New Delhi: Row over Muslim man's ablution at Golden Temple in Amritsar: ‘Dirtied holy pond’
A row has erupted online, with reactions offline too, after a Muslim man in a viral video was seen using the holy sarovar (pond) water at Amritsar’s Harmandir Sahib or Golden Temple purportedly for wazu, Islamic pre-prayer cleansing or ablution.
A large number of people, including some influencers with larhe followings, on X and other platforms termed his act an affront to the Sikh holy site, stressing that he was blowing his nose and dirtying the water. There were others who stressed that he was purportedly showing devotion, even if ill-informed or ignorant about the Sikh code.
Wazu is usually done in running water, or there is a provision for a drain, while the sarovar water at a gurdwara is stagnant, hence used only for a ceremonial dip. There is separately a provision of running water for washing hands and feet before entering a gurdwara.
“The Hindu community and obviously Sikhs know the maryada (code of conduct) but people from other religions sometimes make mistakes,” said Kulwant Singh Manan, chief secretary of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, the community body that manages Sikh holy sites, when asked by some reporters about the row.
There are other videos purportedly showing the same man praising Sikhism for being welcoming to people of other faiths. HT has not independently verified the veracity of the viral videos, but the controversy has gathered pace in Punjab and Sikh circles.
Kulwant Singh Manan said the videos will be investigated. There have been meetings over similar issues, he added.
There have been similar instances of people at the Golden Temple not following the religious code. The SGPC has taken particular note of people treating the place as a “tourist spot” and making videos for social media.
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