18 fascinating facts about Sikhism I bet you didn’t know-3

18 fascinating facts about Sikhism I bet you didn’t know-3

The 12’o clock connection

When Nadir Shah raided Delhi in the year 1739, he looted Hindustan and abducted nearly 2200 Hindu women along with him. The news spread like a fire and reached Sardar Jassa Singh who was the Commander of the Sikh army at that time. He decided to attack Nadir Shah’s camp at midnight. He did so and rescued all the women.

When the clock strikes 12, they attack

Thereafter, whenever any foreign party looted Hindustan and abducted Hindu women, the Sikh army (although fewer in number) attacked them at midnight. Nowadays, these “smart people” have spread these words that at 12 O’clock, the Sikhs go out of their senses. Completely nonsensical!

No defined architecture for Gurudwara

Any place where the Guru Granth Sahib is installed and treated with due respect according to Sikh Rehat Maryada (the Sikh code of conduct and convention) can be referred to as a Gurudwara, whether it is a room in one's own house or a separate building.

The four doors of Gurudwara

There are four doors into a Gurudwara, known as the Door of Peace, the Door of Livelihood, the Door of Learning and the Door of Grace. These doors are a symbol that people from all four points of the compass are welcome, and that members of all four castes are equally welcome. There's always a light on in a Gurdwara, to show that the Guru's Light is always visible and is accessible to everyone at any time.

Guru Granth Sahib

The focus of attention, and the only object of reverence in the main hall (or Darbar Sahib) is the book of Sikh scripture, the Guru Granth Sahib, which is treated with the respect that would be given to a human Guru. The book is placed on a raised platform and covered with an expensive cloth when not being read. Although Sikhs show reverence to the Guru Granth Sahib, their reverence is to its spiritual content (shabad) not the book itself.

Om Namah Shivay