DADA CHELLARAMJI ASHRAM NIRAGUNA BALIK, SAPRUN
Ashram - The final abode for all people- situated on the main Kalka-Shimla Road, two kilometres from Solan, on Kalka side and established in 1959, runs under the auspices of the Niraguna Balik Satsang Mandal (India), a religious, charitable and a cultural society, registered under the Societies Registration Act XXI of 1860 with its headquarters at New Delhi and Branch Circles in Mumbai, Pune and Saprun. The Ashram is 5000 feet above sea level commanding the view of the evergreen enchanting mountains and valleys. The Ashram works as one of the Mandal’s Branch Circles for the States of
Punjab and Himachal Pradesh. The Ashram opens for visitors on the 15th of April and is open till 15th September every year.
The Ashram aims at combining the concepts of the old with those of the new. It retains the importance of quiet surroundings, the beauty of nature, non-family life, simple living and individual abhyas. At the same time, it is a live cell of active service, generating and spreading worldwide, the rays of Nam through angelic souls worthy of the Holy Masters in thoughts, words and deeds.
The Ashram is also meant to provide a suitable place for the people whose aim in life is to worship God through the service of Aap Japo Avara Nam Japavo- people who dedicate their lives to the Service of the Divine. The Ashram also serves as a sacred place where one would like to pass one’s last days in peace, in an atmosphere rendered holy by the constant kirtan of the Holy Lord and in the company of the people whose mission in life is to be humble servants of Nam. It works throughout the year, with the hands of workers going out for kirtan to different places in India and abroad mostly for the seven months from October to April.
On this land of Ashram measuring approximately 2-3/4 acres and owned by S. Basheshar Singh of Shamsher Nagar- Sirhand, stood an old structure with only three rooms and a couple of servant rooms. It was rented to the Forest Office of the Government of Pepsu for so many years.
In 1934, Sant Baba Nand Singhji Maharaj visited this place. After Babaji went through all the rooms along with S. Basheshar Singh he asked S. Basheshar Singh, “Who is the owner of this place.” The reply was “Me.” Babaji asked him once again and the reply was the same. Babaji told S. Basheshar Singh the following words:- “This is not yours my dear. This is a land on which many great ‘Munis’ have done ‘Tapsiya’ and now it is going to be the one where a great pious soul will come and spread the cult of ‘Nam’ and practice the wordings of our Great Guru ‘Aap Japao Avrah Nam Japavo.
At that point in time, S. Basheshar Singh did not, perhaps, understand the depth of Babaji’s words. After many years in December 1957, Dadaji, during one of his kirtans in Gurdwara Dukh Niwaran Sahib, Patiala announced that his retirement from the Government of India was due in May 1959 and, God Willing, he would retire to Ashram life - ‘Vanprast Ashram’. Dadaji also said that he did not have any particular place in mind to retire to but said that he had full faith in God who will provide him with some place to be called Ashram. After the kirtan got over, S. Basheshar Singh came to Dadaji and said the following words:- “Dadaji, you are on the lookout for a place to retire to and I am on the lookout for someone to take one out of two plots cultivating and spreading the cult of ‘Nam’ and ‘Bhakti’.
Dadaji along with Didi Kamlaji and a few others went to see the above plots - one situated near Ponta Sahib and the other in Saprun in Solan. After seeing both of them, Dadaji decided to take the one in Saprun, Solan. Hearing the final selection of Dadaji, S. Basheshar Singhji related the whole story of Baba Nand Singhji Maharaj repeating the precious words that Babaji spoke to him in 1934. He had a sigh of relief since the very purpose of his donating such a big land was fulfilled. On hearing this, Dadaji realised that 1934 was the same year when his own life was transformed.
Dadaji came down to Ashram in May 1959 after retiring from his Government job. His companions, in the beginning, were a few real devotees who decided to dedicate the rest of their life with Dadaji on this sacred land. Since the original structure had only two rooms and a hall, Dadaji kept the hall for the inmates and one big room for kirtan and the remaining one room for him. It was his courage and willpower that gave birth to the present Ashram. Dadaji made a daily routine of the Ashram which was compulsory for the inmates as well as the visitors. That particular daily routine is being observed as per his desire. When any visitor comes to Ashram the following daily routine is shown to him so that he makes himself prepared to stay accordingly.
As time passed it was felt necessary to have a bigger Nij Thanw to accommodate the fast inflow of devotees both locals and visitors. Once again, the Lord Almighty heard the prayers and one S.B.Lal Singhji of Yamuna Nagar approached Dadaji saying that he wishes to donate a small hillock situated in front of Ashram land for making a proper place for kirtan or alternatively, he offered to donate the cost of constructing a new hall on the land already in Ashram. Dadaji accepted his second offer and got Nij Thanw - constructed. The construction work of Nij Thanw thus started in 1960 and the opening ceremony was performed on 17th June 1961. A wonderful structure, having two sides completely glazed for sangat to have a glimpse of the mountains on all the sides and a beautiful valley in front. Dadaji’s attraction for nature coupled with his devotion made this place a heaven on earth where visitors, belonging to different faiths, came from far and wide. Dadaji himself attended the daily routine and thereby made others attend it. He was always particular and punctual and expected the same from others. He arranged a big bell which he himself used to play according to the daily routine. This bell’s punctuality was so perfect that it made residents of Saproon set their clocks according to the ringing of the Ashram Bell. The atmosphere all over the Ashram was so soothing and sacred that anyone entering the premises of the Ashram could feel the presence of His Grace on them. Ashram’s serenity coupled with the simplicity in Dadaji’s life made it more and more attractive for everybody.
In Nij Thanw, the first block of seven rooms was constructed under the guidance of Pujya Dadaji. On 14th July the reinforced concrete slab for the verandah of this Dharamshala Block was put in. The Sangat of Saprun and Solan joined in the work. Dadaji asked for blessings of the Sangat so that the visitors who will come to occupy these rooms from time to time may gain proper spiritual benefit from their stay at the Ashram. The visitors were accommodated in these seven rooms initially when the inflow of visitors was not much. The opening ceremony of the Dharamshala Block No.1 was performed on Sunday 11th September 1960 at 5.30 p.m. when Gurus Swaree was taken to all the rooms of Block No.1., the entire Sangat singing So Thanw Suhawaji and Santa Ke Karaj amongst the chiming of the Ashram bell and conch shells. The drizzling of rain came in exactly at the time the Guru Swaree was being taken. It stopped when the ceremony concluded. Everyone seemed to thank the Lord for this auspicious Varsha. Special kirtan was also held in Mumbai, Calcutta and Delhi Circles to bless the opening of this block and Langar Block. The area of Block No. 1 is 1400 sq. ft. These rooms did not have attached bathrooms and, therefore, a separate block next to these rooms was constructed where two bathrooms and two lavatories were made for the visitors. The opening ceremony of these bathrooms was also performed on Sunday the 11th September 1960 along with the opening of Block No.1.
Dadaji wanted to solve the problem of the kitchen. But due to the scarcity of funds, he preferred to make the kitchen in a simple way. He got a small kitchen made where the cooking was done by burning wood. The Langar Block consisting of one main kitchen was 14 ft X 20 ft. , Verandah 10 x 20 ft. , and store room 11 x 8 ft. All the Ashramites and visitors sat in the outside portion of the kitchen to partake in langar. The Langar was named Guru Amardas Langar. Shri Jasbir Bhalla, Delhi with the same surname as of Guru Amardas Sahib gave a donation of Rs.4,000/- for this.
Dadaji’s sincerity coupled with the simplicity of the food in the Ashram made this sacred place a Temple of the Lord. The motto of the Ashram, as per Dadaji, was “Aap Japao Awarah Nam Japavo”. Keeping this in his mind Dadaji thought that all the founder members should have their individual Kutia in Ashram so that when they complete their duties in life, they should come to Ashram, stay there and try to attain this motto in their lifetime. Hence he made a beautiful architecture to accommodate Members’ Kutias in a semi-circle with a view to check on them from time to time and at the same time to give them time to sit in meditation for the maximum time and practice what our Gurus have said. A small kitchenette was also planned in each Kutia so that the inmates (members) did not waste time going to the main kitchen. Dadaji always believed that the members, who had taken a vow of dedication, should spend from their own pockets towards the construction of the Kutia. Hence he called for every member to contribute and took the total cost of each Kutia from each member and finally inscribed the member’s name on the entrance of the Kutia.
Looking into the growing inflow of visitors, Dadaji found it necessary to increase the number of rooms and hence he took up the construction of Block No.2 having 9 living rooms, 4 with kitchenettes attached, with baths and latrines. On the 12th, after the Bhog in the evening sangat was taken to the site accompanied by Guru Granth Sahibs Swari, conch shells and the Mandir bells The coupled with the kirtan rose in the air, as the solemn procession went barefoot, to the site. Dharamshala was declared open. Each room was sanctified by Guru Granth Sahibs Swari with kirtan and the blessings of the sangat. This block was given the name of Smt. Sukhsagar Basheshar Singh Dharamshala. The opening ceremony was performed on Thursday the 12th of September, 1963 from 5 to 7 p.m. Dadaji became an architect for this block and gave a start to this block. But as luck would have it, Dadaji could not see the completion of these nine rooms since his life span came to an end and he had a bigger work to do in the world above. This block, therefore, got completed the next year.
Block 2 was constructed for a purpose. In its front stands the green fields where different vegetation is done by the farmers to this date who always called Dadaji as their source of inspiration and they would come to him and take his blessings whenever they would start new cultivation in their fields.
September 1963 was the last month of the presence of the Architect of this beautiful Ashram - Pujya Dadaji who left this sacred place bidding goodbye and leaving the Ashram for his followers to continue in the same pattern since he left for his heavenly abode before the restart of Ashram’s activities in next May.
His daughter Didi Kamla Devi, who was always Dadaji’s right hand in every field, particularly in kirtan, got inspiration from him and took charge of kirtan field. Dadaji always wished to have kirtan being taken to different parts of the world. And his wish came true when Didiji started her first foreign kirtan yatra of the East covering Bangkok, Hongkong, Singapore and Jakarta in 1965. Kamla Didi, once again, took up foreign kirtan yatra in 1968 covering East Africa extensively, England and Middle East. She became the member-in-charge of the Ashram Circle and continued the activities of the Ashram the way Dadaji wanted. Ashram’s routine was not disturbed since the founder - Pujya Dadaji has planned it in such a way that it was appreciated by all the inmates and the visitors. Whosoever comes to this Ashram certifies that such a nice and perfect routine is not seen anywhere. Its effect on one’s mental state and as well as from a medical point of view is superb.
A humble servant of God - Didi Kamla Devi left no stone unturned in making her father’s wish a reality. In her youth, she attained the highest state of mind. Such were the blessings she received from her father. Her personality, backed with her high education and grand experience of working in the Ministry of Home Affairs for so many years coupled with the melodious voice she had, made her dearer to every satsangee. She left her job and started devoting all her time towards the activities of the Mandal concentrating on kirtan yatras for seven months and taking care of the Ashram for five months.
Under her guidance and supervision, many were attracted towards the activities of the Ashram and thus came forward to be with her all the time. She then decided to take up the work of constructing additional rooms in the Asrham to accommodate the continuous inflow of visitors which kept on increasing year by year.
By and by the inflow of visitors kept increasing and the need for additional rooms in Ashram became inevitable. The planning of additional rooms was made and finally, with the Grace of the Almighty and Pujya Dadaji, Block 3 with 7 rooms and Block 4 with another set of 7 rooms were constructed. The complete structure comprising Blocks 2, 3 and 4, having 23 rooms in all, gives a beautiful view. By this time Ashram had become a pilgrimage where thousands of pilgrims came from all over the world. Most of the newspapers of Punjab give in their editorials, from time to time, saying that Dadaji’s Ashram in the Himalayas is nothing less than a ‘paradise on earth’. With the Ashram becoming a sacred place in the eyes of different communities, the inflow of visitors kept increasing and accommodation in so many rooms in Blocks 1, 2, 3 and 4 became insufficient.
Blocks 2, 3 and 4 are on one side of the Ashram (towards Kalka). The other side of the Ashram ( towards Solan) was taken into consideration for constructing a block of four rooms of bigger size to accommodate a family of seven to eight visitors per room. The covered area is about 650 sq. ft. and the cost of this portion was about Rs.9,500/-. This block was given the name of Double Storey and the name remains the same. These rooms are generally used in the rush period of May and June and then during the Janamashtmi celebrations when an unlimited number of visitors come to the Ashram for kirtan. During the time of Kamla Didi, two Sadhu Kutias were also constructed.
Once again, a day came when the necessity for additional rooms became urgent. This made the management consider the construction of additional rooms. Keeping the outlook and beautification of the Ashram, we moved to the other side of the Ashram land and the excavation work on that land started. It took a complete season for the excavation work to get completed for the new blocks No. 5 and 6. In the next season, construction work on Block No. 5 started where, according to the plan, six rooms were constructed - three on the ground floor and three on the first floor. This block is situated next to Block No.3 & 4.
When we enter the Ashram and come down the slope we take a right turn and enter into Block No.6 which has 21 rooms with three floors having seven rooms each. These rooms have attached bathrooms and a beautiful view of the valley in front. A big corridor on all the floors adds to the beauty of the block. Here many visitors sit in chairs to admire nature for which the site of our Ashram is an additional attraction.
The strange thing about this block is that the ground floor has the maximum number of stairs, the first floor a little less and the second floor has only four stairs. This is something strange and new for many visitors.
DADAJI’S OLD KUTIA
Dadaji’s Kutia has become a monument for the religious world. In this small kutia, he spent most of his time, other than the time fixed for kirtan and Gurbani classes, devoting it to the spiritual writings including his translations of many bani’s from Guru Granth Sahib. This is the sacred place where thousands of devotees come and sit in meditation to seek his blessings so that they can get the tinge of Nam and Bhakti from this great soul. This is the room where saints of different faiths come to pay their homage from time to time. This is the sacred room where the final prayer of the day is sung after the evening kirtan ‘Gurdev Pyara Heeran Ja Hami Aassees Kar Ka Assante Too Swami.’
DADAJI’S NEW KUTIA - UNDER CONSTRUCTION
The demolition work on Pujya Dadaji’s room along with Library and Inmate Hall started on 11th May 1998 - the sacred day of Budh Poornima - at 6.00 in the evening. Simultaneously the excavation work of the hillock, adjacent to Dadaji’s Kutia, started to create more space for the monument. The final area after excavation came to be 42 ft x 42 ft for making this sacred Kutia. To our surprise, the final space, when decided, was found that the sacred area where Pujya Dadaji’s Samadi was made, came in the centre of the portion created for Dadaji’s Kutia. The foundation of this structure was laid in June 1999 and the whole structure came up by the end of September. In May 2000, the marble work started inside and outside and continued till the end of the season i.e. September 2000. Then in May 2001 the remaining work of marble was taken up and got over by the first week of September. At this stage, this Kutia was complete in all respects except for the doors and windows which was postponed to the next year.
Dadaji, during his lifetime, wanted to make a big and permanent Nij Thanw but due to the short span of his lifetime, he could not do so and, perhaps left it to his followers to make one. The right time and day were to come in the life of Ashram when a beautiful Nij Thanw would come up.
DIDI RADHIKAJI STARTED THE DEMOLITION OF OLD NIJ THANW
Though it took long for the day to come but Pujya Dadaji’s wish came true and on the sacred day of Guru Nanak Sahib’s Departure Anniversary on 12th September 2001, a simple ceremony was performed to start the demolition of the old structure of Nij Thanw.
All the sangat gathered outside Nij Thanw and Didi Radhika Devi took ‘Gainti’ in her hand to give the signal for demolishing the structure. ‘Santa Ke Karaj Aap Khaloya Har Kam Karawan Aaya Ram’ - shabad from Gurbani was sung by all. Thereafter sangat moved towards Block No.1 below Nij Thanw and, once again, Didiji did the same.
NIJ THANW BLOCK 1 BOTH BEING DEMOLISHED
On the next day i.e. 13th June, the work of demolishing the existing Nij Thanw started. Simultaneously the demolition of Block 1 below Nij Thanw also started. Demolition work took about fifteen days. The whole demolition work was given to the contractor from Delhi under the guidance of a renowned Architect .S. Charanjit Singh Shah - a devotee of Dadaji.
LAYOUT AND DEMARCATION OF LANGAR HALL BELOW NIJ THANW
After the demolition was over a layout was prepared and demarkation according to the plan was done. Digging started and the ground for the foundation was prepared. 30th September 2001 became a historical day when devotees from Mumbai, Delhi and Punjab came to attend the foundation stone laying ceremony which was performed at 10.00 a.m.
On that fateful day after Asadivar was over, the Path of Sukhmani Sahib started which continued till the actual time of laying of the foundation.
Didi Radhika Devi started the ceremony by laying the first portion of concrete mix followed by Shri Hareshji, other founder members and Dadaji’s family. Every devotee present at that time followed suit. Kirtan continued when the ceremony was being performed. Dadaji’s blessings could be felt at that sacred time. His devotion has brought this fruit which we all are now seeing with our own eyes. Finally, Ardas was performed followed by ‘Vachan’ and Prasad. Devotees from all over India and abroad came to witness the ceremony.
Construction work progressed fast. But due to the severe cold, work slowed down. To give a boosting dose to the contractor and his workers Didiji along with Shri Hareshji and a few other founder members took the Architect from Delhi and went to Ashram on 11th March for a day to see the actual progress. The thing to be appreciated was that the Langar Hall and Kitchen both below the Nij Thanw, were nearly ready.
The structure of the Langar Hall and Kitchen was ready. The contract for fixing up Kota stone on the floor of Langar Hall and Kitchen has been given to a contractor based in Delhi. The work on this field started in the last week of March and the flooring of both has since been completed. From 17th April the work of fixing Kota Stone on the side walls started.
Next was the dome of the temple for which shuttering started on 13th March 2002. It being the most delicate work, due to the big span of the dome and also due to severe cold weather, it took quite long to do complete shuttering. However, the shuttering work got over only in 2nd week of April. Finally, the grand Nij Thanw came up and stood as an extraordinary monument - a wonderful structure in all its respects.
A historical landmark came in the annul of the Ashram when the Opening Ceremony of Dadaji’s Kutia and Nij Thanw was performed on a grand scale on Tuesday the 25th June 2002. Heads of different religions came to grace the occasion.
The ceremony started at 11 O’clock when all the founder members and Trustee Didi Radhika Devi stood on one side of the main door of Nij Thanw and on the other side stood the saintly souls including the heads of different religions. Sangat which counted in hundreds gathered on all sides. Santa Ke Karaj Aap Khaloya Har Kam Karavan Aayaa Ram, a shabad from the Gurbani was sung when sounds of Shankh, Nagara and Bell echoed from all the corners. Bhau Haresh broke a coconut at the main door of Nij Thanw to mark the beginning of the sacred ceremony and Didi Radhika Devi took a pair of scissors in hand and cut open the ribbon. The main door of Nij Thanw was then opened for the first time. A wonderful round-shaped marble stage on which Sri Guru Granth Sahib was kept, gave a glimpse of the real abode of the Lord. Everyone bowed down to offer prayers.
Didiji along with other companions sat on the stage and with two shabads from Gurbani, So Thaan Suhavaji Jithe Mera Guru Vasanda and Jessa Satgur Surinda Tassohi Main Deethh Guru Prakash was done and the following vachan came which will work as the guiding force for all who wish to serve Him till the last breadth of their life.