Dharamshala (type of building)

Dharamshala (Devanagari: धर्मशाला; ITRANS: Dharmashaalaa; IAST: Dharmaśālā) is a word (derived from Sanskrit) that is a compound of dharma (धर्म) and shālā (शाला).

Rendering a precise literal translation into English is problematic due to the vast and conceptually rich semantic field of the word dharma, and the cultural aspect of India.

Traditionally, such dharamshalas (pilgrims' rest houses) were commonly constructed near pilgrimage destinations (which were often located in remote areas) to give visitors a place to sleep for the night.

In the modern spoken Hindi of the region, however, there is a common metathesis in which the vowel and consonant sounds in the second syllable of certain words (including धर्म) are transposed, which changes 'dharma' to 'dharam' (pronounced somewhere between [ˈdʱərəm] and [ˈdʱərm], depending on the speaker).

Architects Götz Hagmüller and Niels Gutschow rebuilt it, using old paintings and early twentieth century photographs as a reference.

Dr. Walther Mann, an expert on earthquake proof architecture, created an internal framework of steel and concrete.

Thanks to the controversial choice to use contemporary technology to strengthen the structure, Chyasilin Mandap survived the 2015 earthquakes without damage.

[13][2] The worship centres were built as a place where Sikhs could gather to hear the guru give spiritual discourse and sing religious hymns in the praise of Waheguru.

Even houses have been turned into dharamsalas where kirtan was sung on the eve of Vaisakhi.”Guru Nanak set-up an important dharamsal in the new-found Kartarpur after settling there.

[2] Other important dharamsals were located in Khadur, Goindwal, Ramdaspur, Tarn Taran, Kartarpur (Doaba) and Sri Hargobindpur, all of whom had been directly founded upon the instruction of a Sikh guru.

[2] Passionate early Sikhs would found dharamsals at various places across the Indian subcontinent and in Afghanistan as a means of expressing their devotion to the faith.

[2] Udasis were commanded by Guru Hargobind and his successors to found dharamsals in the distant reaches of the subcontinent far from the nucleus of Sikh centrality and rejuvenate the abandoned, dilapidated, or struggling dharamsals which had been founded by Guru Nanak and his followers in faraway places, which struggled due to their extreme distance from the central Sikh authority located mainly in Punjab.

[2] Guru Tegh Bahadur founded new dharamsal centres during his missionary tours of the Malwa region of Punjab and in northeastern India.

[2] This was especially true in the rural areas, villages, and small towns where most of the local Sikh congregations consisted of simple peasants with little means of wealth.

[2] They were not built upon a specific axis because Sikhs believe God in omnipresent and the entire Earth is divine and equally fitting as such.

[2] The dharamsals incorporated a langar (communal kitchen) and lodge, especially the ones on important highways and trade routes, where persons could eat and stay without discriminated based upon their religious or caste-background.

[2] At centres directly under the supervision of a Sikh guru, the Guru was responsible for organizing kirtan sessions and recitation of Gurbani, leading prayers at specified times, such as in the morning and evening, receiving visitors, performing katha (religious discourse explaining the tenets, practices, and intrinsicness of Sikhism and exposition of its scriptures), and held dialogues.

[2] The later Masands were appointed to collect revenue and gifts from the distant dharamsals and congregations for the central Sikh authority, where they were responsible for bringing it to.

[2] The Masands from various parishes would congregate with the Sikh guru at his durbar (court) on the occasion of Vaisakhi and present the funds and offerings of the dharamsals under their management to him.

[2] They managed distant congregations at a regional and provincial level, such as their finances and inns, and conducted missionary activities.

[2] The gumashitas helped manage the group of dharamsals in a province or region, especially ones located in small towns, under the purview of a masand head.

[2] Sangatias and Masands who were unable to attend the meeting with the Sikh guru at his durbar would present their collections and offerings in the form of a hundi (bill of exchange).

[2] In the late 17th century, the position of Diwan arose which assisted the Guru with the management of finances as a dedicated office within the central dharamsal.

[2] Gifts and monetary donations were retained within a golak box located in the hall of the dharamsal where Sikhs would voluntarily contribute funds when visiting for prayers.

[2] An additional manner in-which funds and gifts were donated is during a kurmai (wedding) ceremony occurring within the local congregation.

[2] Local Sikhs provided food resources to the dharamsal, such as in the form of grains and produce, to help with the functioning of the langar.

[2] Funds were used for the propagation of Sikhism, constructions and renovations of dharamsals, running of the communal kitchen and lodge, and payment for the mewra messengers who would deliver hukamnama messages, often requiring travelling great distances to do so.

[2] Bhai Gurdas strictly laid out that funds were not allowed to be misappropriated by the Masands and Sangatias for their personal needs and harshly reprobates those heads who do so.

[2] Some examples are the Mina and Dhirmalia sects, which took over and controlled many dharamsals in the Majha and Doaba regions of the Punjab after having expelled the orthodox Sikh managers from these areas.

[2] Some Yogi and Shaikh groups opposed the establishment and operation of dharamsals in their area, due to the perceived "infiltration" upon their sacred space and zone of authority, this occurred at Nanakmatta and Goindwal.