By Zulqernain Tahir

Date:25-09-06

Source: Dawn

LAHORE, Sept 24: After about six decades the Gurdwara Kartarpur in Narowal where Baba Guru Nanak breathed his last has been restored completely and opened to a greater number of followers.

Even before partition, the gurdwara had not been properly maintained. After independence, the place could not attract the attention of the authorities concerned until a few years ago when the Pakistan Gurdwara Parbhandik Committee initiated restoration work in collaboration with the Evacuee Trust Property Board.

They, subsequently, opened it to the local general public and foreigners as well.

The place is equally important for the Muslims as they had constructed the grave of Baba Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikh religion, out of respect and love. This gurdwara is considered to be one of the holy places for Sikhs because it had been the Baba Nanak’s Samadhi where he had spent the last 18 years of his life.

“The place is an epitome of Sikh and Muslim affinity and is expected to be the second largest place of congregation after Gurdwara Janam Asthan, the birthplace of Baba Nanak in Nankana Sahib,” Kuldip Singh Wadala, former secretary-general of the Indian Gurdwara Sikh Parbhandik Committee told Dawn.

“The whole Sikh community is very happy with the government of Pakistan for restoring the monument and opening it to them. Through such actions the people of both countries come closer,” he said, and added that the Sikhs would donate generously towards the development of residential accommodations there.

Located on the edge of riverbank and a few miles away from the Indian border, it is a beautiful place to visit. The Indian town across the border is also known as Dera Baba Nanak.

The Punjab chief minister had allocated special funds for the construction of a three-kilometre road up to the gurdwara when its opening was envisaged. Some 28 acres had reportedly been acquired around the gurdwara for the development work. The Karsarkar Committee (India) has helped glitter the tombs with gold and has also placed a gold palanquin at the Gurdwara Janam Asthan.

Floods and changing river courses had almost eroded the place back in the early 20th century when the Maharaja of Patiala State donated Rs135,600 for its repair in 1920.

Khalsa Dewan Amritsar president Sardar Charan Deep Singh proposed that the Sikhs from across the border village should be allowed to visit the gurdwara for some hours without any (visa) formalities. “It will take a pilgrim 15 minutes to reach the holy place from India,” he added.

He said he would mobilise the community to donate for the development of the holy site so that a maximum number of pilgrims could be accommodated.

On Friday last, a festival held at the gurdwara in connection with the death anniversary of Baba Nanak was concluded. More than 1,000 pilgrims, including Indian Sikhs, participated in it. The participating Sikhs and local Hindus performed rituals while Muslims laid wreath at the grave and offered fateha.

Dr Jokindar Singh, an author of 28 books, and former principal of a medical college in Amritsar Dr Manmohan Singh Khana urged the government of India to lift visa curbs and allow the maximum number of Sikh pilgrims to visit their holy places in Pakistan.

They described the Kashmir dispute as a hurdle in the peace process and asked both the governments to resolve it peacefully for the betterment of their peoples.