Langar (Sikhism)

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A community meal in progress at a Sikh langar

In

lacto-vegetarian.[3]

Etymology

Langar is a Persian word that was eventually incorporated into the Punjabi language and lexicon.[4][5][6]

Origins

Sikh painting showing a langar in the bottom right, c. 19th century.

The concept of charity and providing cooked meals or uncooked raw material to ascetics and wandering

Mughal empire), it could not be institutionalized into a sustainable community kitchen, but continued as volunteer-run free food opportunities. Such distribution of free food was often limited to specific Hindu festivals or events at dargahs
of Sufi saints. Exclusion of people based on castes and religion, further limited their outreach, which makes it questionable if they can be truly called 'community kitchens'. However, the community kitchen started by the Sikh Gurus, was universal and accepting of people from all faiths and backgrounds, a tradition which has continued to this day. The type of food served and the method of cooking employed, further helped make Sikh langar universally accepted by all faiths and castes.

Several writers such as Gurinder Singh Mann and Arvind-Pal Singh Mandair have alluded to this fact of cooked food (or raw material) being provided to travelers, ascetics and wandering yogis,[7] free food distribution practices being in vogue in fifteenth century among various religious groups like Hindu Nath Yogis and Muslim Sufi saints.[8][9] However, no evidence exists of formal institutionalized community kitchens, providing cooked free meals, continuously, over a period of time by any particular community.

The roots of such volunteer-run charitable feeding is very old in Indian tradition; for example: Hindu temples of the Gupta Empire era had attached kitchen and almshouse called dharma-shala or dharma-sattra to feed the travelers and poor, or whatever donation they may leave.[10][11] These community kitchens and rest houses are evidenced in epigraphical evidence, and in some cases referred to as satram (for example, Annasya Satram), choultry, or chathram in parts of India.[12][13] In fact, Sikh historian Kapur Singh refers to Langar as an Aryan institution.[14] Such kitchens were limited to sangrand or masya or other specific festivals. Often, these kitchens precluded lower castes and hence it's questionable if they can be called 'community kitchens'. Due to the cooking practices of various religions and yogi orders, many would stay away from such 'free-meals'. For example, Hindus would not attend Muslim langars and vice versa. However, the community kitchen started by the Sikh Gurus, was universal and accepting of people from all faiths and backgrounds, a tradition which has continued to this day.

The Chinese Buddhist pilgrim

Fariduddin Ganjshakar,[17][18] a Sufi Muslim saint living in the Punjab region during the 13th century. This concept further spread and is documented in Jawahir al-Faridi compiled in 1623 CE.[19]

The concept of langar—which was designed to be upheld among all people, regardless of religion, caste, colour, creed, age, gender, or social status—was an innovative charity and symbol of equality introduced into Sikhism by its founder, Guru Nanak around 1500 CE in North Indian state of Punjab.[9]

The second Guru of Sikhism,

sevadars) who operated the kitchen, placing emphasis on treating it as a place of rest and refuge, and being always polite and hospitable to all visitors.[9]
: 35–7 

It was the third Guru, Guru Amar Das, who established langar as a prominent institution, and required people to dine together irrespective of their caste and class.[21] He encouraged the practice of langar, and made all those who visited him attend langar before they could speak to him.[22]

Contemporary practice

Volunteers helping preparing food for langar at the Golden Temple

Langars are held in

homeless population. The volunteers feed people without any discrimination, alongside the Sikh devotees who gather.[23][24][25] Almost all gurdwaras operate langars where local communities, sometimes consisting of hundreds or thousands of visitors, join for a simple lacto-vegetarian meal.[26]

Gallery

  • Janamsakhis painting of Guru Nanak's dialogue with Sant Ren feeding the hungry ascetics during the Sacha Sauda episode.
    Janamsakhis painting of Guru Nanak's dialogue with Sant Ren feeding the hungry ascetics during the Sacha Sauda episode.
  • Langar at the camp of Bir Singh Naurangabad, Punjab, c. 1850.
    Langar at the camp of Bir Singh Naurangabad, Punjab, c. 1850.

See also

Notes and references

  1. ^ Pashaura Singh, Louis E. Fenech, 2014, The Oxford Handbook of Sikh Studies[dead link]
  2. .
  3. , page 148
  4. ^ Kathleen Seidel, Serving Love, Serving the Guest: A Sufi Cookbook", September 2000. Accessed 15 January 2010.
  5. .
  6. .
  7. ^ .
  8. ^ Manabendu Banerjee (1989). Historical and Social Interpretations of the Gupta Inscriptions. Sanskrit Pustak Bhandar. pp. 83–84.
  9. Munshi Manoharlal
    . p. 306.
  10. .; [b] Sanctuaries of times past The Hindu (June 27, 2010)
  11. S2CID 191573026
    .
  12. .
  13. .
  14. .
  15. ^ Epilogue, Vol 4, Issue 1, p. 45
  16. ^ R. Nivas (1967), Transactions, Volume 4, The word langar, and this institution has been borrowed, so to speak, from the Sufis. The khanqas of the Chisti and other Sufi saints had a langar open to the poor and the rich, though the Hindus mostly kept away from them. To make the Brahmin sit with the pariah and do away with untouch- ability, and to make the Hindus and Muslims eat from the same kitchen and destroy all social, Indian Institute of Advanced Study, p. 190
  17. .
  18. .
  19. .
  20. .
  21. ^ "Why homeless Britons are turning to the Sikh community for food". BBC News. 22 February 2015. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
  22. ^ Paterson, Kirsteen (July 14, 2016). "Scotland: Sikh charity feeds those most in need". The National. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  23. SBS Punjabi
    . Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  24. .

External links