Bidar's magical springs drying up

Bidar: The ancient Jharnis are drying up and drying up fast and the Sikhs who revere them are in a quandary: Will they be deprived of the healing touch of the waters of Guru Nanak Jhira and Narasimha Jharna in the historic town of Bidar, so famous for its Bidari craftware?

One does not have to go far to find the reason for these historic springs losing their water sources. The severe drought that hit Bidar district last year, and the unbridled growth of the town in recent times, have left people wondering if the two natural springs would be left for posterity or not.

Gurudwara Guru Nanak Jhira is a famous pilgrim centre for Sikhs from across the world. Around five lakh devotees visit the place every year with the numbers growing over the decades.

During the three festivals-Holi, Dasara and Guru Nanak Jayanthi- the number of visitors swells to about 30,000 a day.

At Guru Nanak Jhira, the steam generated in the laterite soil comes out as 'Amrut Kund' in the Gurudwara premises. 

Legend has it that Sikh Guru, Guru Nanak visited the town in the summer of 1512 during his journey to south India. When  harried people brought their suffering to his notice and pleaded for relief, the Guru is said to have moved a pebble with his toe, following which the water started gushing out. 

The Amrut Kund has been built at the place where the Sikh Guru moved the stone.

Since then, the place has gained prominence as an important pilgrim centre for Sikhs, in south India. 

All Sikhs who visit Nanded in Maharashtra, where Gurudwara Hazur Sahib is situated, invariably pay a visit to Bidar Gurudwara.

Besides a beautiful marble Gurudwara, where the holy Guru Granth Sahib is placed on a pedestal and worshipped every day, many monuments have come up around the Amrut Kund. 

With the water channelled into a sarovar close by, devotees take a dip in the sacred water which is believed to cure several ailments. There is a free kitchen (langar) where free food is given to pilgrims round the clock. 

A Sikh museum has been built in memory of Guru Tegh Bahadur, depicting important events of Sikh history through pictures and paintings.

The sight of the spring almost drying up last year with tiny drops of water trickling out, shocked devotees, who for generations had seen the holy water gushing out of the Amrut Kund. 

The Gurudwara Management Committee was forced to ration the water after an unprecedented drought hit the district.

Uncontrolled drilling of borewells in residential colonies, that have come up on the hillock behind the Gurudwara and the failure to take measures to improve the percolation of rainwater, are said to have damaged the underground water table. Rattled by the development, the Gurudwara Committee is now contemplating long-term measures such as banning borewells in residential areas, harvesting rainwater and greening land around the Gurudwara. 

A decision to ban borewells was taken a long time ago but has not been effectively enforced. It remains to be seen whether the Gurudwara Committee would be able to enforce the rule in future. 

If not, the faith of the faithful in these springs, which give hope to thousands, would suffer a deadly blow.