Kartarpur attracts Nanak devotees
by Ravinder Singh Robin

          Kartarpur (Indo-Pak border): Guru Nanak is said to have spent his last days meditating at a place 45 km from Amritsar towards the Indo-Pak border. Guru Nanak stayed at Kartarpur from 1515 to 1539 AD, teaching Sikh followers the value of earning an honest living by the banks of the River Ravi. "After having traveled far and wide for a longtime Guru Nanak settled down at Kartarpur on his farm by the river Ravi. During the day he would be busy with farming while mornings and evenings would be spent in prayer and singing the praises of God," said Randhir Singh, the Head Granthi of Dera Baba Nanak. A well dug near the meditation place of the master is still considered sacred, and its water a is regarded as nector by pilgrims. It was here that Nanak's followers began to refer to him as a teacher, or Guru.Also known as Chola Sahib, the Gurudwara contains the precious robes of Guru Nanak, which were presented to him when he visited `Mecca'.

          Guru Nanak was born into a Bedi family in the Hindu Khatri clan, and his descendants visit the holy site to pay reverence to their great ancestor. "We belong to the 16th generation of Guru Nanak and always visit the holy site to remember Bedi Ji on his birth anniversary," said Usha Bedi a devotee. Guru Nanak believed that true religion could only be practiced and salvation achieved while living in the world, and was not in favour of renunciation. He stressed that only inner purity mattered and admonished practitioners of idol worship and the caste system. He firmly opposed all forms of tyranny and oppression. Dera Baba Nanak, one of the most sacred places of the Sikhs, is situated on the banks of river Ravi. Guru Nanak Dev, the first Sikh Guru, settled and died near the village Pakhoke, opposite to the present town and named it Kartarpur. Two famous Gurudwara at Dera Baba Nanak are Sri Darbar Sahib and Sri Chola Sahib. Gurudwara Sri Darbar Sahib was built as a tribute to Sri Guru Nanak Dev, who came here after his first Udasi (tour) on December 1515 AD to see his family Bedis, descendants of Guru Nanak Dev built a new town and named it Dera Baba Nanak after their great ancestor. The town has a number of Sikh temples. Pilgrims come to this holy town in large numbers. Dera Baba Nanak was made the headquarter of newly created Tehsil of Dera Baba Nanak. Nanak Dev was born on November 5, 1469 in a Bedi family of Hindu Khatri clan, in the village of Rai Bhoi di Talvandi, now called Nankana Sahib, near Lahore (in present-day Pakistan). Guru Nanak Dev, founded Sikhism and became the first of the ten Gurus known to have existed in Sikh history. Besides being revered by Sikhs, he is worshipped by Hindus and Muslims in the Punjab and across the Indian subcontinent. His primary message to society was recorded to be "devotion of thought and excellence of conduct as the first of duties.
- Nov 22, 2006

Indian Sikh pilgrims return from Pakistan

          Lahore: Two thousand Indian Sikh pilgrims, who attended the birth anniversary celebrations of Guru Govind Singh in Lahore, returned home yesterday. They were overwhelmed by the hospitality arranged by Pakistan authorities for their stay. "We are leaving with loads of love, memories to cherish, warmth of feelings and above all the red carpet reception we received during our stay in Pakistan ," The News quoted them as saying. Sardar Mohinder Singh Romana, member Shiromani Gurdawara Prabhandhak (SGPC), who was leading the group of Sikh pilgrims, said: "We would remember the warm hospitality extended to us during our 10-day long stay here, but the boarding facilities at gurdawaras, especially at Gurdawara Panja Sahib, Nankana Sahib, need improvement." He praised the efforts of Pakistan Sikh Gurdawara Prabhandhak Committee for making their visit comfortable. He said that their stay in Pakistan was very comfortable and everything they wanted was provided to them and "we shared love, brotherhood, pleasant memories and commonalities with our brothers living in this part of the Punjab . Though there are boundaries, yet the hearts are bondless." Romana further said the gurdawaras were in "excellent condition". But he added that there was always a room for improvement. Cheaper rooms could be constructed at different gurdawaras in Nankana Sahib, he said and added that the SGPC was ready to construct 400 rooms at Nankana Sahib and other places.
- Nov 12, 2006

Sikh pilgrims urge Pakistan for 'flexible visas'

          Islamabad: Sikh pilgrims, who converged in Pakistan to celebrate the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak, have called upon Pakistan to issue "flexible visas" to the pilgrims. Pak houses several important Sikh religious shrines. They said that due to visa restrictions they could not visit their native places, especially their birth places from where they moved to India after the Partition. The Sikh pilgrims said that they should be at least allowed to see the place, house, school and street where they had spent their childhood before the Partition. Many Sikhs were issued visa to visit Pakistan once in their life time, but even then they were not allowed to see their birth place, the Dawn quoted the Sikh pilgrims as saying at the Gurdwara Punja Sahib, Hassanabdal. Sardar Muhendar Singh Opera, a senior citizen who was born at Chakwal and studied till matriculation at Khalsa High School, Chakwal, said that the Sikh pilgrims, especially senior citizens, should be allowed to visit their places of birth and house where they had born and were brought up. He said that he was pleased to see the development happened at the various Gurdwaras of Pakistan, especially Nankana Sahib.
- Nov 9, 2006

More Pak visas for Sikh pilgrims

         Nankana Sahib: Pakistan will issue 5000 visas to Sikh pilgrims, instead of 3000, the number that was envisaged in the 1954 Shimla Agreement. Minister for Religious and Minorities Affairs Ejaz ul Haq said that Musharraf had asked the Sikh pilgrims to mail their passports to Pakistani consulate, and Islamabad would send them multiple visas by return mail. "We have expressed reverence and love for Sikh religion by issuing commemorative postage stamp on the eve of Shaheedi day of Gurwar Jin Singh. Due to upsurge in the inflow of Sikh yatris, foundation stone will soon be laid for a four star hotel in Nankana Sahib, Panja Sahib and Dera Sahib to provide maximum lodging facilities to them, an Online News agency quoted Haq as saying. He added that the number of visas extended to the Sikh pilgrims is 2000 more than what was envisaged in Shimla agreement. Addressing a huge gathering of Sikh pilgrims at Gurdawara Janam Asthan here on the occasion of the 537th birth anniversary of founder of Sikh religion Baba Guru Nanak, Haq said that funds for decoration of all Gurdawars in Pakistan have been enhanced from Rs 40 million to Rs 280 millions. The Sikh Yatris all parts of world had come from to attend the celebrations, said the report.
Nov 6, 2006

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