The history of the Sikh religion traces its roots to a place called Nankana
Sahib of pre-division India. After the 1947 division of India into India and
Pakistan it is now in place in Pakistan, earlier known as Talwandi. The birth
place of the first Sikh guru, Guru Nanak Dev, Nankana Sahib is one of the most
sacred pilgrimage sites in Pakistan. The pilgrimage site is about 75 kilometres
from Lahore and comes under Sheikhupura district. The district is well connected
with rail and road with other parts of Pakistan.

It was on 15 April, 1469, Guru Nanak Dev was born here. Every year a number
of pilgrims visit Nankana Sahib and other holy places associated with the first
guru Guru Nanak Dev.

Sikh history originates from Nankana Sahib. Guru Nanak Dev, the founder of
Sikh faith, was born here in 1469. The name of the place at that time was Rai
Bhoi di Talwandi. The landlord contemporary of Guru Nanak Dev was Rai Bular, who
himself became a devotee of the Guru. It was renamed Nankana after the Guru. It
is located in what is called Nilianwali Bar (forest where nilgais abound), and
is about 75 kilometers west-southwest of Lahore. Nankana Sahib is in Sheikhupura
district and is connected to the district town by rail and road. There are
several shrines connected with the memory of Guru Nanak Dee's childhood and
early youth here. Later Guru Arjan dev and Guru Hargobirid also visited Nankana
Sahib and a Gurdwara was also raised subsequently in their honor. During the
Sikh rule, these gurdwaras were richly endowed with liberal land grants (over
7,000 hectares). The management was in the hands of Udasi and Nirmala priests
until the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee took over during the Gurdwara
Reform Movement of 1920-25. The Gurdwaras had to be abandoned in the aftermath
of the Partition in 1947. They are now looked after by the Government of
Pakistan. Nankana Sahib is one of the three places which can be visited
periodically by bands of Sikh pilgrims with the approval of the Government of
Pakistan, the other two being Panja Sahib near Hasan Abdal and Lahore. Since
1947 the traditional Sikh ardaas (supplicatory prayer) has been supplemented by
a single sentence:

"O Merciful and Bounteous God, ever helpful to your Panth, do grant to your
Khalsa Ji the boon of seeing, serving and protecting Gurdwaras at Nankana Sahib
and other places from which the Panth has been separated."

In these simple words the community, a minute minority in the populous Indian
sub-continent, expresses its loss, its grief, its pangs of separation from its
venerable, sacred, historical shrines left behind when they left their homes and
hearths in circumstances beyond their control. Also, at the same time, by these
words the Sikhs reaffirm their faith in other tenets of their faith expressed in
Guru Nanak Dev's words:

"Union and separation have been created by my Lord, who having created Universe
gave it pain and pleasure; but the Guru-oriented ones wearing the armour of
faith are indifferent to pleasure and pain." (A.G. 1032)

Following are the historical Gurudwaras at Nankana Sahib:

 This
shrine representing the home of Baba Kalo and Mata Tripta, father and mother
respectively of Guru Nanak Dev, where the Guru was born, was established by Baba
Dharam Chand (1523-1618) son of Baba Lakhmi Das and grandson of Guru Nanak Dev.
The shrine must have been established before the end of the sixteenth century
because Guru Arjan Dev (1563-1606) is believed to have visited it. Its present
building comprising a square, domed sanctum with a rectangular pavilion attached
to it within a vast walled compound was built by Maharaja Ranjit Singh
(1780-1839).

Several other buildings were added after the S.G.P.C. took
over control on 21st February 1921, the day following the massacre of 150 to 200
Sikh pilgrims by assassins hired by Maharit Narain Das abetted by the British
Commissioner of Lahore Division. The traditional fair to celebrate birth
anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev continued with great eclat upto 1946, but since
1947 it has been a tame affair. In the beginning, the Pakistan government had
permitted 15 Sikhs to stay at Nankana Sahib to carry out routine services at the
shrine, but their number was reduced to a bare five in 1968 and still later to a
solitary Granthi who maintains a token attendance with the help of some
sahajdhari (unbaptised) Siridhi Sikhs. Thrice a year, on Baisakhi (April), death
anniversary of Maharaja Ranjit Singh (June) and birth anniversary of Guru Nanak
Dev (November), Pakistan government allows Sikh jathas, a few hundred strong
each, to visit this and other shrines at Nankana Sahib, Panja Sahib and Lahore.

According to Waliullah Khan, Sikh Shrines in West Pakistan, there is a sacred
relic, Chola Sahib, preserved here. It is a cloak with Quranic verses
embroidered on it supposed to have been presented to Guru Nanak Dev by the ruler
of Baghdad during the Guru's visit to that city. If this is true (because our
older sources do not make any mention of it), it is a fake relic, because Chola
Sahib believed to be the real one is preserved at Dera Baba Nanak in Gurdaspur
district of the Indian Punjab.

Nankana Sahib is a holy place where the founder of Sikh religion, the dispeller
of darkness, the most enlightened global Guru, Guru Nanak Dev ji was born early
in the morning to Mata Tripta Ji and Mehta Kalu Ji on 15th April, 1469 (Baisakh
sudi 3, Samwat 1526).

Bhai Gurdas in his Var (Var 1/27) has equated this event with the sun that
lights up the earth after a dark night :

    Jeeu Kar suraj nikaleya, taare chhipe andher
paloa. (Var 1/27)

According to Puratan Janam Sakhi, the trees starting dripping juice, many a
pauper became rich, the diseased were blessed with health. The earth heaved a
sigh of relief.

       According to Janam Sakhis, when Daulta Dai, the maid nurse was offered
money, she refused it on the plea that she had already been rewarded by the very
glimpse of the holy baby. Guru Nanak gave his first message that he belong to
God and would exert the people to worship His Name. Bhai Nand lal ji has well
said that Guru Nanak was asked by the Almighty to turn the face of humanity
towards Him.

       The township of Nankana Sahib was earlier known as Raipur and later on as
Rai-Bhoi-di-Talwandi but after the birth of Guru Nanak, it began to be known as
Nankian Sahib/Nankana Sahib. It is situated at a distance 48 miles on the west
from Lahore.

         Guru Nanak dev ji passed his whole childhood and young age in Nankana
Sahib. At the age of nine, when Pandit Hardyal asked the boy Nanak to put on
Janeo, he refused to have the thread that discriminated amongst mankind. The
Janeo which was made of the silk for a brahmin, of cotton for a khatri, of wool
for a Vaish and which was strictly abondoned for Shudara. And again which is
three folds for brahmin, two folds for Khatri and only one fold for Vaish. He
asked the Pandit if he had the thread made of compassion the cotton, contentment
the yarn, continence the knot and purity the twist, he was ready to wear it. The
Pandit was dumb-founded :



                            Daeya kapah santokh soot jatu gandhi sat
watt.

                            Eihu janeo jeea ka hai ta pande ghatt. (p. 471)

 When he joined a school at Nankana Sahib, the Guru is said to have written
fundamentals of education on the wooden takhti provided to him. He enlightened
the people when he wrote simply the first alphabet of Persian script 'alaf' and
conveyed the message of unity of Godhood.

      Guru Nanak Dev got married on 21st , may 1487 to Bibi Sulakhani, Daghter
of Mulchand Khatri of Batala. It was at Nankana Sahib that he met Bhai Mardana,
who was his life long companion for 47 years, listening and singing Guru's
gospel. According to the Sikh history, Guru Nanak at the age of 22 years, in
1491 A.D. went into silence for days together. He did not eat a single morsel
and utter a single word.

      His father Kalu ji sent for a local physician / Vaid. The vaid found
nothing wrong with the young Nanak and found himself in a quandary as to what to
tell his father because Nanak was absolutely healthy. Guru Nanak said ," I have
no physical ailment. Thou, the simple physician, knows not the pangs arising
from the heart"

      Bhola vaid na jaaneie karak Kaleje maah. (P. 1279)

Guru Nanak Dev Ji stayed at his birthplace uptil 35 years of age and
hereafter went to Sultanpur.

For a long time, this place remained in normal form. In A.D. 1613 (Samwat 1670),
Guru Hargobind visited the birth place of Guru Nanak and entrusted the
responsibility of looking after this place to Alamst, an ardent disciple of Baba
Sri Chand. Since then Udasis, (the followers of Guru Nanak's Son) looked after
this place for a long time.

 Maharaja
Ranjit Singh got a magnificent building built there and at the behest of Baba
Sahib Singh, the Maharaja gave 700 acres land as religious endowment to his holy
shrine but the Udasis continued to maintain the place. They had the charge of
this place during the times full of stress and strife for the Sikhs But with the
passage of time, in early 20th century, these Udasis Mahants began to treat this
revenue free jagir as their personal property and indulged in erotic and
luxorious life. To get these historical Gurdwaras from the hands of these
apostates the Gurdwara Prabandh Sudhar Movement was started. One peaceful Jatha
that entered Gurdwara Janam Asthan was mercilessly hacked by the mercenaries of
Mahant Narain Dass. Even the holy Sri Guru Granth Sahib was made target of thier
bullets. Many a people belonging to this jatha were tied to a Jand and burnt
alive. The Martyred half-burnt bodies were thrown into the well.

        This incident gave such an impetus to
the Gurdwara Reform Movement that the Mahants had to handover the shrines to the
Sikh Sangats. The magnificent building of this gurdwara alongwith the beautiful
gardens, enthrals the onlookers and devotees. There is a big sarovar and a
spacious inn which provides accomodation to the pilgrims. The historical Jand
and the well are still existing, telling the tale of atrocities perpetuated by
Mahant Narain Dass on simple-hearted and peace-loving Sikhs. According to Bhai
Kahn Singh Nabha, the auther of Gurshabd Ratnakar Mahan Kosh, this shrine had 18
thousand acres of land attached to it and a cash endowment of Rs. nine thousand
eight hundred and ninety two also.

      By the partition of the Indian
sub-continent, the Sikhs not only lost many lives, wealth etc. but also thier
most loved and revered shrines which went to the other side of the border. After
this partition, a mention of Nankana Sahib Gurdwara in the daily ardasa or
prayer has become a reguler feature. These Sikh shrines in Pakistan are managed
by a Waqf Board and every year, Sikh Jathas visit these shrines on four
different occasions.

        At present there are 25-30 Sikh families
residing in Nankana Sahib and as a result of this, daily service is performed
and bani is recited. Bhai Partap Singh is functioning as the Granthi. At the
occassion of Guru Nanak's anniversary, about three thousand Sikh devotees from
India visit Nankana Sahib. Sikhs from all over the world come there too.

1. Gurudwara Janam Asthan


2. Gurudwara Bal Lila


3. Gurdwara Patti Sahib


4. Gurudwar Kiara sahib


5. Gurudwara Mal ji Sahib


6. Gurudwara Tambu Sahib:


7. Gurudwara Chhevin Patshahi