Journey to Pakistan – to Connect with Sikh Heritage
Sn. Gurpreet Kaur
[Eighth Annual Conference On Sri Guru Granth Sahib (2019)]
Abstract:
For as long as I can remember, I heard stories about my mother’s Daadke village near Lala Mussa, and the houses in Lahore. All left behind. A way of life, property, belongings, and even family. And the stories of orphaned children, families crossing into India and adjusting to help them resettle.
For many Sikhs, going back to visit remained a distant dream. My curiosity to just see what our elders spoke of came to fruition in February 2019. I was fortunate to accompany my husband, Bicky Singh, on a Sikhlens sponsored journey to Pakistan, to see and step on the same lands as our Gurus.
Starting in Lahore, we visited Gurdwaras, museums and sites related to our Gurus and relevant Sikh history. We visited Sacha Sauda, Nanakana Sahib and Panja Sahib, including Guru related sites in their vicinity. We stayed overnight in the saraans, participated in morning and evening diwans, and had langar. We drove to Peshawar and Shergarh Fort in KPK, from Panja Sahib. We traveled to Rawalpindi and Gujranwala, via Jhelum, to visit remnants of local gurdwaras, Gurdwaras built in the memory of our Gurus, and sites related to the reign of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. We finally visited Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara. While looking at the surrounding green fields, I wondered ‘is this what Baba Nanak saw too’.
Please encourage elders and youth to go on this journey via power point and the supporting narrative.
About the author:
Gurpreet was raised in various states of India, acquiring a MSc from Delhi University before coming to Chicago for a MS. She worked as a computer programmer and analyst prior to joining her husband Bicky at Future Computing Solutions, Inc., to add value to a growing company, handling Accounting and Human Resources.
Gurpreet has raised her three children as Sikhs in a western environment, attempting to balance traditional and modern values. Being born a Sikh is Waheguru’s gift, and becoming and being a Sikh is the realization of it.
Gurpreet learnt to speak Punjabi in the US, a benefit of parshaada sewa, and is self-taught in Gurmukhi. She spent twelve years volunteering in Punjabi school, and currently represents Sikhs in Diversity Panels and law enforcement trainings.
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Journey to Pakistan -To Connect with Sikh Heritage
Gurpreet Kaur Singh
In February 2019, to kick off the Guru Nanak 550 Project and celebrations, our group travelled to 10 cities in Pakistan to visit about 60 sites of Sikh heritage. Heritage is not just religious, it is also historical and cultural, and includes nostalgia for a lost homeland. Our dynamic ancestors were not just saints and soldiers, but also entrepreneurs, builders, artists, thinkers, poets and agents of interfaith harmony. When Sikhs visit places that are lesser known or forgotten, and interact with experts and locals in those areas, hopefully preservation and restoration will happen, at least at some sites.
We visited Lahore first, and driving down Mall Road, we saw the Bawa Dinga Singh Building with the name plaque still intact. In the middle of Mall road with traffic on either side was the Zamzama Canon belonging to the Bhangi Misl, which was used by Maharaja Ranjit Singh in the Multan campaign.
Gurdwara Dera Sahib, the Shaheedi Asthaan of Guru Arjun Dev Ji (which was on the banks of the river Ravi), is just outside the Lahore Fort, and the original structure still has a few frescoes and Gurbani verses inlaid on the walls. The visiting Pashtun Sikhs and sewadars prepare and serve langar to visitors.
The Haveli of Naunihal Singh in the walled city of Lahore is one of the finest examples of Sikh architecture in Lahore. It is currently a government school, and as such is still preserved and maintained. The interior artwork and frescoes are beautiful and contain Sikh and interfaith representations.
Mian Mir, a Sufi saint, was respectfully invited to lay the foundation stone of the Harimandir Sahib in Amritsar by the Sikhs. The Mian Mir Mazhaar (mausoleum) in Lahore is a place of worship for Muslims, where Qawwalis (devotional music) are held every Thursday in keeping with Sufi tradition.
Princess Bamba Sutherland was the eldest granddaughter of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, and late in her life she returned to live in the land of her ancestors. She is buried at the Gora Kabristaan in Lahore.
Gurdwara Singh Singhnian, Shaheed Ganj, memorializes the site where Mir Mannu massacred many Sikhs. Jag Reyatt, our official photographer, put his feelings thus “Being there gave me the chills”.
The martyrdom site and Gurdwara of Bhai Taru Singh is close by.
The group visited Masjid (mosque) Wazir Khan, built by Nawab Wazir Khan during Shahjehan’s reign. He was a doctor and Governor of Punjab, not to be mistaken for Wazir Khan of Sirhind. Maharaja Ranjit Singh ruled over a secular state with respect for all. He paid his respects at this complex of mosque and graves of revered pirs, also contributing an annual tribute for its maintenance.
The Gurdwara Janam Asthaan (birthplace) Guru Ramdas Ji is in Chuna Mandi, Lahore. The descendants of Bhai Mardana still do their ancestral kirtan at this Gurdwara every Friday.
The privately-owned Fakir Khana Museum, in the ancestral home of the Fakir family, contains over 20,000 objects, many of them original paintings and artifacts of the Sikh era. Three of the family’s ancestors served as emissaries to Maharaja Ranjit Singh.
Mozang Gurdwara was built to commemorate Guru Hargobind Ji’s visit to Lahore.
Aitchison College in Lahore was home to many well-respected Sikhs, and still has a Mandir and Gurdwara on its premises. Trustee Syed Babar Ali, an alum, a philanthropist and businessman, personally gave a guided tour, and is actively trying to preserve the Gurdwara.
The Badshahi Masjid in the walled city of Lahore, just outside Lahore Fort, is a prime example of Mughal architecture and was built by Aurangazeb. It was utilized as a garrison during the Sikh era.
Lahore Fort was built by the Mughals as a secondary seat, but Maharaja Ranjit
Singh held court and resided within it. He had several havelis and buildings
constructed with typical Sikh architecture, surrounded by gardens. One of these
structures was made a Gurdwara. These buildings are identified by the narrow
red bricks, elaborate arches, and balconies built on the outside walls. A few
frescoes remain on the walls in the Haveli of Kharak Singh. Maharaja Ranjit
Singh did not use the existing Mughal Durbars, instead building his own court,
the Athdara. He maintained the existing Mughal period buildings and structures,
also restoring the artwork decorating the interior of the Sheesh Mahal.
There are several museums within the Lahore Fort, including the Sikh Gallery and the Armory Gallery. The Princess Bamba Collection, comprising of her personal and inherited collection, was donated to the Lahore Fort museums after her death, by her secretary.
After a few days in Lahore, we went towards Nankana ‘Nanak Da Aana’ Sahib. A
short distance before Nankana Sahib is Gurdwara Sacha Sauda, in Churkhana
village, Farookabad. This is the site where Guru Nanak fed the hungry fakirs,
as he considered this a ‘sacha sauda’, true transaction. This was the beginning
of the tradition of Langar. There is a baoli or well dug by Guru Nanak himself,
and langar of daal roti is served to visitors by the resident sewadars. The
gurdwara sanctum was constructed in 1837 by Maharaja Ranjit Singh, and the
façade was built in the 1920’s. The land around is being re-forested.
There are several gurdwaras in Nankana Sahib to commemorate various sakis (stories) and sites related to Guru Nanak Ji. Gurdwara Kiara Sahib is where his cattle grazed the neighbor’s fields. There is a large sarovar attached to the gurdwara. Nearby is Gurdwara Mal Ji, where a cobra is said to have shaded child Nanak as he slept. Gurdwara Patti Sahib is where Guru Nanak was sent to learn from the Pandit. Gurdwara Tambu Sahib is the site where Guru Nanak rested after returning from the ‘sacha sauda’, Bebe Nanaki and his father took him home from here. Gurdwara Baal Leela nearby is where he played.
Guru Nanak High School in Nankana Sahib is a prime example of the wealth, vision and belief in education of our ancestors. It is currently a government boy’s middle school and is thus well maintained.
Rai Bular Bhatti was one of the earliest, outside the family, to recognize the divinity in Guru Nanak. He donated over 750 acres in Raipur Talwandi to Guru Nanak. We visited his mazhaar to pay respect.
Gurdwara Nankana Sahib is built at the birthplace of Guru Nanak, and is a large
complex including the gurdwara, sarovar, langar hall, and residential, office
and guest buildings. The gurdwara itself is built in Sufi style with no
exterior walls, just open space with concentric rows of arches. The inner
sanctum is made of marble and marks the Janam Asthaan of Guru Nanak. In the
courtyard is the tree from which Sikhs were hung and burnt, and the memorial
around it is in remembrance of the 20 Shaheeds (martyrs) who stormed the
gurdwara in Feb 1920 to recover possession from the Mahants. In 1972, Sardar
Partap Singh came to visit and stayed on to do sewa at Janam Asthaan until he
died. Since the eighties, many Sikhs from the Northwest Frontier and Peshawar
have moved here and reside nearby.
The Katas Raj complex has a pond said to have been created by the tears of Shiva (like Pushkar in Rajasthan), several Hindu Shiv temples, an ancient Shivling, and the ruins of a Buddhist stupa. Sikh era footprints are seen in the red brick Haveli of Hari Singh Nalwa at the top of the complex, which was his administrative office. The Salt range was very profitable for Maharaja Ranjit Singh. Not far from Katas Raj is Tilla Jogia, where Guru Nanak visited during his Udasis and held discourses with the Jogis there.
The Harkishangarh Fort in Haripur was built by Hari Singh Nalwa and reinforced by the British. It is currently being used as a Police Station, a District Tehsil Office and a Dispute Resolution Council. Lawyers and locals of the area have been working to protect the fort.
Gurdwara Panja Sahib is associated with the saki of Guru Nanak and Walli Gandhari. The gurdwara is surrounded by a channel of water, and a few steps down is the rock with Guru Nanak Ji’s handprint. Koi fish abound in the water there. The fresh spring water is pumped and recycled. The gurdwara complex includes the saraan (guest rooms), residential quarters, offices and a large langar hall with kitchen. Interestingly, in Pakistan, most local Sikhs do not eat langar in the gurdwara. They feed langar to out of town visitors with devotion and respect. In Panja Sahib too, many Sikh families live close by.
The railway station of Hassan Abdal is nearby. In 1921, the Sikhs lay down on the tracks to stop the train to give langar to the Sikh prisoners being taken to Attock fort on British orders.
On the way to Peshawar from Panja Sahib, we passed Attock Fort in the distance, and stopped for a unique experience of Rabab music on the banks of the River Indus, and breakfast at Attock Khurd train station. It was from Attock Fort that Maharaja Ranjit Singh consolidated his northern and western expansions. Further along, on the banks of the Kabul River at Pir Sabak, Nowshera, the Sikhs fought the Durrani Afghans in 1823. Akali Phoola Singh died fighting, and an elegant pink marble samaadh (memorial) was built at the site. The gurdwara was used as a crop research center CCRI after partition. The floods of 2010 extensively damaged the samaadh and gurdwara. We visited to pay our respects and honor Sikh military history. The Sikh army was multi faith, and a Nepalese general died fighting here too.
In Peshawar, we visited Bhai Joga Singh Gurdwara and Bhai Biba Singh Gurdwara, which was re-opened two years ago. These are Sangat gurdwaras. Bhai Joga and Bhai Biba were both disciples of Guru Gobind Singh who were sent westwards to spread the message of Sikhi. The Pashtun Sikhs of the area recognize the necessity to educate their children and showed us their Khalsa school. We strolled through the Sethia Mohalla, admiring the intricate woodwork balconies and doors, to the Sethi House. It is being restored to its former glory by the Archaeology department. We then walked to Gor Khatri where the Gorakh Nath (Kanpatta) jogis used to live. During the Sikh era, Gor Khatri was used as the residence and official headquarters of General Paolo Avitabile, the Governor of Peshawar from 1838-1842.
Shergarh Fort in Mansehra (named after Maan Singh), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, was built in 1819 by Hari Singh Nalwa, one of 30 forts to prevent invasions from the west and north. The Sikhs battled the local Tanaoli tribe 17 times, and the fort remained with the winner. Shergarh Fort has been with the Tanaolis since the death of Hari Singh Nalwa. We were the first group of Sikh visitors after partition, and were received ceremoniously with tribal ‘gatka’, folk music including a bagpipe, and a sumptuous daawat.
Islamabad was a cultural treat of ghazals by Ehsen Ali, nephew of Ghulam Ali, viewing of Salman Khan’s ‘Knitted Beliefs’ and Amardeep’s ‘Peering Soul’ and Peering Warrior’, followed by traditional Hunza cuisine. We were pleasantly surprised to find books about Sikhs and Amardeep Singh’s Lost Heritage volumes at The Saeed Book Bank. Shopping for Pakistani and traditional lawn suits was a special treat. A walk through Bhabhra Bazaar, earlier Khalsa Bazaar, Murree Road, Rawalpindi brought home the warmth and hospitality of Punjabis, irrespective of the side of the border. ‘Aao ji Sardar ji’ and photo requests abounded, as did complimentary fresh hot jalebis, and refusal for payment of purchased bakery goods. A visit to the Taxila museum educated us about the ancient Buddhist history of the area.
On the way from Rawalpindi to Gujranwala is Rohtas Fort, built by Sher Shah Suri. Sikhs lived in the village within the fort, as is evident by the site commemorating the Janam Asthaan of Mata Sahib Kaur. Her father was a sewadar at Gurdwara Choa Sahib Ji, just outside Rohtas fort. Guru Nanak is said to have rested and drunk water from the spring (choa) at this site on his 4th Udasi, after visiting Tilla Jogian. The gurdwara was built in 1835 by Maharaja Ranjit Singh, who consolidated the Salt Range from Rohtas Fort. Activists and the Jhelum Heritage Society have successfully petitioned the Government to restore and preserve this Gurdwara, to make it a functional gurdwara. Many trees have been planted recently.
The elaborate Bhai Karam Sikh Gurdwara in Jhelum was built initially by Bhai Karam Singh and later rebuilt by the local sangat. We briefly visited the Jhelum railway station as some of our group had ancestors who left their homes from there during partition. I felt impelled to photogragh Lala Mussa railway station, the train stop for my mother’s ancestral village, about three kilometers away by ‘tanga’.
The birthplace of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, son of Mahaan Singh, in Gujranwala is a red brick Haveli built in typical Sikh architecture. It has two ‘vedhas’ (courtyards), elaborte arches, slanted roshandaans, and a 250 years old banyan tree. The haveli is above Machhi bazaar, a stronghold of the Sikhs at that time.
Rori Sahib Gurdwara in Eminabad, Gujranwala, opened about 12 years ago. It is at the site where Guru Nanak meditated on the rori (gravel) after his first udasi, when Babar invaded India in 1521. He recited the shabad on Ang 360 of SGGS in Raag Aasaa, observing the atrocities on the people. Gurdwara Rori Sahib was designed by Bhai Ram Singh and the lettering of the baani in the arches is in the shape of the tools of his trade, carpentry. Bhai Ram Singh was taken by Queen Victoria to design the Durbar Hall at Osbourne House, Isle of Wight. Gurdwaras Chakki Sahib and Bhai Lalo are nearby in Saidpur village.
The drive from Gujranwala to Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib in Narowal district was through rural areas, and closer to Kartarpur Sahib the view from the bus was of lush green fields. Guru Nanak ‘retired’ at Kartarpur after his four Udasis; tilling his fields, growing food and holding prayer and discourse sessions for 18 years, until his demise. Guru Nanak was revered by Hindus and Muslims alike. His well and persian wheel are just outside the Gurdwara complex. He truly lived by the three principles of the Sikh way of life he espoused “Naam Japo, Kirat Karo and Vandd Chhako”, that is ‘Meditate on Naam, Labor honestly, Serve and Share’. Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib was closed after partition and repoened in 2000.
The incredile trip wound up
at Dervish restaurant in Lahore with upcoming Qawaals Zain and Zohaib.
Pic 1 – Zamzama Canon of Bhangi Misl
Pic 2 – Gurdwara Dera Sahib, Shaheedi Asthaan of Guru Arjan Dev Ji
Pic 3 – The Haveli of Naunihal Singh, Walled City of Lahore
Pic 4 – Gurdwara Singh Singhnian, Shaheed Ganj
Pic 5 – Gurdwara Janam Asthaan Guru Ramdas Ji, Chuna Mandi, Lahore
Pic 6 – Friday kirtan by descendants of Bhai Mardaana, Gurdwara of Guru Ramdas Ji
Pic 7 – Gurdwara in Aitchison College, Lahore
Pic 8 – Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s court, the Athdara in Lahore Fort
Pic 9 – Sikh architecture buildings in Lahore Fort
Pic 10, 11 – Gurdwara Sacha Sauda, Churkhana village, Farookabad
Pic 12 – Guru Nanak High School, Nankana Sahib
Pic 13, 14 – Gurdwara Nankana Sahib, Janam Asthaan Guru Nanak
Pic 15 – Tree and memorial in remembrance of the Shaheeds, Nankana Sahib
Pic 16 – Haveli of Hari Singh Nalwa, Katas Raj
Pic 17, 18 – Gurdwara Panja Sahib, Hassan Abdal
Pic 19 – Memorial Akali Phoola Singh, Pir Sabak, Nowshera
Pic 20 – Gurdwara Choa Sahib Ji, Rohtas fort
Pic 21 – Bhai Karam Sikh Gurdwara, Jhelum
Pic 22 – Birthplace of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, Gujranwala
Pic 23 – Rori Sahib Gurdwara, Eminabad, Gujranwala
Pic 24 – Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib, Narowal
To be added