As a Sikh, going to Golden Temple, also known as Harmandir Saheb, is a pilgrimage most of us make at least once or twice in our lives, if not yearly. With the COVID-19 prevention measures being taken-be it the sanitization of the pathways and the shrine itself, or the group of doctors stationed for screening the devotees for symptoms, or making announcements to direct people to maintain distance from one another- there is no directive to completely shut down entry. COVID-19 is still being studied and we have yet to gain complete understanding of community spread, hence scaling down operations should now progress to only essential functioning and closing entry for devotees. The Gurbani has been telecasted live from the Golden Temple for many years now, and maybe that would have to suffice for now, rather than allowing devotees inside. Closing down places of worship that attract large crowds is a necessary measure we need to take in these trying times. Once life goes back to normal, though we do not know when that will be, we know that we can seamlessly rebuild the community centred around shrines like Golden Temple which has been a symbol of resilience throughout history. Many of us remember the re-construction and restoration of the holy shrine after Operation Blue Star in 1984. Yet, this was not the first time the temple had been damaged and rebuilt.

The original Sarovar (holy pool of water) was constructed by the fourth Sikh Guru- Guru Ram Das Ji- and the temple itself was then planned to be built around this Sarovar by the fifth Guru- Guru Arjan Dev Ji. Guru Arjan Dev Ji enlisted Mian Mir who was a Sufi saint and spiritual advisor to Dara Shikoh, to lay the foundation of Harmandir Saheb in in 1589.

In 1604, Guru Arjan Dev Ji placed the compiled religious text of Sikhs, the Guru Granth Saheb, at Harmandir Saheb. He established Harmandir Saheb as the shrine of AthSath Tirath, saying that one dip in the holy Sarovar here would be equal to going on 68 pilgrimages.

Peace was short-lived, as invaders all over the world had started annexing more and more territories in a bloodthirsty bid for power. In 1755, Ahmad Shah Abdali launched his armies towards the cities in and around Delhi, accumulating a vast haul of precious jewels and artefacts, in addition to abducting a great number of women and girls intended to be held as slaves. When the Sikhs learned that this army was to pass through Punjab on their way back to Afghanistan, they hatched a plan to free the kidnapped girls.

Baba Deep Singh Ji had become one of the most revered Sikhs at this time, due to his considerable scholarly talent in addition to his athleticism and bravery. He had been the lead Sikh scholar to transcribe and write down the entire Guru Granth Saheb as dictated by the tenth Guru- Guru Gobind Singh Ji- and even made copies of the extensive text in his own handwriting. He had fought in numerous battles alongside the tenth Guru and even at the age of 73, he was a formidable fighter. He led the Sikh army that attacked Ahmad Shah Abdali’s troops in 1755-56 and successfully freed the prisoners and recovered the looted goods.

The defeated Abdali escaped to Lahore and vowed revenge against the Sikhs. He ordered his general- Jahan Khan- to destroy the Golden Temple, which he successfully accomplished in 1757. To add to the destruction, the holy Sarovar was also desecrated by filling it up with animal carcasses. As soon as Baba Deep Singh Ji heard the news of this horrific event, he vowed to fight back and not return until he had defeated his enemies and paid obeisance at the Sarovar.

As he started rallying the support of Sikh soldiers on his way to the Golden Temple, more and more people joined in swelling their numbers from a few hundreds to five thousand by the time they reached Tarn Taran 10 miles away from Amritsar. At this juncture, Baba Deep Singh Ji drew a line on the ground with his Khanda (double sided sword) and said, “Only those who are willing to fight and die, should cross this line.” All Sikhs present crossed the line immediately.

At the other end of the city, Jahan Khan learned that Sikhs were mobilising their forces, so he dispatched an army of 20,000 troops to intercept them on their way to the Golden Temple. During the clash, Baba Deep Singh Ji was attacked by commander Jamal Khan and it is said that both swung their swords at the same time severing each other’s head.

One version of the legend says that Baba Deep Singh Ji’s head was completely severed and he carried it in his left hand and continued fighting until he fulfilled his vow to reach Golden Temple. It is said that the armies cleared the way in awe when they saw Baba Deep Singh Ji riding towards Golden Temple with his own head in his hand.

Another version of the legend says that his head was partially severed but by sheer force of will he supported his head against his neck and continued to fight with one hand until he reached the Sarovar and finally laid his head down.

The Sikh armies, fuelled by inspiration from Baba Deep Singh Ji, successfully pushed back forcing the Afghan forces to retreat. Reconstruction and rebuilding of Golden Temple took many years as there were further skirmishes in the years to come.

(Painting depicting Baba Deep Singh Ji fighting with his severed head in his left hand, installed at the shrine dedicated to him at Golden Temple)

Baba Deep Singh Ji truly earned the title of Shaheed (Martyr) and inspires all Sikhs to never give up fighting for what is right. The Golden Temple has such spiritual significance for Sikhs not just because of the holy Sarovar and the site where the original Guru Granth Saheb was installed, but also because of the stories of dedication and sacrifice that surround our tumultuous history of defending our faith. Hence the closure of such a holy place may seem emotionally and logistically daunting, but it needs to be done to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

As I sit in Mumbai on Day 13 of self-isolation, I think about the day I will visit the Golden Temple again, and that day, even if it is months or years from now, I will remember to pay obeisance at the shrine paying homage to Baba Deep Singh Ji. I will recall his courage, as I do now, and know that this is where Sikhs get their resilience from. We fight, we build, and we re-build, and just like Baba Deep Singh Ji, we never give up.

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My grandparents used to volunteer at a Sikh school when I was young. They would tell me about the girls in that school who wore turbans like their male counterparts and sang the Kirtan for the prayer congregations every day. It was not uncommon to see women lead Sikh prayers in Gurudwaras and we were encouraged to participate in Langarsewa, which involved not just cooking but also serving the food to the people, and then cleaning of utensils and the Langar hall. The question of gender never even came up in the context of practicing Sikh religion.

I was then, a little surprised to learn that women had not been allowed to offer Kirtan or carry the Palanquin containing the Holy book Shri Guru Granth SahabJi, at the Golden Temple, Amritsar. Now that the Punjab Govt. has intervened to urge the Akal Takht and Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC) to do away with this discrimination, it comes at the tail end of petitions and requests by women over decades.

Sikhs are obligated to treat women as equals, and gender discrimination in Sikh society has no religious basis. However, gender equality has been difficult to achieve in practice due to the oppressive influence of social, cultural, and caste-related norms that prevailed for centuries even before the Sikh religion came into existence. Even now, women make up less than 20% of the SGPC members. In the 1990s a group of Sikh women requested to wash the floors of Golden Temple and were denied.

This goes against the basic tenets of Sikhism. The first Guru of the Sikhs, Guru Nanak Dev Ji (1469 AD -1539 AD) was a staunch advocate for an egalitarian society in all forms. At that time, the woman was considered polluted/impure during menstruation and after she gave birth. In this context, Guru Nanak Dev Ji writes, “From the woman is our birth, in the woman’s womb are we shaped; To the woman we are engaged, to the woman we are wedded; The woman is our friend and from woman is the family; Through the woman are the bonds of the world; Why call woman bad/impure who gives birth to kings? From the woman is the woman, without woman there is none”.

He further writes, “If pollution attaches to birth, then pollution is everywhere (for birth is universal). Cow-dung (used for purifying the kitchen floor by Hindus) and firewood can give birth to maggots; Not one grain of corn is without life; Water itself is a living substance, imparting life to all vegetation. How can we then believe in pollution, when pollution inheres within staples? Says Nanak, pollution is not washed away by purificatory rituals; Pollution is removed by true knowledge alone”.

Guru Nanak Dev Ji also introduced the concept of Sangat (holy congregation) – where both men and women could sit together and equally participate in reciting prayers irrespective of caste or social stature, to eat a common meal in the institution of Langar (common kitchen).

The Gurus spoke out against the practice of veil/purdah for women, Sati, dowry, and female infanticide. They advocated for girl child education and widow remarriage. Sikh women were also cast into the role of saints and soldiers just like Sikh men. They could organize men and lead them in the battles.The tenth and last Sikh Guru- Guru Gobind Singh Ji- bestowed a common last name SINGH (Lion) to men, and a common last name KAUR (Princess) to women. Though this was a great effort to eliminate caste disparities, Sikhism even today has not shed off the weight of years of caste surnames and the oppression they carry.

While a lot of work remains to be done to achieve the truly egalitarian society that the Gurus envisaged, many people are hard at work to bridge the gap. It is this effort that has made it possible for heart-warming stories like that of Tasleema Langoo.

The 16-year-old Muslim girl in Kashmir sings beautiful Kirtan to immense love by the Sikh congregations. Blessings and applause greet her whenever she offers Kirtan, she has become a mini-celebrity amongst the small Sikh community in Kashmir. Tasleema is an accomplished teacher and singer of Kirtan in the Valley, and the only Muslim to do so. Members of the Sikh community are full of praise for the young woman, saying she “takes us nearer to our own religion”. She has been able to offer Kirtan in various Gurudwaras in an environment of complete harmony, facing no opposition whatsoever from members of her family or community.

Tasleema belongs to a family of musicians. Her great grandfather used to sing for Maharaja Pratap Singh, while her grandfather, Ghulam Qadir Langoo, was a court singer for Maharaja Hari Singh, the last monarch of Kashmir. Her father, Abdul Majeed Langoo, teaches music at a women’s college. About her love for Kirtan, she says, “Our family is closely associated with music and I get to hear all types of music but, curiously, Shabad Kirtan would always excite me the most. I started helping the students with their instruments and they, in turn, wrote shabads in the Urdu script for me.” As she could not read the Guru Granth Sahab in Punjabi, her father bought her a copy of the Sikh holy text in Urdu from Amritsar.

Her story is a shining example of what can be achieved if we focus our worldview to a language of equality. When we believe God created us all equal, we facilitate avenues for people to come together despite differences, without the weight of the history of our ancestors. Hundreds of years ago, Sikhs fought Mughal forces, but once the burden of differences is shed off, Sikhs and Muslims come together as friends. The similar burden of gender and caste oppression is slowly being chipped away too, now we only need to look forward to greater things to truly live our lives inspired by Shri Guru Granth Sahabji.
 

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