View of the front of the Darbar Sahib or Prayer Hall showing the Palki housing the Guru Granth Sahib
A typical layout for the Darbar Sahib. Men and women usually sit on separate sides of the hall

Darbar Sahib, or Darbar Hall,[1] literally means the Imperial Court, and often refers to the main room within a Gurdwara.[2][3] This room is where the Guru Granth Sahib sits on a raised throne, or takht in a prominent central position.

Darbar Sahib - Diwan Hall

Darbar Sahib worship takes place in the Diwan Hall (prayer hall). In the Diwan Hall, there are people playing worship hymns from the Guru Granth Sahib. People visiting the Gurdwara sit on the floor often cross-legged, as pointing your feet towards an object or person, in this case, the Guru Granth Sahib, may be mistaken as disrespectful according to cultural norms. It is also the traditional and optimal posture for deep meditation. Furthermore, sitting on the floor is seen as a symbol of equality among all people. Rather than some people standing, some people sitting on chairs and some people sitting on the floor, everybody sits on the floor to show that nobody is higher in status than anybody else.

Traditionally, women and children, and men sit on opposite sides of the diwan hall. However, seating in a mixed pattern is in no way prohibited.

The Guru Granth Sahib is placed on pillows, which have cloths draped over them, which are on a raised platform that has a canopy. The cloths, called romallas, cover the Guru Granth Sahib when it is not being read.

This is at the front of the diwan hall. Also in the diwan hall, there is another platform where musicians (called the Ragis) sit and play their instruments while the congregation are singing hymns. Music is an important part of Sikh worship because it helps when people are singing hymns that are written in the Guru Granth Sahib. The hymns that are written in the Guru Granth Sahib are called Gurbani, which means: The words of the guru.

See also

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Darbar Sahib halls.
  1. ↑ Learning from other religious traditions : leaving room for holy envy. Hans Gustafson. Cham, Switzerland. 2018. p. 173. ISBN 978-3-319-76108-4. OCLC 1037812799.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) CS1 maint: others (link)
  2. ↑ Sindima, Harvey J. (2009). Introduction to religious studies. Lanham: University Press of America. p. 76. ISBN 978-0-7618-4762-5. OCLC 812925891.
  3. ↑ Rose, David (1995). Sikhism. Dunstable: Folens. p. 6. ISBN 1-85276-769-3. OCLC 43133496.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.