Gurudwara Bangla Sahib

The site was a bungalow belonging to Raja Jai Singh where the eighth Sikh guru, Har Krishan, stayed in 1664 and helped those sick with smallpox and cholera from the water of its tank; the guru died of smallpox himself that year, and the water is regarded as healing. The present gurudwara, with its gilded dome and flagpole, encloses the sarovar tank in a marble courtyard. As at every gurudwara, the langar kitchen serves free vegetarian meals to anyone who comes, and here that runs to tens of thousands a day, cooked and served by volunteers in enormous halls that visitors may join or help in.

What you actually see

• The golden dome - the gilded shrine above the prayer hall.
• The sarovar - the sacred tank in the marble courtyard.
• The langar - free meals cooked and served to thousands by volunteers.
• The kitchen halls - vast rooms of volunteers rolling roti and stirring pots.

When to go

October to March for comfortable weather; the gurudwara is open around the clock and the langar runs continuously. Early morning prayers and evening are the most atmospheric.

Honest expectations

Heads must be covered and shoes left at the counter; cloth is provided free. The marble is hot underfoot in summer. Visitors are welcome in the kitchen, but it is a working operation, not a display.

Nearby

Connaught Place lies east; Jantar Mantar is southeast.