INDIA, DELHI: GURDWARA BANGLA SAHIB SIKH TEMPLE, THE GANDHI MEMORIAL AT RAJ GHAT, AND BACK TO THE INDIRA GANDHI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

 December 23, 2025

We had spent the morning with a new guide on our Food and Faith Tour, and he was okay, but he spoke way too fast and his accent was hard for us to understand. We were very happy to get our first guide, Sajeet, back. He was amazing, in both presentation style and content.

Our first stop was the Gurdwara Bangla Sahib, one of the the largest Sikh temples in Delhi and associated with the eighth (of ten) Sikh Gurus, Guru Har Krishan (not related to Hare Krishnas). This Guru is known for healing many people suffering from cholera (or smallpox, depending on whom you ask) when he stayed in this spot in 1664, a disease that he himself contracted and died from that year.  "Bangla" is derived from the word "bungalow" and refers to the original structure that stood on this site that was owned by a Raja, or prince. Guru Har Krishan stayed at the bungalow during his visit, and sometime thereafter it was converted into a place of worship to honor him. 

As in the Sikh temple we visited earlier in the day, there was a helpful sign listing the basic tenets of Sikhism, along with several other posters that gave additional information.

I think the information on the turban below is especially interesting. I am familiar with groups that require women to cover their hair, and it is nice to see one that requires men to cover their hair!

This particular Gurdwara ("place of worship") is particularly focused on service. For example, they have a medical diagnostic center where patients can get an MRI scan for about 50 rupees, or less than a US dollar. 

However, the most impressive part of the Gurdwara is the Langar, a free community kitchen that provides meals for anyone who needs to eat. By the way, the practice of "Langar" was initiated by Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism and the first of the ten Sikh Gurus. He lived from 1469 to 1539 in present-day Pakistan.