Daily Times

Wandering around in the tangled streets of Masti Gate, you might come across a small gate that leads into a mesmerising Sikh holy site which is the Janam Asthan of Guru Ram Das.

The Gurdwara was built at the site where it is traditionally believed was the birthplace and childhood home of Guru Ram Das who was the 4th Sikh Guru.

The gurdwara is located in the Chunna Mandi Bazaar in the Masti Gate of Walled City, Lahore. The location of this Janam Asthan is in close proximity of the Lahore Fort and Begum Shahi Mosque. The Gurdawara can also be accessed from Royal Trail or Shahi Guzargah if you enter from Delhi gate and take the straight passage towards Masti Gate. The entire trail has been restored by the Walled City of Lahore Authority and it’s a tourist hotspot.

Another plan of the Walled City of Lahore Authority is to remove the encroachments from this area and then hopefully, this Janam Asthan will also be more prominent for the tourists and people visiting the place. I am sure that once this place is maintained, it will also be accessed by the tourists like they are now allowed to visit Dera Sahib.

Well coming back to Guru Ram Das, let me tell you that according to Sikh historic accounts it is said that he was born in the Chunna Mandi Bazaar of Lahore in 1534 CE. It is said that his childhood home existed till the era of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. Historic references reveal that the family house of the Guru Ram Das was small in size. When Maharaja Kharak Singh was born, during the birth celebration, Maharani Nakain requested Maharaja Ranjit Singh to rebuild that historical place. Agreeing upon the humble request, the Maharaja purchased the surrounding land and got a Gurudwara constructed which was somewhat similar to the Hari mandir Sahib, Amritsar. It is said in the Sikh History that at the time of partition eighteen Sikhs faced martyrdom there.

His father was Hari Das and mother Daya Kaur both of whom died when he was aged seven. He was brought up by his grandmother. He married Bibi Bhani, the younger daughter of Amar Das. They had three sons named Prithi Chand, Mahadev and Guru Arjun.

Guru Ram Das birth name was Jetha being the first-born of his parents.

The Sikh History tells us that he was of fair complexion, handsome figure, pleasing and smiling face and not disposed to weep or cry in the manner of ordinary children. From the beginning his attitude was worldly, and he felt happiest to be in the company of holy and pious people. He was orphaned at age 7, and thereafter grew up with his maternal grandmother in a village. At age 12, Bhai Jetha and his grandmother moved to Goindval, where they met Guru Amar Das. The boy thereafter accepted Guru Amar Das as his mentor and served him. The daughter of Guru Amar Das got married to Bhai Jetha, and he thus became part of Guru Amar Das’s family.

Now let me take you some interesting story and facts about Ram Das. Guru Amar Das instead of choosing his own sons chose Bhai Jetha as his successor and renamed him as Ram Das or “servant of god.”

Another plan of the Walled City of Lahore Authority is to remove the encroachments from this area and then hopefully, this Janam Asthan will also be more prominent for the tourists and people visiting the place. I am sure that once this place is maintained, it will also be accessed by the tourists like they are now allowed to visit Dera Sahib

Ram Das became the Guru of Sikhism in 1574 and served as the Sikh leader until his death in 1581. He faced aggression from the sons of Amar Das, shifted his official base to lands identified by Amar Das as Guru-ka-Chak. This newly founded town was Ramdaspur which is now the famous Amritsar and is the holiest city of Sikhism. Ram Das is credited with founding the holy city of Amritsar in the Sikh tradition.

Guru Ram Das is also remembered in the Sikh tradition for expanding the Manji organisation for clerical appointments and donation collections to theologically and economically support the Sikh movement. He appointed his own son as his successor, and unlike the first four Gurus who were not related through descent, the fifth through tenth Sikh Gurus were the direct descendants of Ram Das.

Ram Das chose Arjun, the youngest of his sons to succeed him as the fifth Sikh Guru. The choice of successor led to disputes and internal divisions among the Sikhs but today Guru Arjun is also revered as the Guru by Sikhs and his Gurdawara is in Dera Sahib Lahore where there is also the Samadhi of Maharaja Ranjeet Singh. Guru Ram Das died on 1 September 1581, in Goindval town of Punjab.

Now let me take you to the Gurdawara Janam Asthan of Ram Das. This Gurdawara was built atop a white marble platform and you will have to climb several steps to reach the Gurudwara. The shrine measures 122 feet 6 inches by 97 feet 6 inches. To the west of the shrine is an open courtyard, surrounded on two sides by a two-story building. It is built in white marble and decorated with pietra dura work which was a tradition of beautifying the places in old times. It was one of the expensive mediums of structure décor. On the west of the building is an open yard and Nishan Sahib is fixed on the south-west corner. The place is magnificently festooned and embellishments on the ceilings and walls are remarkable. You will find a lot of pigeons there. Before you enter the main hall, you would have to go for ablution. The place for ablution is constructed in one corner of the building. Like all other Sikh religious places in Pakistan, this Gurudwara is also with the Evacuee Trust Department of Government of Punjab.

Every year thousands of Sikh Yatrees come and visit this place, and may be this is one reason that it is still preserved and in safe hands. The Granth is also placed in the main hall and holy recitation is carried out daily.

This is an amazing place and has an extremely peaceful environment. The Sikh preacher at this gurdwara is very generous and humble and happily allows anyone who wants to visit this place.

The writer can be reached at taniashahab2016@gmail.com