Ram Mandir And The Nearly-Forgotten History Of Punjab

On 28 November 1858, an incident report was filed by Thanedar Sheetal Dubey in the police records of Ayodhya. The incident at the time ruffled many feathers, and featured Nihang Singh Sant Tek Singh Faqir Khalsa. 

The following copy of the complaint was interestingly presented as one of the evidences by the Muslim side led by advocate Zafaryab Jilani, in the dispute case fought in the Allahabad High Court. (A detailed complaint, that was filed on 30 November 1858, also included in the evidence, presented from disputing parties of both sides during the hearing, provided even more details):

In a recent incident one Nihang Sikh resident of Punjab Sikkhan, a government employee (Sic) is creating riot on Janam Sthan Masjid situated in Oudh. Near Mehrab and Mimber, he has constructed, inside the case, an earth Chabutra measuring about four fingers by filling it with Kankars (concrete). Lighting arrangement has been made. . . . and after raising the height of Chabutra about 1¼ yards a picture of idol has been placed and after digging a pit near it, the Munder wall has been made Pucca. Fire has been lit there for light and Puja and Home is continuing there.

In whole of this Masjid 'Ram Ram' has been written with coal. Kindly, do justice. It is an open tyranny and high handedness of the Hindus on Muslims. You are the master of both the parties since the Shahi era (sic) if any person constructs forcibly he would be punished by your honour. Kindly consider the fact that Masjid is a place of worship of the Muslims and not that of Hindus. 

Previously the symbol of Janamasthan had been there for hundreds of years and Hindus did Puja. Because of conspiracy of Shiv Ghulam Thandedar Oudh Government, the Bairagis constructed overnight a Chabutra up to height of one 'Balisht' until the orders of injunction were issued. At that time the Deputy Commissioner suspended the Thanedar and fine was imposed on Bairagis. Now the Chabootra has been raised to about 1¼ yards.

Thus sheer high-handedness has been proved. Therefore it is requested that Murtaza Khan Kotwal City may be ordered that he himself visit the spot and inspect the new constructions and get them demolished (sic) and oust the Hindus from there; the symbol and the idol may be removed from there and writing on the walls be washed. Orders may be issued for the future (paper torn). Deemed necessary, so requested. 

But it would not seem surprising to those who have studied even briefly the Sikh traditions. Shri Ram has always had a special place in the traditions, especially so for the Nihangs. The Kachehra, or the shorts, that Sikhs are supposed to mandatorily wear, was first given by Shri Ram to Hanuman, and was adopted into the Khalsa traditions by Guru Gobind Singh ji.

The 1858 incident traced back to the times when Sikh tradition had not necessarily called itself separate from the Sanatan universe, and saw much common ground.

Today, as the world rejoices and the universe hums in harmony over the long awaited Rama Mandir in Avadhpuri, memories hark back to the way in which various traditions have associated themselves with the hero who is the Maryada Purushottam for millions around the world.

In the Dasam Granth, Shri Ram was identified as one of the 24 avatars on the earth that were sent to ensure the rule of Dharma. Today a moment like any not seen before presents itself, and one cannot help but recall the rajyabhishek of Shri Ram in the verse of the Tenth Sikh Guru, Sahib-e-Kamaal Sri Guru Gobind Singh ji. 

भुजंग प्रयात छंद ॥

चहूं चक्क के छत्रधारी बुलाए ॥

धरे अत्र नीके पुरी अउध आए ॥

गहे राम पायं परम प्रीत कै कै ॥

मिले चत्र देसी बडी भेट दै कै ॥६८०॥

दए चीन माचीन चीनंत देसं ॥

महां सुंद्री चेरका चार केसं ॥

मनं मानकं हीर चीरं अनेकं ॥

कीए खेज प्ईयै कहूं एक एकं ॥६८१॥

मनं मुत्तीयं मानकं बाज राजं ॥

दए दंतपंती सजे सरब साजं ॥

रथं बेसटं हीर चीरं अनंतं ॥

मनं मानकं बद्ध रद्धं दुरंतं ॥६८२॥

किते स्वेत ऐरावतं तुल्लि दंती ॥

दए मुत्तयं साज सज्जे सुपंती ॥

किते बाज राजं जरी जीन संगं ॥

नचै नट्ट मानो मचे जंग रंगं ॥६८३॥

किते प्खरे पील राजा प्रमाणं ॥

दए बाज राजी सिराजी न्रिपाणं ॥

दई रकत नीलं मणी रंग रंगं ॥

लखयो राम को अत्र धारी अभंगं ॥६८४॥

किते पसम पाट्मबरं स्वरण बरणं ॥

मिले भेट लै भांति भांतं अभरणं ॥

किते परम पाट्मबरं भान तेजं ॥

दए सीअ धामं सभो भोज भोजं ॥६८५॥

किते भूखणं भान तेजं अनंतं ॥

पठे जानकी भेट दै दै दुरंतं ॥

घने राम मातान की भेट भेजे ॥

हरे चित्त के जाहि हेरे कलेजे ॥६८६॥

घमं चक्र चक्क्रं फिरी राम दोही ॥

मनो बयोत बागो तिमं सीअ सोही ॥

पठै छत्र दै दै छितं छोण धारी ॥

हरे सरब गरबं करे पुरब भारी ॥६८७॥

कटयो काल एवं भए राम राजं ॥

फिरी आन रामं सिरं सरब राजं ॥

फिरियो जैत पत्रं सिरं सेत छत्रं ॥

करे राज आगिआ धरै बीर अत्रं ॥६८८॥

दयो एक एकं अनेकं प्रकारं ॥

लखे सरब लोकं सही रावणारं ॥

सही बिसन देवारदन द्रोह हरता ॥

चहूं चक्क जानयो सीआ नाथ भरता ॥६८९॥

सही बिसन अउतार कै ताहि जानयो ॥

सभो लोक खयाता बिधाता पछानयो ॥

फिरी चार चक्क्रं चतुर चक्क्र धारं ॥

भयो चक्क्रवरती भूअं रावणारं ॥६९०॥

लखयो परम जोगिंद्रणो जोग रूपं ॥

महादेव देवं लखयो भूप भूपं ॥

महा सत्र सत्रं महां साध साधं ॥

महां रूप रूपं लखयो बयाध बाधं ॥६९१॥

त्रीयं देव तुल्लं नरं नार नाहं ॥

महां जोध जोधं महां बाह बाहं ॥

स्रुतं बेद करता गणं रुद्र रूपं ॥

महां जोग जोगं महां भूप भूपं ॥६९२॥

परं पारगंता सिवं सिद्ध रूपं ॥

बुधं बुद्धि दाता रिधं रिद्ध कूपं ॥

जहां भाव कै जेण जैसो बिचारे ॥

तिसी रूप सौ तउन तैसे निहारे ॥६९३॥

सभो ससत्रधारी लहे ससत्र गंता ॥

दुरे देव द्रोही लखे प्राण हंता ॥

जिसी भाव सो जउन जैसे बिचारे ॥

तिसी रंग कै काछ काछे निहारे ॥६९४॥

Ath Avadhpuri ko Chalbo Kathanam, Sri Dasam Granth

The sovereigns were called from all the four directions and they all reached Avadhpuri

They all fell at the feet of Ram, exhibiting their supreme love and met him with great presents. 680.

The kings presented gifts from various and beautiful maidens of elegant hair.

They also presented rare gems. Jewels and garments. 681.

They presented winsome horses, jewels, gems, pearls as well as elephants

The chariots, diamonds, raiments and invaluable precious stones were also presented. 682.

Somewhere the white elephants bedecked with gems are being presented

Somewhere the horses tightened with brocaded thick cloth are dancing exhibiting a spectacle of war. 683.

The kings, who presented multi-coloured red and blue gems, had a sight of Ram, the wielder of weapons and arms. 684.

Somewhere the kings are meeting Ram with golden coloured silken raiments and various types of ornaments

Somewhere the garments shining like sun are being sent to the abode of Sita. 685.

Somewhere the ornaments shining like sun are being sent to Sita

Many ornaments and garments were sent to the mothers of Ram, seeing which many became covetous in their hearts. 686.

On all the four sides, revolving the canopies, declarations were made regarding Ram and Sita also looked splendid like a decorated garden.

The kings were sent to far off places with to canopy of Ram, they smashed the pride of all and arranged festivities. 687.

In this way sufficient time elapsed in Ram’s kingdom and Ram began to rule magnificently

Letters of victory were sent to all sides and under a white canopy and commanding Ram looked greatly impressive. 688.

Everyone was given wealth in various ways and the people saw the real personality of Ram.

He was known on all four directions as the destroyer of the rebels of Vishnu and the lord of Sita. 689.

Everyone considered him as an incarnation of Vishnu and he was famous among the people as the Lord.

In all the four directions the current of Ram’s praise flowed as he, the enemy of Ravana, was known as the Supreme Soverign. 690.

He looked like a supreme Yogi amongst Yogis, great god among gods and a supreme sovereign amongst kings.

He was considered the great enemy of enemies and supreme saint amongst saints

He was like god for women and like a sovereign for men

He was a supreme warrior amongst warriors amongst warriors and a great wielder of weapons amongst the weapons-wielders.

He was the creator of Vedas and Shiva for his devotees (ganas).

Among Yogis he was the great Yogi and of the Kings, the great King. 692.

He was the giver of salvation, blissful, adept-like, giver of intellect and the store-house of wealth of powers

With whatever feeling one looked towards him, he saw him in that form. 693.

All the weapon-wielders saw him as a specialist in weapon-warfare and all the demons who were spiteful towards gods, visualising him as destroyer of life, hid themselves

With whatever feeling one thought of him, Ram seemed to him in the same colour. 694.

Ram finds mention across the Gurbani in various places, and devotion to him is identified as a way to salvation for the true devotee. For instance, Bhagat Kabir’s bani in the Sri Guru Granth Sahib ji (Ang 339) goes as follows:

निंदउ निंदउ मो कउ लोगु निंदउ ॥

निंदा जन कउ खरी पिआरी ॥

निंदा बापु निंदा महतारी ॥१॥ रहाउ ॥

निंदा होइ त बैकुंठि जाईऐ ॥

नामु पदारथु मनहि बसाईऐ ॥

रिदै सुध जउ निंदा होइ ॥

हमरे कपरे निंदकु धोइ ॥१॥

निंदा करै सु हमरा मीतु ॥

निंदक माहि हमारा चीतु ॥

निंदकु सो जो निंदा होरै ॥

हमरा जीवनु निंदकु लोरै ॥२॥

निंदा हमरी प्रेम पिआरु ॥

निंदा हमरा करै उधारु ॥

जन कबीर कउ निंदा सारु ॥

निंदकु डूबा हम उतरे पारि ॥३॥२०॥७१॥

राजा राम तूं ऐसा निरभउ तरन तारन राम राइआ ॥१॥ रहाउ ॥

जब हम होते तब तुम नाही अब तुम हहु हम नाही ॥

अब हम तुम एक भए हहि एकै देखत मनु पतीआही ॥१॥

जब बुधि होती तब बलु कैसा अब बुधि बलु न खटाई ॥

कहि कबीर बुधि हरि लई मेरी बुधि बदली सिधि पाई ॥२॥२१॥७२॥

Slander me, slander me - go ahead, people, and slander me.

Slander is pleasing to the Lord's humble servant.

Slander is my father, slander is my mother. ||1||Pause||

If I am slandered, I go to heaven;

the wealth of the Naam, the Name of the Lord, abides within my mind.

If my heart is pure, and I am slandered,

then the slanderer washes my clothes. ||1||

One who slanders me is my friend;

the slanderer is in my thoughts.

The slanderer is the one who prevents me from being slandered.

The slanderer wishes me long life. ||2||

I have love and affection for the slanderer.

Slander is my salvation.

Slander is the best thing for servant Kabeer.

The slanderer is drowned, while I am carried across. ||3||20||71||

O my Sovereign Lord King, You are Fearless; You are the Carrier to carry us across, O my Lord King. ||1||Pause||

When I was, then You were not; now that You are, I am not.

Now, You and I have become one; seeing this, my mind is content. ||1||

When there was wisdom, how could there be strength? Now that there is wisdom, strength cannot prevail.

Says Kabeer, the Lord has taken away my wisdom, and I have attained spiritual perfection. ||2||21||72||

But the connections do not just happen textually. Guru Gobind Singh ji also traced his own lineage back to that of Luv, the son of Ram. This was just another layer cementing the place of Shri Ram in the land of Punjab.

The land of Punjab of course has a long history of association with Avadh Bihari Shri Ram. As more and more people today remember how Lahore and Kasur in Pakistan were the cities set up by Luv and Kush in the popular narratives, it is important also to remember how the lands sacred for Hindus and Sikhs still remain the same. 

Amritsar is identified as the tapobhoomi of Bhagwan Valmiki, the adikavi who wrote the Ramayan for the first time ever. The site of Sri Ram Teerth in Amritsar was believed to be the place of his ashrama, where Luv and Kush were born and lived as infants, and the kund or pond surrounding the temple was originally dug by Hanuman.

Ram Teertha used to be an important pilgrim site for centuries. The Ram Teertha mela, which occurs 15 days after Diwali in Kaler in Amritsar, remains one of the most important events for the Hindus of Punjab to this day. 

Of course, this was not the only association — the associations continue even during the times of the Mughal rule, when in the bleak times there were small successes gained by Hindus. Diwan Raja Todarmal, alongwith Birbal, had convinced the Mughal Emperor Akbar to allow the establishment of a chabutra based shrine at the site for the Hindus to do puja and seva to Shri Ram.

Few today remember that Todarmal had worked in Punjab in many capacities. Interestingly, Todarmal, believed by some historians to be a Punjabi Khatri, also built a Ram Temple in Jatpura in Agra, where worship continues to this day.

It is perhaps in that joyous spirit that the devotees of Shri Ram hailing from Punjab today soak themselves, undaunted by oddball criticism and hate from certain quarters. The epoch of Shri Ram has truly arrived for them.