While we were in New Delhi, we visited the Gurudwara Bangla Sahib – one of the most prominent Sikh gurdwara or house of worship in the city. It was first built as a small shrine by Sikh General Sardar Bhagel Singh in 1783 and, in addition to the house of worship, the grounds hold a kitchen, a large holy pond, a school, a museum, a library, and a hospital.
What made our visit most memorable was observing the practice of langar and the inner workings of the massive kitchen and dining hall.
As with all Sikh Gurdwaras, the concept of langar is practiced at Gurdwara Bangla Sahib.
Langar is the term used in Sikhism for the community kitchen in a Gurdwara where a free meal is served to all visitors without distinction of religion, caste, gender, economic status, or ethnicity. The free meal is provided to thousands of people per day, is always vegetarian, and requires people sit on the floor and eat together as equals.
Langar as an institution was first started by Baba Farid, a Muslim of the Chishti Sufi order and was also popular among the 12th and 13th century Sufis (Muslim mystics) of the Indian subcontinent. The practice grew and was later adopted by the founder of Sikhism, Guru Nanak, around 1500 CE as an innovative charity and symbol of equality.
The most impressive aspect of our visit to the langar hall was the size and scale of not only the building but the amount of food and size of the kitchen equipment. Huge cauldrons were used to cook massive amounts of soups and lentils. Large vats containing cut vegetables were carried by 3-4 men and placed onto trolleys to be taken from one area to another. And in the back, huge storage rooms were stacked almost to the ceiling with dry products like rice and flour.
Also palpable throughout our tour was the deeply heartfelt attitude of the workers and volunteers – both in the house of worship and in the kitchen. It was humbling to see how the Sikh ideals of “humanity is the one religion of the world” was translated into action, on a daily basis, by feeding anyone and everyone who came through their doors.