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Takhat Sachkhand Shri Hazur Abchalnagar Sahib is the main Gurdwarasituated in Nanded, Maharashtra. It is one of the four High seats of Authority of the sikhs. Guru Gobind Singh was the 10th and last Guru of the Sikhs who held his court and congregation here. He died in Nanded and his ashes are buried in the Sach Khand Shri Huzur Gurdwara on the side of the river Godavari. It is believed that from Nanded Guru Gobind Singhji rose to heaven along with his horse Dilbag.
Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the great ruler of Punjab between
1830 to 1839 AD, built the gurdwara. The Gurdwara houses the mortal
remains of the 10th Guru and a number of weapons of various kinds are
exhibited here. There are swords of Maharaja Ranjit Singh and other Sikh
generals. Some weapons also belong to Shri Guru Gobind Singhji.
At this Gurdwara the Guru gave his last sermon to the Sikhs asking them
to bow only to the Shabad Guru (Guru Granth Sahibji), and not to bow to
any 'Dehdhaari' (human). Guru Gobind Singhji introduced the martial
overtones and prescribed the name `Singh' or `Lion' for all Sikhs and he
also introduced the five symbols to differentiate believers. These are the
"Kesha" (long hair), "Kangha" (comb), "Kachha"
(military style underwear), "Kara" (steel bracelet) and the "Kirpan"
(sword).
About half a kilometre from the left bank of the river Godavari there is
a building complex of the Takhat Sahib proper spread over several
hectares. Besides the Takhat Sahib, there are two other shrines, "Bunga
Mai Bhagoji" and "Angitha".
The building of the Gurdwara is very beautiful and
picturesque with marble and golden plating. The two-storey building of the
Takhat Sahib proper standing on a high base has a small square room on the
second floor bearing the gilded ribbed dome topped with a tall gilded
pinnacle and umbrella shaped finial. There are some rooms in the basement
too, so that the edifice is technically four-storeyed. Corners of the roof
of the first floor are decorated with domed kiosks on octagonal pedestals.
The sanctum has marble lining decorated with inset work in floral
patterns on lower parts of the walls and stucco and tukari work on the
upper parts as well as on the ceiling. One can see some old weapons such
as steel quoits, a broad sword, a steel bow and an arrow and a gilded
dagger-sized sword.
Guru Granth Sahib is seated in the room in front of the sanctum from
early morning to late evening and is placed in the sanctum only during the
night. Recently a 40-member team from Britain also called "Karsevaks"
have started work of gold plating on walls of the Gurudwara, it is
estimated to consume about 30 tons of gold in the process.
Large number of devotees gather at the Gurdwara on festival days such as Baisakhi, Holi, Dussehra and on the 13th of April that commemorates the day Sikhism took on a militant aspect.
Air: The nearest and convenient airport is
Aurangabad .
Rail: There is a railway station at Nanded.
Road: Nanded is well connected by road with the important places
within and beyond the state. State transport buses are available regularly
from Mumbai ,
Aurangabad, Pune ,
Hyderabad etc.
Accommodation is available at the hotels in Nanded. Free lodging is provided at the Dharamshala, which is just beside the Gurdwara.