More information about Hazoor Sahib (Punjabi: ਹਜੂਰ ਸਾਹਿਬ)

Hazūr Sāhib (Punjabi: ਹਜੂਰ ਸਾਹਿਬ) (Marathi: हज़ुर साहिब) hazūrī sāhib from Arabic الصاحب حضور ḥaḍūr al-ṣāḥib "presence of the master"), also spelled Hazoor Sahib, more called as Takht Sachkhand Shri Hazur Abchalnagar Sahib and also known as Abchal Nagar, is one of the five takhts ("thrones", seats of temporal authority) in Sikhism. It is located on the banks of the River Godavari at the city ofNanded in the state of Maharashtra, Western India. It is where the 10th guru, Guru Gobind Singh Ji completed his last breath. Thegurudwara within the complex is known Sach-Khand "Realm of Truth".

The structure is built at the place of death of Guru Gobind Singh. The inner room of the gurdwara is called the Angitha Sahib and is built over the place where Guru Gobind Singh was cremated in 1708. The construction of the gurdwara was done from 1832 to 1837 by order ofMaharaja Ranjit Singh (1780–1839).

Takhat Sachkhand Sri Hazur Sahib is the principthe Indian state Deccan region. It marks the site where Guru Gobind Singh had his camp in 1708, after the departure of the Emperor Bahadur Shah and where, in October 2008, the 300th anniversary celebration of the Guruship of Guru Granth Sahib took place. The tenth Guru held his court and congregation here. It is the site of his own tent where he was convalescing after he was attacked by assassins and the place at which Guru Gobind Singh ji 's light rose to rejoin the light of the Creator. This site is now one of five Takhats which are places of primary importance to the Sikhs. The other four takhats are: Akal Takhat at Amritsar, Takhat Keshgarh Sahib at Anandpur, Takhat Patna Sahib in Bihar District and Takhat Damdama Sahib in Talwandi Sabo, Bhatinda, Punjab.

In 1708 being prescient of the end of his earthly role, the Guru had dispatched Baba Banda Singh Bahadur (Original name Laxman Das Bhardwaj, A Marathi Bhardwaj Brahman, later became a great yogi as Sant Madho Das Bairagi)after making him an Amritdhari 'Singh'- with five of his Sikhs to Punjab and Mata Sahib Devan under a separate escort to Delhi before the stabbing incident. When Gul Khan stabbed Guruji (Gul Khan was brought up by Guru Gobind Singh Ji after his father was killed by Guru Hargobind Sahib ji in a battle-grandfather of Guru Gobind Singh)he was killed by Guruji's single impeccable stroke. However the wound was too deep but healed in the first place with proper care. When one of the Sikhs requested Guruji to tie the rope of a bow as his blessings, the wound reopened. This time knowing it to be a call from 'Waheguru' he didn't allowed Sikhs to treat his wound.

 One fine evening he ordered Sikhs to prepare 'Angitha Sahib' for his light to rejoin Creator's light. Before that Sikhs built a room over the platform where Guru Gobind Singh would sit while holding his court and installed the Guru Granth Sahib on it. They called it Takhat Sahib. Guru Gobind Singh, while conferring Guruship on the holy Book, had himself named Nanded as "Abchalnagar" (literally "Steadfast city") after the first word of a hymn read at random on the occasion.

Sachkhand (literally "region of Truth") had been used by Guru Nanak Dev to mean the abode of God. Maharaja Ranjit Singh Sher-e-Panjab had the present building of the Takhat Sahib constructed with money, artisans and labor sent from the Punjab during the early 1830s. Around the same time the Nizam of Hyderabad State a Muslim Ruler of the Deccan Region raised a contingent of Northern Sikhs as part of his army. Most of these men settled permanently in Hyderabad State and also Many militant and righteous Hindus of the Deccan embraced Sikhism in the 19th century.

 The control of Takhat Sachkhand Sri Hazoor Sahib, which had formerly passed into the hands of Udasi Sikh priests was regained by the Sikhs under the influence of the Singh Sabha Movement of the late nineteenth century. Some of the 'rituals and ceremonies connected with working' are peculiar to this Takhat Sahib. In 1956 an Act was passed by the legislature of Hyderabad under which the management of the Takhat Sahib and other historical Gurdwaras was legally placed under a 17 member Gurudwaras Board and a five member Managing Committee.

The Takht houses both the Sri Guru Granth Sahib and the Sri Dasam Granth. This follows the pattern of Takht Sri Patna Sahib.

Hazur Sahib Nanded :- Architectural View

Inside View Of Shri Darbar Sahib At Takhat Sachkhand Shri Hazur Sahib, Nanded

Front View Of, Palki Shri Guru Granth Sahib Ji And Palki Shri Dasam Granth Sahib Ji At Darbar Sahib

Side Gallery Right Side Of Main Hall With Gold Plated Carving On The Face

View Of Angitha Sahib Of Shri Guru Gobind Singh Ji.This Is Situated In The Center Of Main Hall.

Side Gallery Left Side Of Main Hall With Gold Plated Carving On The Face

HISTORY : - Takhat Sachkhand Sri Hazur Abchalnagar Sahib, Nanded

"The Eternal Father willed and I raised the Panth. All my Sikhs are hereby ordered to accept the Granth as their Preceptor. Have faith in the holy Granth, as your master and consider it the visible manifestation of the Gurus. He who hath a pure heart will seek guidance from its holy words."

........These are the words uttered by Guru Sri Gobind Singh ji, before he left for his heavenly abode (Parlok Gaman) along with his horse Dilbag on October 7, 1708 at Nanded in Maharashtra.

A few days before Parlok Gaman, Guru Gobind Singh ji ended the line of personal Guruship by appointing the “Granth Sahib” (Gur-Ta-Gaddi) as his official successor with the status of ‘Eternal Guru’. His objective was great and laudable. He fully realized that human beings are perishable, but noble ideas live forever – they are eternal. For this reason he made the Granth Sahib a repository of sublime ideals, a spiritual and secular guru that contains hymns of Muslim, Hindu, and Harijan saints in addition to the compositions of sikh gurus. He thus entrusted the destiny of the Khalsa not to a charismatic personality but to the collective wisdom of the community. His sole mission was to restore mankind to a single brotherhood.

                                   

      It was here that in the first week of Sept’1708, that a Bairagi Sadhu Madho Dass was baptized to Sikhism by Guru Gobind Singh ji and was given a new name – Banda Singh Bahadur. It was this great hero who in the next seven years (1709-1715) gave a sharp turn to the history of Sikhs by shaking the foundation of Mughal Empire in the North-west and paved the way for the liberation of the Punjab in 1764-65.

     His another disciple Bhai Santokh Singh was advised to continue to stay at Nanded and to start “Guru ka Langar” for the devotees.

Bhai Daya Singh and Dharam Singh, two of the Panj Piare (Five beloved Ones) who had offered their heads at the Guru’s call when the Khalsa was created in Kesgarh Fort of Anandpur Sahib on the Baisakhi Day of 1699, and had survived the battle of Chamkaur, subsequently died here.

A Gurudwara was constructed by Maharaja Ranjit Singh ji at the site where Guru Gobind Singh ji breathed his last. It took 5 years to complete (1832-1837). It is revered as "Sachkhand Sri Hazur Abchal Nagar Sahib". This historical shrine, which is one of the five Takhts (thrones) of the Sikhs is situated near Godavari river. It is visited by lakhs of devotees throughout the year. It is a two-storey building. Its interior is artistically ornamented in the style of Harmandir Sahib, Amritsar. The walls of the inner room called Angitha Sahib have been covered with golden plates. The dome is polished and on the pinnacle is the kalash made of gold plated copper.

The building stands on a high base and has a small square room on the second floor bearing the gilded ribbed dome topped with a tall gilded pinnacle and umbrella shaped finial. There are some rooms in the basement too, so that the edifice is technically four-storied. Corners of the roof of the first floor are decorated with domed kiosks on octagonal pedestals. Other embellishments on the exterior included oriel windows and a fancy fencing on the roof top. Inside, the sanctum it has marble lining decorated with inset work in floral patterns on lower parts of the walls and stucco and tukari work on the upper parts as well as on the ceiling.

Guru Granth Sahib is seated in the room in front of the sanctum during the day time only and at night it is brought inside and placed on a marbled platform. During the day there are some old weapons and other relics such as a golden dagger, a matchlock gun, a quiver with 35 arrows, two bows, a steel shield studded with precious stones and five golden swords. All these are placed on a marbled platform.

The building complex of the Takhat Sahib is spread over several hectares. It also includes two other shrines, Bunga Mai Bhago ji (comprising a large room where Guru Granth Sahib is seated) and Angitha Sahib (place of cremation).

Guru Gobind Singhji, while conferring Guruship on the holy Book, had named Nanded region as Abchalnagar (steadfast city). The word Sachkhand (region of Truth) was used to mean the abode of God.

Besides Gurdwara Sachkhand Sahib, other major Gurdwaras in Nanded area are Nagina Ghat , Banda Ghat, Sangat Sahib, Baoli Sahib, Mal Tekdi, Shikar Ghat, Hira Ghat and Mata Sahib, etc.