Guru Nanak Dev Ji in Manikaran
On Guru Nanak Dev Ji’s Third Udasi, Guru Sahib set off for the Himalaya region. Starting from Punjab, Guru Ji headed Northeast into what is now Himachal Pradesh. Guru Nanak Dev Ji and Bhai Mardana travelled the Kullu valley which is flanked on both sides by mountains dotted with evergreen trees. The mountains themselves are cut through by the Beas River and its tributaries. While traveling along one of these tributaries, Bhai Mardana felt hungry and asked the Guru if they could rest, cook and eat. Either finding the wood unsuitable or lacking the tools to cut the local trees, Bhai Mardana was having trouble creating a fire and therefore could not cook the food. Bhai Mardana then turned to Guru Nanak Dev Ji for help. Guru Nanak Dev Ji, being ever connected to Waheguru and His creation, then approached a small stream and turned over a rock. From the rock, sprang out hot water with which Bhai Mardana could cook his food. But when Bhai Mardana went to bake his chapatti (roti) on the hot spring it would instantly sink. Again, Bhai Mardana turned to Satgur Nanak for help. Guru Nanak Dev Ji said to Bhai Mardana, 'Donate each chapatti to Naam and it will not sink'. Bhai Mardana, chanting/meditating upon Naam, set another roti on the hot spring. To Bhai Ji’s amazement, it floated and so did the rest of the rotis he baked there. And so, Bhai Mardana and Guru Nanak Dev Ji ate langar at this spot in the Kullu Valley.
Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, p. 1048
Maaroo, Mehla 3
ਕਾਮਿ ਕ੍ਰੋਧਿ ਭਰੇ ਹਮ ਅਪਰਾਧੀ ॥I am a sinner, overflowing with lust and anger.ਕਿਆ ਮੁਹੁ ਲੈ ਬੋਲਹ ਨਾ ਹਮ ਗੁਣ ਨ ਸੇਵਾ ਸਾਧੀ ॥With what mouth should I speak? I have no virtue, and I have rendered no service.ਡੁਬਦੇ ਪਾਥਰ ਮੇਲਿ ਲੈਹੁ ਤੁਮ ਆਪੇ ਸਾਚੁ ਨਾਮੁ ਅਬਿਨਾਸੀ ਹੇ ॥੯॥I am a sinking stone; please, Lord, unite me with Yourself. The True Naam is eternal and imperishable. ||9||
Sant Narayan Hari Ji
Like that of many Saakhis, the exact location of this episode of Guru Nanak Dev Ji’s life remained unknown to the Sikhs for centuries. This was apparently to change with the coming of Sant Baba Narayan Hari Ji and his wife, Mata Basant Kaur to the Kullu region.
Information on the life of Sant Narayan Hari before his arrival at Manikaran is difficult to find. It appears he was born into a Pakistani Kayastha family that was likely to have been well educated, respected and most likely Hindu with Sikh sympathies. He was born sometime in the year 1909[1]. At the age of 12, Sant Narayan Hari was married to Basant Kaur[2]. However, the young Narayan Hari was not interested in a worldly, householder life and thus left his home at a young age to take pilgrimages of Holy Shrines. During his pilgrimage, he was drawn to Sikh Gurdwaras and so he eventually made his way to Hazur Sahib where he is said to have taken Amrit and thus become a Khalsa Sikh. After spending some time in Nanded, Sant Narayan Hari made his was to Anandpur Sahib where he reunited with his wife who would accompany him for the remainder of his life. Together, Sant Narayan Hari and Mata Basant Kaur set out for the Kullu Valley. Starting from the town of Bhuntar, around 1937, Sant Narayan Hari and Mata Basant Kaur made their way to Manikaran. Seeing the hot springs there the Sant felt assured in his heart that this is where Guru Nanak Dev Ji and Bhai Mardana had come during Guru Nanak’s Third Udasi and this was the exact hot spring where Bhai Mardana had made langar. Thus, the Sant decided to settle here and began work on building a Gurdwara.
Information on the life of Sant Narayan Hari before his arrival at Manikaran is difficult to find. It appears he was born into a Pakistani Kayastha family that was likely to have been well educated, respected and most likely Hindu with Sikh sympathies. He was born sometime in the year 1909[1]. At the age of 12, Sant Narayan Hari was married to Basant Kaur[2]. However, the young Narayan Hari was not interested in a worldly, householder life and thus left his home at a young age to take pilgrimages of Holy Shrines. During his pilgrimage, he was drawn to Sikh Gurdwaras and so he eventually made his way to Hazur Sahib where he is said to have taken Amrit and thus become a Khalsa Sikh. After spending some time in Nanded, Sant Narayan Hari made his was to Anandpur Sahib where he reunited with his wife who would accompany him for the remainder of his life. Together, Sant Narayan Hari and Mata Basant Kaur set out for the Kullu Valley. Starting from the town of Bhuntar, around 1937, Sant Narayan Hari and Mata Basant Kaur made their way to Manikaran. Seeing the hot springs there the Sant felt assured in his heart that this is where Guru Nanak Dev Ji and Bhai Mardana had come during Guru Nanak’s Third Udasi and this was the exact hot spring where Bhai Mardana had made langar. Thus, the Sant decided to settle here and began work on building a Gurdwara.
[1] http://www.gurudwarasahibmanikaran.guru/santbabanarianharijie.php
[2] http://manikaran.org/category/braham-giani-sant-baba-narain-hari-ji/
Hindu Mythology about Manikaran
It is said that Sant Narayan Hari, at first, faced opposition in building the Gurdwara, as this hot spring was thought to belong to Lord Shiva who had been worshiped here for centuries. In fact, the name of town and hot spring, Manikaran, is a direct reference to a story of Lord Shiva and Devi Parvati. It is said that the couple had decided to retreat to the Manikaran area so that they could meditate undisturbed. Lord Shiva then meditated in this area for 11,000 years. One day, while Mata Parvati was bathing in the stream, her earring came loose and fell into the water. She searched and searched, but could not find it. Disheartened, she arrived before Lord Shiva and asked his help in finding the missing earring. Lord Shiva suspected that the Naga (a serpent people) had taken the earring from the stream and brought it down to Patal (Patala) or the netherworld, where the Naga reside. In anger, Lord Shiva opened his third eye and began the process of destruction. Shesh Nag, the King of the Naga, out of fear, began to hiss along with his subjects so as to boil the water in the stream and thus hopefully boil up the missing earring from the bottom of the river bed. As the water began to boil, many different jewels arose out of the water and one of them was the missing earring of Devi Parvati. Seeing this, Lord Shiva became satisfied and closed his third eye. This is thought to be the origin of the hot spring at Manikaran. Manikaran meaning bejeweled earring: mani (jewel or precious stone), karan (ear).
Building of the Gurdwara
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| Manikaran Sahib during the day |
To calm the fears of the Brahmins and the Hindu community who thought that the Sant was expropriating their holy site, Sant Narayan Hari first restored the Shiva Mandir beside the hot spring. The Sant then proceeded to build the Gurdwara. The Gurdwara was eventually completed with hot baths, caves heated by the natural heat from the hot springs and a system of cooking langar using the hot spring’s water. Another unique aspect of the Gurdwara is that it contains many images, not only of the Guru Sahiban but also of the Sant himself and many Hindu Devas and Devis.
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| Manikaran Sahib at night. Notice the steam rising from the water. |
Eventually, word of the Gurdwara spread in the Sikh community and Sikhs began to make pilgrimages to Manikaran Sahib to visit the Gurdwara and partake in its unique langar. As more and more visitors began to arrive, accommodations and a parking lot were added to the Gurdwara grounds. The town also reaped economic benefits and many restaurants and hotels were opened. In 1991, Sant Narayan Hari Ji passed away, leaving the management of the Gurdwara in the hands of his daughter Mata Deva Ji and his son-in-law, Baba Ram Ji (married to his other daughter). Baba Ram Ji is charged with overseeing the daily management of the Gurdwara while Mata Deva Ji focuses her time on meditation, teaching and doing seva.
My Concerns
One of the first questions that arise in my mind is whether
we can be confident that this is the place where Guru Nanak Devi Ji really
visited on his Third Udasi. I cannot say one way or the other about this.
There is some Janam Sakhis that suggest Guru Nanak Dev Ji visited Manikaran or
a similar place in Himachal Pradesh. However, I cannot confirm nor deny this as
I have not read these references myself. Another thing to consider is that some
Janam Sakhis themselves have come under skepticism around their accuracy and
authorship. For the time being, I’ll take the stance that it is certainly
possible that Manikaran was visited by Guru Nanak Dev Ji but this cannot be proven.
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| Palki Sahib of Guru inside Manikaran Sahib. Images of the Gurus are flanked by pictures of Sant Narayan Hari Ji and Baba Ram Ji. |
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| Depictions of the Gurus alongside depictions of Hindu Deities inside Manikaran Sahib Gurdwara. |
Perhaps a more concerning aspect
of the Gurdwara from a Sikh perspective are the images of Hindu Gods and
Goddesses that adorn the walls of the Gurdwara including in the Darbar of Sri
Guru Granth Sahib. In fact, images of the Gurus and of Sant Narayan Hari are
installed directly in front of the Guru such that when one goes to bow to the
Guru they bow to images of the Gurus and of Sant Narayan Hari. This is against the SGPC’s
Sikh Rehit Maryada which states that in a Gurdwara, a Sikh (or visitor) is not
supposed to bow before images of the Gurus or of elders.[1]
It is also generally agreed among Sikhs that this is incorrect since a picture
is an idol and worshiping idols is spoken against many times in Sri
Guru Granth Sahib Ji. We bow to Guru Granth Sahib because the Guru gives us the
way to connect to Waheguru. But as Sikh’s we know that Waheguru cannot be limited
or contained in any one form.
Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, p.479
ਆਸਾ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਕਬੀਰ ਜੀਉ ਕੇ ਪੰਚਪਦੇ ੯ ਦੁਤੁਕੇ ੫
Aasaa, Kabeer Jee, 9 Panch-Padas, 5 Du-Tukas:ੴ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ ॥One Universal Creator God. By The Grace Of The True Guru:ਪਾਤੀ ਤੋਰੈ ਮਾਲਿਨੀ ਪਾਤੀ ਪਾਤੀ ਜੀਉ ॥You tear off the leaves, O gardener, but in each and every leaf, there is life.ਜਿਸੁ ਪਾਹਨ ਕਉ ਪਾਤੀ ਤੋਰੈ ਸੋ ਪਾਹਨ ਨਿਰਜੀਉ ॥੧॥That stone idol, for which you tear off those leaves - that stone idol is lifeless. ||1|ਭੂਲੀ ਮਾਲਨੀ ਹੈ ਏਉ ॥
In this, you are mistaken, O gardener.
ਸਤਿਗੁਰੁ ਜਾਗਤਾ ਹੈ ਦੇਉ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥The True Guru is the Living Lord. ||1||Pause||ਬ੍ਰਹਮੁ ਪਾਤੀ ਬਿਸਨੁ ਡਾਰੀ ਫੂਲ ਸੰਕਰਦੇਉ ॥
Brahma is in the leaves, Vishnu is in the branches, and Shiva is in the flowers.
ਤੀਨਿ ਦੇਵ ਪ੍ਰਤਖਿ ਤੋਰਹਿ ਕਰਹਿ ਕਿਸ ਕੀ ਸੇਉ ॥੨॥
When you break these three gods, whose service are you performing? ||2||ਪਾਖਾਨ ਗਢਿ ਕੈ ਮੂਰਤਿ ਕੀਨ੍ਹ੍ਹੀ ਦੇ ਕੈ ਛਾਤੀ ਪਾਉ ॥The sculptor carves the stone and fashions it into an idol, placing his feet upon its chest
ਜੇ ਏਹ ਮੂਰਤਿ ਸਾਚੀ ਹੈ ਤਉ ਗੜ੍ਹਣਹਾਰੇ ਖਾਉ ॥੩॥If this stone god was true, it would devour the sculptor for this! ||3||ਭਾਤੁ ਪਹਿਤਿ ਅਰੁ ਲਾਪਸੀ ਕਰਕਰਾ ਕਾਸਾਰੁ ॥Rice and beans, candies, cakes and cookiesਭੋਗਨਹਾਰੇ ਭੋਗਿਆ ਇਸੁ ਮੂਰਤਿ ਕੇ ਮੁਖ ਛਾਰੁ ॥੪॥- the priest enjoys these, while he puts ashes into the mouth of the idol. ||4||ਮਾਲਿਨਿ ਭੂਲੀ ਜਗੁ ਭੁਲਾਨਾ ਹਮ ਭੁਲਾਨੇ ਨਾਹਿ ॥The gardener is mistaken, and the world is mistaken, but I am not mistaken.ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਹਮ ਰਾਮ ਰਾਖੇ ਕ੍ਰਿਪਾ ਕਰਿ ਹਰਿ ਰਾਇ ॥੫॥੧॥੧੪॥Says Kabeer, the Lord preserves me; the Lord, my King, has showered His Blessings upon me. ||5||1||14|
As Sikhs we also need to be careful not to treat Manikaran Sahib as a miraculous pilgrimage site. That is, we should not believe that by visiting Manikaran Sahib, taking a bath in its hot water and eating the langar made using the hot spring's energy that we somehow become blessed. Guru Maharaj teaches us that the real pilgrimage is worship of Naam and the undertaking of good deeds. Even in the Saakhi of Guru Nanak Dev Ji in Manikaran, Guru Ji implores Bhai Mardana to worship Naam, not to worship the hot spring.
Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, p. 52
A final concern is that the Gurdwara’s management continues to reside in Sant Naryan Hari’s family. This is not a problem in and of itself but it has the potential for corruption. That is, without oversight by an independent committee, there is the potential for abuse of power and of the funds raised by the Gurdwara Sahib. However, this is not to say that such abuses are indeed occurring, it is only a warning that such issues could and often do arise from this management structure.
Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, p. 52
ਸਿਰੀਰਾਗੁ ਮਹਲਾ ੫ ॥Siree Raag, Fifth Mehl:ਸੰਤ ਜਨਹੁ ਸੁਣਿ ਭਾਈਹੋ ਛੂਟਨੁ ਸਾਚੈ ਨਾਇ ॥O Saints, O Borthers, listen: release comes through the True Name.
ਗੁਰ ਕੇ ਚਰਣ ਸਰੇਵਣੇ ਤੀਰਥ ਹਰਿ ਕਾ ਨਾਉ ॥Worship the Feet of the Guru. Let the Name of Har be your sacred pilgrimage.ਆਗੈ ਦਰਗਹਿ ਮੰਨੀਅਹਿ ਮਿਲੈ ਨਿਥਾਵੇ ਥਾਉ ॥੧॥Hereafter, you shall be honored in the Court of the Lord; where even the homeless find a home. ||1|
A final concern is that the Gurdwara’s management continues to reside in Sant Naryan Hari’s family. This is not a problem in and of itself but it has the potential for corruption. That is, without oversight by an independent committee, there is the potential for abuse of power and of the funds raised by the Gurdwara Sahib. However, this is not to say that such abuses are indeed occurring, it is only a warning that such issues could and often do arise from this management structure.
Apart from these concerns, I believe that Sant Narayan Hari Ji undertook a very difficult mission of building a Gurdwara in remembrance of Guru Nanak Dev Ji in a remote part of Himachal Pradesh. He was a man that was clearly devoted to the Guru and the Gurdwara at Manikaran Sahib is a testament to his devotion. However, as Sikhs we should be careful to not treat Manikaran Sahib as a sacred pilgrimage with miraculous powers and should encourage the Gurdwara's management to rectify issues that are against Gurmat. In particular, the images including that of Sant Narayan Hari Ji should be removed from in front of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji. What I am not saying is that visiting Manikaran Sahib is bad. I believe it can actually be a great experience, especially if it inspires one to become closer to the Guru.
Please forgive me if I made any mistakes or omissions.
Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh!
Please forgive me if I made any mistakes or omissions.
Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh!
