Gurudwara Majnu ka Tila is situated on the Grand Trunk Road (GT Road), in the Timarpur region of Saddi Dilli it is positioned on a hillock on the right bank of river Yamuna. The birthday of the Khalsa is celebrated here with much festivity on the Baisakhi day. On this day, which holds a special place in the hearts of all Sikhs, the city swells with pilgrims from the surrounding areas. With many people of different creeds, castes, and status join the Sikhs of Dilli. During the festivities a special langar (a free meal) of enormous size is arranged.
It is said that in the times of Sultan Sikander Shah Lodhi, a Muslim hermit used to live a secluded life here and helped people cross the river in his boat free of charge. His wish to see the glimpse of God was so great that he was always lost in his own thoughts. Thus, the people nicknamed him as ‘Majnu’, the well-renowned Persian lover who became symbolic of intense love and passion. He attained enlightenment with the blessings of Guru Nanak Dev Ji. His hermitage came to be known as Majnu ka Tila (the hilllock of Majnu).
One day Guru Nanak, walking by the river, came upon Majnu and gave the emaciated hermit his blessings. Attaining the enlightenment he had so long sought, Majnu became a devout disciple of the great Guru. While Guru Nanak Dev ji was camping atop this hillock many Sufi saints of Dilli came to meet him and held spiritual discussions with him. The most prominent among those who came to pay homage to the Guru was the Sajjada Nashin (spiritual leader) of the shrine of Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia who was left deeply influenced after his talk with Guru Nanak Dev Ji.
Many people were attracted to the site by Majnu’s divine personality. In fact, his radiant spirit and dedicated love for his Guru, made this shrine into an outstanding missionary center for centuries to follow. It is said that after Guru Nanak Dev Ji had blessed Majnu, he became so pleased with Majnu’s dedication that he told his new devotee, “your name will be immortalized”. So in sacred memory of this once Muslim Saint the shrine was named Gurdwara Majnu ka Tila.
This hermitage had the honor of visits of other Gurus and their devout disciples and became a famous pilgrimage place for the Sikhs. The main personalities who graced the place with their divine presence were Shri Guru Hargobind Sahib Ji, the sixth Guru, Shri Ram Rai, the son of the seventh Guru Har Rai, General Baghel Singh, who built the first small structure of shrine here. The maintenance of the shrine was done by the income from the Jagir endowed by Maharaja Ranjit Singh who also built a tiny, old marble Gurudwara that can still be seen today. The devotees constructed Gurudwara in its present massive form in 1950.
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