Kartarpur - The City of Creator - Created By Guru Nanak Dev
Gurudwara Kartarpur Sahib - The Largest Gurudwara in the World
Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur, also called Kartarpur Sahib, is a gurdwara in Kartarpur, located in Shakargarh Tehsil, Narowal District, in the Punjab province of Pakistan. Gurudwara Kartarpur Sahib is the largest Gurudwara in the World. It is a top tourist attraction for the people, one who is visiting Pakistan. The shrine is located three kilometers from the Indo-Pakistan border.
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Kartarpur - The Place of Universal Brotherhood |
During the 1947 partition of India, the region got divided across India and Pakistan. The Radcliffe Line awarded the Shakargarh tehsil on the right bank of the Ravi river, including Kartarpur a well-developed town, to Pakistan, and the Gurdaspur tehsil on the left bank of Ravi to India.
Nau-Khand - The Nine Regions of the Earth Visited by Guru Nanak Dev
The name Kartarpur means "city of Creator or God", 'Kartar' meaning 'Creator' or 'Lord of Creation' and 'Pur' meaning 'City'. This city was founded by the first guru of Sikhism called Guru Nanak Dev in 1504 AD, on the right bank of the holy Ravi River. After Guru Nanak Dev travels around the World for about 30 years, settled in Kartarpur along with his family. In Kartarpur, Guru Nanak Dev did farming, Plowing the fields and setting up a community kitchen, or Langar. In Kartarpur, the life of the people was very simple as the will and wish of Guru Nanak Dev, all people and devotees of Guru Nanak Dev, irrespective of their religion or caste, lived together, representing the first 'Sikh commune'. On his missionary travels, during the first quarter of the 16th century, Nanak went on long udasiya ('journeys') for spiritual pursuits. A verse authored by him states that he visited several places in "Nau-Khand" means 'the nine regions of the earth', presumably, the major Hindu and Muslim pilgrimage centers like Kasi, Ayodhya, Haridwar, Kashmir, Nepal, Bidar, Nanded, Sri Lanka, Tibet, Middle East, Mecca-Medina, Baghdad, Achal Batala, Multan, Jerusalem, Vatican, Azerbaijan, and Sudan.
Guru Nanak Dev has visited Tibet, most of South Asia, and Arabia, starting in 1496 at the age of 27, when he left his family for a thirty-year period. During this period Guru Nanak Dev visited Mount Sumeru, one of the famous pilgrimage center, according to the Indian mythology, where he would debate religious ideas with opposing groups and finally the opposing groups were satisfied by Guru Nanak Dev's teaching and preaching and become His followers. This 'Udasiays' or Journeys were becoming World famous because in a short time this much big traveling was possible only by the Illuminated Soul like Guru Dev. And its belief that Guru Nanak Dev is Illuminated Soul.
At Kartarpur, Guru Nanak Dev lived until his death on 22 September 1539. Following his death, Hindus and Muslims both claimed him as their own Guru or Fakir and raised mausoleums in his memory with a common wall between them. And started the prayer, reading Gurumukhi, and Namaz with great devotion, it continues several years. The changing course of the Ravi River eventually washed away the mausoleums. But Guru Nanak's son Sri Chand saved the urn containing his ashes and reburied it on the left bank of the river, where a new habitation was formed, representing the present-day Dera Baba Nanak.
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Guru Nanak Dev and Other Ten Gurus |
Samadhi Mandir - The Gurudwara Kartarpur Sahib
At the location Guru Nanak is believed to have died, the Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib was built. It is built on the historic site where the The founder of Sikhism, Guru Nanak, settled and assembled the Sikh community after his missionary travels. It is considered to be the second holiest place for the Sikh religion. Alongside the Golden Temple in Amritsar, the Nanak Jhira Bidar Gurudwara, Gurudwara Hazur Sahib in Nanded, Gurudwara in New Delhi, and Gurdwara Janamasthan in Nankana Sahib are the first holiest place for the Sikh religion. But both are the holiest 'Tirth Sthan of Sikhism, the Gurudwara Nankana Sahib, and the Gurudwara Kartarpur Sahib' is situated in Pakistan and is little tough to visit and take darshan or perform prayers.
The Three Principles of Guru Nanak Dev
The Kartarpur, the holy place of Sikhism, Guru Nanak gave the three principles to His devotees, 'Kirat Karo', 'Naam Japo', 'Wand Chako', which means working hard for a livelihood, keep remembering the God, and share your bounties with the world. Guru's teachings have been peace, harmony, and universal brotherhood. Because of this great teaching and preaching Guru Nanak Dev remembered and worshiped not only by Sikhs but everyone. Guru Nanak believed in equality between castes, religions, and genders and gave the word 'Ik Onkar' meaning there is only 'One God'.
Gradual Development of Gurudwara Kartarpur Sahib
The Kartarpur a small town where the sacred shrine of Sikhs was built on the bank of River Ravi in Punjab and it is one of the holiest places for up to 35 million Sikhs around the world. Previously the shrine was very small which was built by Guru Nanak Dev's son called Sri Chand but enough to pray and conduct the Langar. The main shrine building was built in 1925 at a cost of Rs. 1,35,600, donated by Sardar Bhupinder Singh, the Maharaja of Patiala. It was repaired by the Government of Pakistan in 1995 and fully restored in 2004, at a significant cost. In May 2017, the US-based NGO "EcoSikh" proposed establishment of a 100-acre "sacred forest" around the shrine. The Gurdwara was further expanded in November 2018 with the construction of a new courtyard, museum, library, dormitories, and locker rooms spread across an area of 42 acres (17 hectares). There is a 20-foot well, made of small red bricks which is 500 years old and believed to have been built during the lifetime of Guru Nanak Dev. This well water was used by Guru Nanak Dev for farming the field and develop the crops for setting up a community kitchen, or Langar.
The Religious Significance of Holy Shrine Kartarpur Sahib
Guru Nanak Dev traveled through many countries, spreading the message of universal peace, harmony, and love before finally arriving in Kartarpur in 1504. The 'then-governor of the region called Narowal and the great devotee of Guru Nanak Dev', Duni Chand, donated 100 acres of land on the right bank of river Ravi to Guru Nanak Dev.
In Kartarpur, the Guru “shed his traveling garb means a special traveling dress and adopted the dress of a simple household and look like a farmer”. Then the place became a religious site after he settled there especially Sikhs including Muslim devotees.
Some devotees and the local people said, "The Guru Nanak Dev attracted devotees very affectionately". According to professor Puran Singh, a prominent 20th-century Punjabi poet, and scientist, “radiated love and faith and attracted people like light attracts a moth” in Kartarpur.
Guru Nanak is believed to have composed many hymns of the Gurumukhi, afterwards, it is said "Guru Granth Sahib", the holy book of the Sikhs, in Kartarpur, including the 'Japuji Sahib'. The community meal, called guru ka langar, was also initiated here and became an inseparable part of the Sikh tradition thereafter.
In 1539, September 22 when Guru Nanak Dev passed away, there was a dispute between the local Hindus and Muslims devotees. Muslims, who saw him as their air, wanted to bury him and construct a gory according to the Muslim system while Hindus, who claimed Nanak as their guru wanted to cremate his body according to the Hindu Brahmin rituals. Legend has it that both communities were asked by the Guru to put flowers on his body overnight and the community whose flowers retained their freshness would perform his last rites.
Miracle - The Illuminated Soul Guru Nanak Dev
It is believed that the next morning, the Guru’s body disappeared and all the flowers were fresh. Hence, both the communities mutually decided to divide the cloth that had covered his body and burned half of it according to the Hindus rituals, burying the other half according to the system. This led to the construction of two shrines built with the common wall by his Hindu and Muslim devotees in Kartarpur.
These shrines were, later, washed away by the frequently raised floods in the Ravi river and were rebuilt by Guru Nanak Dev's son called Sri Chand. The foundation stone of the gurudwara in Kartarpur was laid in 1572 and Maharaja Ranjit Singh covered its dome with gold. The present structure was built by Bhupinder Singh, the Maharaja of Patiala in 1925 and grandfather of Punjab’s chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh.
To be Continued...
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