Guru Ke Mahal

Housing the Granth Sahib and their gurus, Guru Ke Mahal was founded by Guru Ram Das in 1573 as a little cottage that went on to shelter the great gurus of the Sikhs. Gurudwara Guru Ke Mahal is a humble hut situated on the main street of Guru Bazaar near the Golden Temple in the holy city of Ramdaspur (now known as Amritsar).

Earlier the residence of Sri Guru Ram Das, the founder of Amritsar city, the structure was modified into a Gurudwara. It is a three-story tabernacle with a raised platform where the holy book of the Sikhs, Guru Granth Sahib is placed.
Founded by Sri Guru Ram Das Ji, this humble little hut soon came to be identified as the headquarters of Sikh gurus, though shifted in near time. Enlarged and beautified by the successive gurus, this little cottage truly took the shape of a Mahal.

History

Gurudwara Guru Ke Mahal was built in the year 1573 by Guru Ram Das Ji himself who was the fourth guru in the Sikh order. Its prominence can be evaluated by the very fact that the Guru himself resided here. This is one and the most significant of several reasons why this place holds so much importance. Another reason is Guru Arjan Dev ji, the fifth of the ten gurus, son of Guru Ram Das Ji and the first guru to pen down the official edition of the holy scripture called Adi Granth, later fledged as Guru Granth Sahib, got married as well as ordained as a Guru at this very place. Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur, the ninth guru, and grandchild of Guru Arjan Dev Ji, and Baba Atal Rai were born here. Guru Tegh Bahadur’s father, Sri Guru Hargobind Singh also lodged here for a brief span of time. The legend of Gurudwara Guru ke Mahal encompasses the lives and stays of many Sikh gurus and encapsulates in itself the great history of the evolution of Sikhism.

Architecture

Guru Ka Mahal is famous for the sacred book of the Sikhs, Guru Granth Sahib, and is placed on a platform raised on the ground floor inside this three-storeyed shrine. The basement has a meditation room where the Sikh gurus used to meditate and compose sacred hymns. Apart from the daily rituals, special divan and Guru Ka Langar are held on the first Sunday of the Bikrami month. The main festival celebrated in this gurudwara is the birth anniversary of Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji who was born here on Baisakhi.