Bawa Lal Dayal Explained

Honorific Prefix:Bawa
Lal Dayal
Honorific Suffix:Bairagi
Other Names:Bawa Lal Dayal Ji, Lal Das Bairagi, Lal Jiv, Lal Dayal, Lal Dyal
Birth Date:15th century
Death Date:early 16th century
Sect:Ramanandi Sampradaya
Father:Bholamal
Mother:Krishna Devi
Guru:Krishnadas Payahari
Disciples:Dhian Das, Gurmukh Lal, Kashi Ram
Religion:Hinduism
Influenced:Dara Shikoh
Known For:
  • Spreading peace and social welfare
  • Founding of Lal Dwara, Dhianpur
Location:Dhianpur

Bawa Lal Dayal, also known as Lal Das Bairagi,[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] was a 15th-century Indian saint, revered in Hinduism.[7] [8] [9] [10] [11]

Biography

Bawa Lal was born in the village of Kasur near Lahore, Punjab. His father was Bohlamal and his mother was Krishna Devi. He left his home at the age of 8 in search of guru Chetan Swami and went to Lahore. From Lahore, he went to Behra, Gujranwala, Sialkot, Riyas, Rajouri, Kashmir, Mansarovar (Kailash Parvat), and then moved towards Badrinath and Kedarnath. Eventually, he returned to Punjab. Upon reaching Lahore, near Shahdra on the bank of the Ravi river, he had a darshan of Chetan Swami.

Bawa Lal is mentioned in famous historical works including Samudra Sangama, Ḥasanāt al-Ārifīn, Majma al-Bahrain, Dabistān-i Madhāhib, and Mathnawi-i Kajkulāh.[12]

Shrine and Tradition

Main Temple: Lal Dwara Dhianpur

Shri Dhianpur Dham is the most sacred holy place for pilgrimage among the followers of the Bawa Lal Sampradaya. Dhianpur is a village in Gurdaspur district in the Indian state of Punjab. Located about from Batala, it is well known for the ashram of Lal Dayal. The 2001 census of India recorded Dhianpur as having a population of 3,095 forming 510 households.

In 1495, Bawa Lal arrived at this place with Dhiandasji, Gurumukh Lal and Kashi Ram and was so impressed with the beautiful and calm atmosphere that he gave it the name Dhianpur after the name of his disciple Dhiandas. The temple complex is situated on a hillock and according to belivers contains the sacred Samadhi of Bawa Lal and Gurumukh Lal, his first successor, as well as Vyas Gaddi and Ram Mandir.

Shri Dhianpur Dham is visited by hundreds of thousands of people from around the world. The city of Ludhiana also has a temple of Lal Dyal situated at New Shivaji Nagar since 1970.

Meeting with Prince Dara Shikoh

The Prince Dara Shikoh, elder son of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan, was depressed and did not have the courage to face his father, due to his defeat in a battle at Khandhar in 1653. He started residing in Lahore. Seeing his depressed state, Chandra Bhan Brahman, Jahan's mir-munshi, advised Dara to meet Bawa Lal. On hearing his praise, Dara was influenced and wanted to have a darshan of Bawa Lal.

From 1652 to 1653 in Lahore, he claimed to have held a series of interviews with Bawa Lal, and discussed with him the life of the ascetics, the relationship between a guru and their devotees, the circles of life and death, idol worship, the path of spiritual salvation, and various other topics.

Dara held Bawa Lal in the highest regard as evidenced by the introduction and praise in his writing. He introduces Bawa Lal with the following words in his Ḥasanāt al-Ārifīn:[13] "Lāl Mundiyya, who is amongst the perfect GnosticsI have seen none among the Hindus who have reached such irfān and spiritual strength as he has." He also quotes three aphorisms that he claims to have heard directly from Bawa Lal:

Successors

Shri Gurumukh Lal, disciple of Bawa Lal, was the second Acharya of the Shri Dhianpur Dham and On November 1, 2001, Ram Sundar Das was enthroned as the Acharya of Shri Dhianpur Dham who is the 15th Vaishnavacharya of Shri Dhianpur Dham and the present divine successor of Bawa Lal.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: May 22, 2018 . Dara Shukoh and Baba Laal Bairaagi. (दारा शुकोह और बाबा लाल बैरागी की वार्ता) . 2023-07-09 . Sufinama Blog . hi.
  2. Web site: Brahmanyan . 2015-10-10 . Brahmanyan: DARA SHIKOH - THE ENLIGHTENED PRINCE . 2023-07-09 . Brahmanyan.
  3. Web site: 2007-08-04 . My Favourite Sufi Prince . 2023-07-09 . sanatana-dharma.livejournal.com.
  4. Book: Madhya Bhāratī . 2005 . Sāgara Viśvavidhyālaya . hi.
  5. Web site: 2020-05-11 . हमारी विरासत: लालदास बैरागी के मुरीद थे दारा शिकोह . Our heritage: Dara Shikoh was a follower of Lal Das Bairagi . 2023-07-09 . Jansatta . hi.
  6. Web site: Bawa Lal Ji :: Biography . unfit . https://web.archive.org/web/20141129095221/http://bawalalji.org/web/biography.php . 2014-11-29 . 2019-06-17 . bawalalji.org.
  7. Web site: 664th Birth Anniversary of Baba Lal Dayal celebrated . State Times . 6 February 2019 . Jammu & Kashmir, India . 2019-06-16.
  8. Web site: Jai Shri Bawa Lal Ji !! . www.speakingtree.in . . India . 2019-06-16 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170918011540/http://www.speakingtree.in/allslides/jai-shri-bawa-lal-ji . 2017-09-18 . live .
  9. Web site: आज बावा लाल दयाल जी की जयंती: हिन्दू और मुसलमान हैं उनके मुरीद . 2016-02-10 . Punjab Kesari . Punjab, India . Hindi . 2019-06-16 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170816012841/http://www.punjabkesari.in/lent-and-festival/news/birth-anniversary-of-baba-lal-dayal-ji-441063 . 2017-08-16 . live .
  10. Web site: बॉटम-बाबा लाल दयाल ने योग शक्ति से प्राप्त की थी 300 साल की आयु . Dainik Jagran . India . hi . 2019-06-16 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170801100417/http://www.jagran.com/punjab/hoshiarpur-11052445.html . 2017-08-01 . live .
  11. Web site: Bawa Lal Dayal Ji Maharaj . Excelsior . Daily . 2013-02-09 . Jammu Kashmir - Latest News . . India . 2019-06-16 . https://web.archive.org/web/20181013164333/http://www.dailyexcelsior.com/bawa-lal-dayal-ji-maharaj/ . 2018-10-13 . live .
  12. http://digitool.library.mcgill.ca/webclient/StreamGate?folder_id=0&dvs=1576512182966~547 'McGill University PhD Thesis'
  13. Book: Shikoh, Dara . Ḥasanāt al-ʼĀrifīn . 49 . Dara Shikoh.
  14. Book: Shikoh, Dara . Ḥasanāt al-ʼĀrifīn . 55 . Dara Shikoh.
  15. Book: Shikoh, Dara . Ḥasanāt al-ʼĀrifīn . 54 . Dara Shikoh.