History
www.kartarpurSahibMarg.org.
History
Kartarpur was founded by Guru Nanak Dev ji at the request of some of his followers and settled here permanently with his family and some of his disciples who wanted to live near him and serve him.
Governor of the area Duni Chand met Guru Nanak at Pakhoke and donated 100 Acre land to Guru Sahib. Guru set up a Langer the common kitchen and a sarai the inn here. Sangat the congregation gathered here daily to listen to kirtan the Gurbani music and the Guru’s discourse. Guru Nanak undertook four major tours [Udasis] of the countries. Many sources tell us that except the first journey Guru commenced it all from here. Kartarpur had thus become the headquarter of the Sikhs and the Guru.
Guru Nanak appointed Lehna (renamed by him Angad) his spiritual successor after severe tests and made him the second Guru of Sikhs on July 14, 1539 AD.
Kartarpur is a universal shrine which Guru Nanak himself inaugurated, where he stayed for 18 years and where he passed away.
Kartarpur is situated in the Pakistan about 2km from Indo-Pak border on the right bank of river Ravi and is visible from the Indian territory. The shrine building stands out singly as there is no habitation around. Though there is a railway connection to it and the station is named ‘Darbar Sahib Kartarpur’ on the Lahore- Chak Amru line. It lies in the tehsil Shakkar Garh district Narowal of West Punjab and is about 60Km from Lahore.
Opposite nearest town on the Indian side is Dera Baba Nanak [1Km. from Border] in the district of Gurdaspur. Dera is duly connected by road and rail and is about 50 km from Amritsar, 39 Km from Gurdaspur and 35 Km from Batala.
It is said that his Hindu and Muslim disciples wrangled about the manner of funeral rites. Hindus constructed a dehura or samadh and the Muslims a grave. Both were after some time washed away by the waters of Ravi.
At Independence or the Partition about 10 lac Punjabi followers of Nanak were massacred. For 60 long years, Sikhs have been ignoring it because it stands on the other side of the cruel border. There are reports that some Sikhs of nearby villages visited Kartarpur stealthily in the nights.
The gurdwara was built by Maharaja Bhupinder Singh, a ruler of Patiala state. During 1947, when it was still under construction, Partition took place and the work was stopped. The gurdwara became dilapidated. Few decades, new minarets were constructed and a facelift was given to it. However, the gurdwara has not been opened to devotees so far.
Mysterious History
of Kartarpur Sahib
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