhile, the Gurudwara premises were sanitized on Thursday. 

Majnu ka Tilla which translates to a hillock of Majnu is the mound where a local Iranian Sufi mystic Abdulla, also known as the Majnu means lost in love, met Sikh Guru Nanak Dev on July 20, 1505. Reed-thin hermit, Majnu ferried people across the Yamuna for free in the name of God. Let’s get to know more about the Majnu ka Tilla Gurudwara. 

Who built the Majnu ka Tilla Gurudwara?

Majnu ka Tilla Gurudwara was built by the Sikh military leader Baghel Singh Dhaliwal to commemorate the stay of Guru Nanak Dev Ji in 1783. Later it was rebuilt for Guru Har Gobind on the invitation of Emperor Jehangir. 

Who named the place Majnu ka Tilla?

The place was named by Guru Nanak himself, as he was pleased by the services of love-forsaken Majnu seeking enlightenment, that he has announced that the area would be immortalized by his name as Majnu ka Tilla till the world ended. The Gurudwara built later was known by the same name. 

When was the Gurudwara built?

The Gurudwara that stands at the site at present was built in the 1980s. The first gurudwara in the complex was built by Baghel Singh when he entered the Red Fort with his 40,000 troops in March 1783 and occupied the Diwan-e-aam. The Mughal emperor Shah Alam II made a settlement with Baghel Singh, allowing him to raise gurdwaras on Sikh historical sites in the city as well as receive six annas in a rupee (37.5 percent) of all the octroi duties in the capital. The general camped in the nearby Subzi Mandi with his troops and identified seven sites connected to the Sikh Gurus and had shrines raised on them within eight months. This information has been given by Reena Singh. 

Areas surrounded by Majnu ka Tilla Gurudwara?

The Gurudwara is located in the North Delhi near the inter-state bus terminus. It is close to the Tibetan refugee camp and opposite the Timarpur colony. It stands on the banks of River Yamuna. 

Tale of Guru Nanak Dev Ji around Majnu ka Tilla?

When Guru Nanak was sitting with his new devotee, he heard a mahout crying due to the loss of the Badshah’s elephant that he was looking after. Moved by this, the Guru brought the elephant back to life. This left everyone amused and surprised. 

What fests are celebrated in the Gurudwara?

Baisakhi is celebrated in the gurudwara as in Puran Mashi. People of all religions bring their holy books to the Gurudwara and give a final farewell to the winters.