District: Bidar
Town: Bidar
Temple: Nanak Jhira Bidar Gurudwara
The Nanak Jhira Bidar Gurudwara, dedicated to the Sikh Guru Nanak, is a historical shrine that is situated in Bidar in North Karnataka. This gurudwara is a well known one and many devotees visit this place.
Nanak Jhira Bidar Gurudwara– Overview
Devotees throng to the Nanak Jhira Bidar Gurudwara especially during Guru Nanak Jayanti. Volunteers make elaborate preparations to celebrate the Guru Nanak Jayanti, which is one of the major festivals of the Sikhs. Preparations include cleaning the gurudwara, guarding the shoes of visitors and helping out in the kitchen. The gurudwara is especially adorned with flags, banners and lights for this occasion.
Nanak Jhira Bidar Gurudwara – History
Guru Nanak, in his second missionary tour, visited South India after touring through Khandwa and Nagpur and finally reached Nanded after visiting the Hindu temple of Omkareshwara on the Narmada. The Guru then proceeded towards Golconda and Hyderabad. Here he met Muslim saints and then went to meet Yakoob Ali and Pir Jalaluddin at Bidar.
The Guru was put up at the outskirts of Bidar along with his companion Mardana. The place where the Guru temporarily resided is now the Nanak Jhira Bidar Gurudwara. The sermons and teachings of the Guru during his sojourn at Bidar attracted a lot of followers and soon people came to listen to the Guru to seek his blessings.
Nanak Jhira Bidar Gurudwara – Mythology
The people who were residing in Bidar were miserable due to a shortage in water supply in this town. The Guru was moved by their plight and decided to rescue them from their miserable condition. He touched the hillside with his toe removing some rubble in the process. A fountain of sweet water flowed out from this hillside and the place was rechristened as Nanak Jhira.
Now a beautiful gurudwara stands at the side of this water fountain. A small Amrit–Kund constructed in white marble accumulates the water flowing from this fountain.
How to Get to Nanak Jhira Bidar Gurudwara
Every year, pilgrims visit this Gurudwara en mass and they may employ the use of roadways, railways and airways to reach this temple.
- Air – The nearest airport is Begumpet International Airport at Hyderabad. You have to take a bus from here to reach Bidar in Karnataka.
- Road – On the Bangalore–Hyderabad route luxury buses are operated daily, and these run to Bidar. The journey takes nearly sixteen hours.
- Train – The nearest railhead is at Bidar. There are various trains connecting Bidar from Bangalore and Hyderabad. People can also take a train up to Gulbarga and then take a bus to Bidar. Gulbarga to Bidar by bus is around one and a half hours.
Nanak Jhira Bidar Gurudwara – Facts
Free food is provided for all pilgrims who visit this gurudwara. A Sikh museum is also present here in memory of the Sikh Guru and houses important historical events in the history of Sikhism in the form of paintings and pictures. An engineering college, a free hospital, a college, a polytechnic institution and two schools are now run by the management of the Nanak Jhira Bidar Gurudwara. Nearly four to 500,000 pilgrims visit this gurudwara every year. Major festivals like Holi, Dussehra and Guru Nanak’s birthday attracts as many as 30,000 visitors per day.
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