Gurdwara Dera Sahib Sri Guru Arjan Dev: Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan

Gurdwara Dera Sahib Lahore is situated opposite the Royal Mosque or Shahi Masjid. At the place where after many days of torture, the fifth Guru disappeared into the River Ravi, after his guards allowed Guru Arjan to take a bath to cool his many burns. In those days, the Ravi flowed along the wall of the fort. The Guru’s light rejoined the light eternal on 30th May, 1606.

Gurdwara Dera Sahib Sri Guru Arjan Dev, Lahore

Name:	Gurdwara Dera Sahib Sri Guru Arjan Dev
Location:	Walled City of Lahore, Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan
Affiliation:	Sikhism
Completed In:	– AD
Architecture:	Sikh architecture
Creator:	Maharaja Ranjit Singh

His son Guru Hargobind visited the site of his father’s torture in 1619 when he had a memorial rostrum built to commemorate the martyrdom of Guru Arjan. Later Maharaja Ranjit Singh had a small but beautiful Gurdwara built here. As the Maharaja’s Gurdwara had no congregational hall one was attached to Gurdwara in 1909, after which daily congregations were regularly held. After that a sarai (rooms for visitors) and a marble gate was erected along with a Nishan Sahib (flag post).

In 1925 A.D. a local committee was formed to tend to the Gurdwara, which was replaced when in 1927, the S.G.P.C. took over the management and started rebuilding the Gurdwara on 21th April, 1930. All the work was completed on 9th September, 1934, including resurfacing the domes in gold. Then the clay areas to each side of the Gurdwara were paved.

The number of devotees in daily congregations soon increased necessitating further plans to extend the Gurdwara’s capacity. Plans were drawn out, but due to the partition of the country, they could not be accomplished. On 9th September 1947, after all the hard work on the Gurdwara had to abandon their gurdwara to save their lives.

The recitation of Sri Guru Granth Sahib at this Gurdwara now continues daily. Two Singhs render daily service to this shrine. Every year at the occasion of the martyrdom of Guru Arjan Dev Ji (On Shahidi Jor Mela) Sikh devotees visit the shrine to pay homage to the great Guru.

History and significance:

The Guru had undergone torture on the orders of the Mughal emperor Jahangir, at a site in Lahore’s walled city that is commemorated by the defunct Gurdwara Lal Khoohi – which has been repurposed into a Muslim shrine by the name of Haq Chaar Yaar.[2] The Guru’s torture infuriated his close friend and Muslim mystic, Mian Mir. On the fifth day of torture, the Guru’s request for a bath in the river was granted after intercession from Mian Mir. After submerging himself in the river, the Guru reportedly did not reappear, and a Mughal search party was unable to retrieve him.

The Guru’s son and successor, Guru Hargobind had a memorial built here in 1619. The main Gurudwara building with gilded dome was built during Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s reign, while some other additions were made later up until the partition.