Mata Kaulan

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Gurdwara Mata Kaulan and the Sarovar Kaulsar

Mata Kaulan was a women who was a free spirit and wanted to explore her surroundings. She had been adopted by a muslim priest called Rustam Khan. He was based in Lahore, Pakistan. Qazi Rustam Khan had bought her from her parents while she was a child. It is possible that her parents were Hindus. The Qazi gave her the education of Islam and sent her to Saint Mian Mir for higher schooling.


Saint Mian Mir was a sufi saint. He had no prejudice against any religion. He had a very deep love with Guru Nanak's Institution. It was usual for him to go to Amritsar to meet the Guru Arjan Dev ji. Whenever the Guru visited Lahore, he never went back without seeing Saint Mian Mir. Due to these meetings, Saint Mian Mir knew a large number of Guru's verses by heart which he used to quote to his disciples.


Bibi Kaulan also remembered some of the verses by heart which she used to recite herself as she found them very touching. Her attachment to the Guru's institution increased further when she saw the Guru and the Sikhs came from Amritsar to Lahore at the time of the plague epidemic and nursed the patients with their own hands. The dedication of the Sikhs to serve God was something that impressed Kaulan Ji as she too was a disciple of the true Guru.

One day, Qazi Rustam Khan heard Bibi Kaulan reciting Guru Nanak's verses at home.

He rebuked her and said "Do not recite these verses of the infidels in future."

Bibi Kaulan Said, "Dear father! Saint Mian Mir bows in all humility to the man you call an infidel and thinks it a privelege to seat him by his side. It is unbecoming to call the man an infidel whom the saint hold in such esteem."

The qazi gave a sound thrashing to Bibi Kaulan on hearing the praise of the Gurus from her and said, "I do not want that you recite the verses of these infidels even unintentionally."'

Between her sobs Bibi Kaulan said, "You may beat me to death but I cannot live without reciting these verses."

Qazi Rustam Khan went and asked other Qazis, "Kaulan persists with reciting the verses of the infidels inspite of my beating. What remedy should be adopted?"

They said, "It is a great sin for the Momins (believers of Islam) to praise the infidels and recite their word. Kaulan should be beheaded for this sin."


When Saint Mian Mir heard about the decree of beheading of Bibi Kaulan, he sent her to the Guru's institution at Amritsar through Abdul Yaar Shah where the homeless were protected. Guru Hargobind made arrangement for separate accommodation for Bibi Kaulan. She had no fear at Amritsar of being killed by the order of the Qazis.


Guru Hargobind took over the role of spiritual guide and counselor from Mian Mir. Under his guidance, Kaulan learned to meditate and sing the teachings songs of the Sikhs. Guru Hargobind instructed that a separate building be built for her as living quarters, and told her not to worry. She could spend her time as she pleased. In her home in Lahore, Kaulan spent hours in deep meditation and prayer. In her new home in the Guru’s court, she continued her routine of study and meditation. It is said that when Guru Hargobind saw her continual dependence on the Divine, he was deeply pleased with Kaulan’s devotion. And in order to protect that devotion, to give it shelter so it could flourish, he took care of her completely.


Three years after the completion of the tank in Amritsar, Kaulan became ill. Ever her Protector, Guru Hargobind came to see her. She was so weak, she could hardly speak. Guru Hargobind could see that she had only another day to live – another 24 hours. As she lay there, weak in body, with little voice, he took her through the experience of her life. How lucky she was, it is reported he said, that she left the company of people who had no sense to see the Divine. How fortunate that she had come into the company of the Guru and the Sikhs to meditate and pray. With his compassion, he guided her to assess her life and see that there was no reason to feel pain about leaving her family – but only joy at how her life had been transformed.


Then, he began to give her spiritual instructions that would guide her through the last 24 hours of her life. He directed her to keep meditating and reflecting on the Akal Moorat – on the deathless spirit that lived within her. Death could not touch her spirit, her awareness – it was only an illusion. For the next 24 hours, the Guru instructed, she should do nothing but meditate on the Creator, and stay present with that Deathless Awareness inside of herself. He promised that he would come at the moment of her departure.


Twenty-four hours later, as he had promised, Guru Hargobind returned to Kaulan’s side. Macauliffe’s account of Kaulan’s death is too moving re-write. So let me just share with you what he wrote.


“The Guru proceeded to Kaulan’s apartments and addressed her consolatory words. ‘Be ready. Prepare thyself. Thine hour hath come. Dismiss all consideration for thy body and fix thine attention on God, who is unborn and imperishable. The world is unreal and only shineth with His light. The soul is pure, real, conscious, happy. As long as man is proud of his body he is subject to birth and death. But when he hath obtained divine knowledge and passed beyond the bounds of love and hate, then he obtaineth deliverance.’


When Kaulan, after meditating on the Guru’s instruction, again opened her eyes, she addressed her last words to the Guru. ‘I thank thee! I thank thee! O patron of the homeless that I found shelter in thee. Thou didst in a moment confer on me the position which Jogis for years vainly strive to attain. Thou didst dispel the ignorance which hung over my millions of births like an inveterate disease.’ She then fixed her attention on God, repeated ‘Waheguru,’ and heaving her last breath departed to the heaven of her aspirations. The Guru ordered her maids and manservant to prepare her for the last rites. Her maids bathed her and clothed her in a shroud and costly shawl. While the minstrel sang the Guru’s hymns, her body was removed to the garden attached to her dwelling and there cremated. The Sohila was read and prayers offered for the repose of her soul.” (2)


To immortalize the memory of Bibi Kaulan's resolve to remain firm on her words, the Guru constructed a pool named Kaulsar in 1627 A.D. Bibi Kaulan died at Kartarpur in 1630 A.D.



Quotes

Kaulsar also to get filtered water

Tribune News Service Amritsar, March 27 The item below from: www.tribuneindia.com


The kar seva of the first-ever sarovar named after a Muslim woman, Mata Kaulan, adjoining the Golden Temple, will start next week.

Significance of Gurdwara Mata Kaulan and Kaulsar sarovar could be adjudged from the fact that Guru Hargobind, the sixth Sikh guru, had directed the devotees to take dip in Kaulsar before the Golden Temple sarovar. Now the sarovar at Gurdwara Kaulsar would also get filtered water as both the gurdwaras receive water from the common source.

The second phase of the kar seva of the Golden Temple and Kaulsar “sarovar’s would be launched simultaneously. The kar seva of Kaulsar is being undertaken after a gap of three decades.

Mata Kaulan, against whom qazi had pronounced death sentence for showing devotion to Sikh gurus, was brought here discreetly by Sain Mian Mir who had laid the foundation stone of the Golden Temple. Mata Kaulan, who was allotted a special place near the Golden Temple and Baba Atal, spent her entire life there before breathing her last at Kartarpur.

Excavation of Kaulsar was started in 1624 AD which was completed in 1627 AD under the supervision of Baba Budhaji, first head granthi of the Golden Temple.

Baba Amrik Singh, a representative of Baba Jagtar Singh of kar sewa wale, said kar seva of Kaulsar and second phase of the Golden Temple sarvovar would be completed in less than 24 hours after start of the de-silting operation scheduled for next week.

Meanwhile, fish of the sarovar of the Golden Temple had been transferred to the sarovars of Gurdwara Bibeksar and Gurdwara Ramsar, paving the way for launching of the second phase of kar seva.

Kaulsar is one of the five holy tanks of Amritsar city including Santokhsar, Bibeksar, Ramsar and the Golden Temple.

The process for installing filtration plant at the cost of Rs 5 crore started today. Mr Ranjit Singh Tut from the USA said laying of pipes for filtration plant would be completed before the starting of second phase of kar seva.


Links

Bibliography

  • (1) Copyright © Santokh Singh Jagdev "Bedtime Stories".
  • (2) Copyright © Ek Ong Kaar Kaur * [1]
  • (3) * The Sikh Religion, Max Arthur MacAuliff, Oxford University Press, 1909.