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GURUDWARA SANGAT TOLA – Bangla Bazar |
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Guru Tegh Bahadur stayed at this place on his way to Assam. The local followers received him with great affection and built the two storyed structure especially for his stay. Devotees visited him in hundreds ever day and listened to the kirtan and holy discourses. Some manuscripts of the holy Granth Sahib, a portrait of Guru Tegh Bahadur done by an artist of his time and some epistles sent by Guru Gobind Singh have been discovered at the shrine
Gurdwara Sangat Tola in 14, Sorees Das in Bangla Bazar, Dacca marks the place where Guru Tegh Bahadur resided and held congregation during his stay in Dacca. On the retirement of Granthi Bhai Ram Singh, who had served the shrine from 1895 to 29th January 1939, his son Bhai Kirpal Singh was appointed Granthi. While he left in the wake of Partition, his mother Kanchan Devi, continued to look after the Gurdwara (She was popularly called Shikker Ma mother of the Sikh). But she, too, had to flee to join his son in Calcutta when the Pakistan military government started its region of terro. The Gurdwara fell into disuse until in early 1972 a Sikh soldier was deputed temporarily to serve it. He left when his unit moved back to India.
At present, these two Gurdwaras are being maintained by Bangla Desh Gurdwaras Management Board, attached to Takht Sri Patna Sahib. Captain Bhag Singh was its first indefatigable general secretary.
There used to be another memorial to Guru Nanak Dev in Dacca. It was a well blessed by the Guru. It is mentioned in Dacca district Gazetteer, Calcutta, 1912. There used to be an annual fair here in the month the Chet (March-april). There is however no trace of it now. The site is now covered with residential building near the present Dhan Mandi (paddy market).