Gurudwara Nanak Jhira Sahib, Karnataka

The beautiful city of bidar is full of tombs. Apart from that, the city also has a major Sikh pilgrimage called Gurudwara Guru Nanak Jhira sahib. If you are planning to visit bidar, add this historically important place to your list. This shrine is having a very special importance in Sikhism and I feel lucky that I got a chance to visit this holy place on the very first day of the new year. I visited Gurudwara Nanak Jhira Sahib on the 1st week of Jan and must say that the experience was awesome. It is a must-visit place in bidar. I couldn’t resist writing a blog post about it.

How to reach Bidar

We have 3 options to reach here.
Rail:– Bidar railway station has trains to all the major cities in north and south India.
By Air:- The Gurudwara is an equal distance from Hyderabad and Nanded. So, you can fly till Hyderabad or Nanded, and then you can travel by cab/ train to bidar.
By Bus:- Buses to bidar are available from Hyderabad, Bangalore, Pune, and Mumbai.

As soon as we enter the Gurudwara premises from the giant entrance gate of the Gurudwara, we see the white-domed shrine right in front of us. The beauty of the Gurudwara and the premises is beyond explanation.

Entrance to gurudwara

Why it is Called Nanak Jhira

The gurudwara is dedicated to the 1st Sikh guru, Guru Nanak Ji. He visited bidar almost 500 years back in the 15th century, but the construction of Gurudwara was done in 1948. He visited bidar during his second missionary tour. Guru was staying in the outskirts of bidar near the foot of a hill, where the gurudwara is situated. Guru Nanak Ji visited bidar to meet Muslim saints. The locals started taking a keen interest in the teachings of Guru Nanak and a lot of local people started gathering to listen to him. He came to know about the scarcity of drinking water in the area. He was greatly moved by this and while uttering sat Kartar, he moved a stone and surprisingly fountain of sweet, cool water gushed out of the hillside and that’s why the place came to be known as Nanak- Jhira (a stream of water).

The Gurudwara is built beside the place, where the stream of water flows. The water coming out from here is termed as Amrit in Sikhism.

Jhira- the place from where the stream of water originate

The water is collected in a pool right in front of the gurudwara which is called Amrit Kund. Devotees take a dip inside the Amrit Kund. Well, I didn’t know about the proper procedure to take a dip here. So, I first took a holy dip in the Amrit Kund and then went to pray.

Amrit Kund

The Gurudwara is situated in a very serene locality in Bidar. I wish I could stay here for one day. I was supposed to attend the office the next day, so I’ve to leave in the evening. But, if you have time then you can stay here, there are around 500 rooms here, you’ll definitely find one for yourself.

Serai – Rooms to stay at gurudwara

One thing that I forgot to mention is that Bidar is also the birthplace of one of the Panj Pyare (5 beloved ones of Guru Govind Singh). Another Sikh pilgrimage called Nanded is also quite near.