Gurdwara Sari Darbar Sahib Kartarpur
About Gurdwara Sari Darbar Sahib Kartarpur
Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur, more commonly known as Kartarpur Sahib, is a Gurdwara in Kartarpur, located in Narowal District, formerly a part of Sialkot district. It is built on the historic site close to border where the founder of Sikhism, Guru Nanak, settled and assembled the Sikh community after his missionary travels (Udasis to Haridwar, Mecca-Medina, Lanka, Baghdad, Kashmir and Nepal) and lived for 18 years until he departed for his heavenly abode in 1539. It is one of the holiest sites in Sikhism, alongside the Golden Temple in Amritsar and Gurdwara Janam Asthan in Nankana Sahib. It is also a bridge in improving relationship between India and Pakistan.
The Gurdwara is also notable for its location near the border between Pakistan and India. The shrine is visible from the Indian side of the border. Indian Sikhs gather in large numbers on bluffs to perform darshan, or sacred viewing of the site, from the Indian side of the border. The Kartarpur Corridor was opened by then Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan on 9 November 2019, the anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall and just days before the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak. This historic moment officially allowed Indian Sikh pilgrims rare visa-free access to the site in Pakistan. It is also claimed to be the largest Gurdwara in the world.
The Shrine is located at Kartarpur, a small town beside the River Ravi in Punjab and it is one of the holiest places for up to 30 million Sikhs around the world. The main shrine building was built in 1925 at a cost of Rs.1, 35,600, donated by Sardar Bhupindar Singh, the Maharaja of Patiala. It was repaired by the Government of Pakistan in 1995, and fully restored in 2004, at a significant cost. 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 (formerly it was only 3 acre)). 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.
Here, Guru Nanak gave the three principles of Kirat Karo, Naam Japo, Vand Chako, which means work hard for a livelihood, keep remembering God and share your bounties with the world. Guru’s teachings have been peace, harmony, and universal brotherhood.[20] Guru Nanak believed in equality between castes, religions, and genders and gave the word Ik Onkar meaning there is only one God.
As per popular legend, there was a dispute between the local Hindus and Muslims after Guru Nanak’s demise. Muslims, who saw him as their Pir, wanted to bury him while Hindus, who claimed Nanak as their Guru, wanted to cremate his body. But the legend follows that Guru Nanak’s body was turned into flowers, which were then divided between the two communities.
