4. Medical Care

When the Guru took the Seat of Nanak the country was suffering from a severe famine. The arrangements made by the governmental agencies were very scant and riddled with corruption. Adhering to the benevolent tradition of the Sikh Gurudom, Guru Har Rai freely used all his resources directing his Congregationalists to do so, as well, in the service of the needy. At the same time, to better help the sick and poor, he initiated medical care and established a number of medical dispensaries. He was foremost in rendering his assistance whenever there was any epidemic such as cholera, plague or small-pox. Often he would personally distribute food in his langar (the free kitchen). These humane ventures enhanced, for a time, the respectability of the Guru’s domain in the Mughal Court.