Gurudwara Mai Than draws people all religion in Agra

Agra, June 19 (ANI): Sikh shrines are spread across the country and visited by a large number of people of all religions. One of the popular shrines is Gurudwara Mai Than in Agra, created in the memory of the visit of Guru Teg Bahadur.

Legend has it during his Agra visit, Guru Sri Tegh Bahadur visited the house of Mai Jassi, a lady who had a long cherished wish to meet the Guru.

"Guru Tej Bahadur, the 9th Guru of the Sikhs visited this place. Mai Jassi, who is said to have been 175-years-old invited the Guru to her house and offered a piece of cloth to Him. Guru Teg Bahadur helped the locals find sweet water in the area. In Agra, there was only salty water available but the people got clean and sweet water after digging a well. Today, the devotees take home water as his blessings," said Kanwaljeet Singh, President of Gurudwara.

That lady's house is today a revered place and has been converted into Mai Than Gurudwara. It's being given a facelift and expanded to facilitate large number of devotees visiting the shrine.

The 'Karsewa' (public service for construction work) is being performed by Amritsar-based Jatha. An estimated 20 million dollars are expected to be spent on its renovation and construction of new Gurudwara, a 100-bed hospital and a community hall.

Supported by the Agra Municipal Corporation and people of Agra, the 'Karsewa' will carry on for about five years.

The 'Karsewa' at Gurudwara Mai Than has united people of all religions and communities in Agra. They have provided their service to preserve the past for future generations.

"Gurudwara Mai Than is one of the historical Gurudwaras. Every resident of Agra offered his service or 'Karsewa'. We all got an opportunity to offer our service. We are very proud of it. We are grateful that we have been able to offer our service and we will continue providing it," said Anjula Mahaur, Mayor of Agra city.

"We are very happy with the service we offered and our religion teaches us how to be successful in all the phases of life, be it political or a social field. Today, for this social and religious cause are we have dedicated ourselves to offer our service so that we, too, can receive Guru Sahibs blessings," said Kundnika Sharma, Municipal Councillor of Agra city.

Agra, a medieval city, founded in 1504 by Mughal ruler Sultan Sikandar Lodi, boasts of having one of the Seven Wonders of the World, the Taj Mahal. It's a breathtaking marvel of architecture, the monument attracts thousands of visitors everyday. By Brijesh Kumar Singh(ANI)