Jot

Sangat ji confused as I can get at certain points in life - please guide me through this -

Having been blessed to visit various gurudwaras I realised some Gurdwaras' have a "Jot" lit -- can anyone expand on this please?

Waheguru ji ka khalsa, Waheguru ji ki Fateh!

It is believed that burning gheo purifies air. There's no other reason and Sikhs don't believe in any superstition.

From what I understand it symbolizes that someone is home that the light of Sikhi is lit

Sikhs went to great lengths to light the jot at Darbar Sahib even when Darbar Sahib wasn't in Sikh control - often sacrificing their lives

They say that jot is symbolic for Shaheed Singhs. The old Punjabi phrase "koi deeya baalan vaala nahi reha" comes to mind, which means no one in some family survived, implying that everyone perished. Back in the days when Muslims (Mughals/Afghans/Pathaans) thought they had wiped out the Sikhs, some Singhs would come light the jot inside Gurughars, so that everyone knows that Sikhs are still around and haven't perished. I heard this in a katha from Gurdwara Bangla Sahib on Zee TV. Someone else please shed some more (jot vaali) light on this topic.

jot used to be used during akhaand paat sahibs, when there was no electricty or power. singhs would light jots and that is how they would read during the night.

also there used to be a hidden jot, incase all the other jots were blown out by wind the singhs would quickly bring out this jot and they could continue to read the akhaand paat sahib. then they would relight the other jots and put the hidden jot back in its hiding place.


so that is why the jot is kept now, incase electricity goes out and there isnt any light avaible to read the akhaand paat sahib


there are also other reasons for jots as well