Langar at Patna Sahib
Everybody eats, sitting on the same floor, at one of the five Takhts
What it is
The free kitchen at Takht Sri Harimandir Ji, running all day, every day. Anybody may eat and anybody may work: peeling, rolling rotis, washing steel plates in a line. Nobody asks who you are or what you believe before either.
Why it matters
Four of the five seats of Sikh authority are in Punjab. This one is in Patna, because the tenth Guru was born in this building, and most visitors to the city do not know it is here.
How it works
- Cover your head — cloth is given at the entrance — and wash your hands.
- Leave your shoes at the counter. Wash your feet at the trough.
- Sit in the row. Eat what comes. Take your plate to the wash line.
- Ask at the kitchen if you want to help. Somebody will hand you a job.
- Who it is for
- Anybody at all. That is the entire point of langar.
- Best season
- Oct - Mar
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Cost
- Free, and a donation is neither asked for nor expected at the meal.
- When
- Daily, all day. Prakash Parv in Dec or Jan fills the whole of Patna City.
- Booking
- None.
- Book ahead
- None
- Languages
- Punjabi, Hindi, English
Rules
- Head covered inside the whole complex
- Shoes off, feet washed
- No tobacco or alcohol anywhere on the premises
- Everybody sits at the same level on the floor
Where
- Takht Sri Patna Sahib: Birthplace of Guru Gobind Singh Ji
- Gurdwara Guru ka Bagh: It marks the spot where Guru Tegh Bahadur first alighted on his return, and where he met his son Guru...
- Gurudwara Handi Sahib: To honour the handi of khichri offered to the child Guru; a distinctive evening prayer here recalls his...
- Gurdwara Bal Lila Maini Sangat: Pilgrims come for the childhood association with Guru Gobind Singh, and receive boiled salted gram as...
Plan my Yatra. Rather talk to someone? Call or WhatsApp +91 87893 56605, or contact us.