Nankana Sahib
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Nankana Sahib
ننکانہ صاحب ਨੰਕਾਂਆ ਸਾਹਬ |
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General Information
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| Country |  Pakistan |
| Province | Punjab |
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| Coordinates | 31°26′51″N 73°41′50″E / 31.4475°N 73.69722°E |
| Elevation | 187 m (614 ft) AMSL |
| Calling code | 056 |
| Time zone | PST (UTC+5) |
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Government
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City Flag
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| File:AMAN 9815242341 | |
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Location
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  Nankana Sahib
ننکانہ صاحب ਨੰਕਾਂਆ ਸਾਹਬ Nankana Sahib
ننکانہ صاحب ਨੰਕਾਂਆ ਸਾਹਬ (Pakistan) |
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| Nankana Sahib Government Website | |
Nankana Sahib (Punjabi, Urdu: ننکانہ صاحب ਨੰਕਾਂਆ ਸਾਹਬ ), formerly known as 'Rai-Bhoi-Di-Talwandi' is a City in the province of Punjab. Located at 31°26'51N 73°41'50E - about 80 kilometers south west of Lahore and about 75 kilometres East from Faisalabad,[1] with a population of approx. 60,000 [2], it is also the capital of Nankana Sahib District. Because Nankana Sahib is the birthplace of Guru Nanak Dev, the founder of Sikhism, it is a city of high historic and religious value and is a popular pilgrimage site for Sikhs from all over the world. Despite its importance, Nankana Sahib for does not have a high profile as other religious centers mainly due to the fact that the overwhelming majority of Sikhism followers reside in neighboring India and diplomatic relations between Pakistan and India have not been cordial.
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[edit] Brief History
About thirty miles south-west of the city of Lahore, the capital of the Punjab, and on the borders of the civil districts of Gujranwala and Faisalabad (formerly called Lyallpur), stands the town of Nankana Sahib. In the 1400s A.D., this town was called Talwandi and was surrounded by a deep and lonely Bar or raised forest tract in the centre of the Punjab (or Panjab as it was called then). The town is now girdled by a broad expanse of agriculture and vegetation, which, wears through all seasons a cheerful appearance. The jal (Salvadora Persica) predominates, but there are also found the phulahi (Acacia modesta) and the jand (Prosopis spicigera). The wild deer though not seen anymore were seen occasionally to appear startled at the travellers who disturbed the solitude of its domain, and the hare and the partridges used to cower cautiously among the thickets, deprecating molestation. [3]
Talwandi is said to have been originally built by a Hindu king called Raja Vairat. It was sacked and destroyed by fire and crowbar, like most Hindu towns and cities, during the Muslim invasions of the Punjab in the 14th century. The Punjab was parcelled out to Muslim warrior chiefs in exchange for peace by the sovereigns of Delhi (Delhi Sultanate). One of these chiefs was Rai Bhoi Bhatti, a Muslim Rajput of the Bhatti Rajput tribe. Rai Bhoi along with his son salvaged Talwandi and restored it and built a fort on the summit of the tumulus, in which he lived the secure and happy ruler of his estate with several thousand acres of cultivated land, and a boundless wilderness. Nankana was subsequently known then as Rai-Bhoi-Di-Talwandi (or Rai Bhoi's Talwandi). After Rai Bhoi's death, his heritage descended to his only son Rai Bular Bhatti, who governed the land and town at the birth and during the youth of Nanak.
During Rai Bular's rule, Talwandi did not share the tumults and excitements of the outer political world. Rai Bular was a 'gentle giant', towering in stature, but quiet and solitary. Talwandi became a reflection of his personality. It was a quiet place for the training of a prophet or religious teacher who was to lead his countrymen to the sacred path of truth, and disenthral their minds from the superstitions of ages. In this retreat was born Guru Nanak, the founder of the Sikh religion. His birth took place on the third day of the light half of the month of Baisakh (April-May) in the year 1526 of the Vikramaditya era, corresponding to A.D. 1469.
[edit] Holy places
Nankana Sahib being most sacred Sikh place; the location of the birth of the Sikh founder, Guru Nanak is one of the fastest growing towns in Punjab, Pakistan. It is a popular place for Sikhs from all over the world. At the time of Guru Nanak's birth the town was called Rai Bhoe's Talwandi [4] and was also referred to as Raipur. Rai Bular Bhatti was the ruler of this area and Baba Nanak's father was Rai Bular's employee. The divine qualities of Baba Nanak were first discovered by his sister Nanaki and Rai Bular Bhatti. Rai Bular gifted approx. 20,000 acres (81 km2) of land all around the city of Talwandi to Guru Nanak and the town began to be called Nankana Sahib. The town currently has nine gurdwaras including the Gurdwara Janam Asthan which marks the birth place of Guru Nanak Dev. Each of the gurdwaras is related with important events in Guru Nanak's life. Annually, approximately 30,000 Sikh pilgrims visit the town[5], with about 15,000 gathering during the peak season around the birthday celebrations of Guru Nanak.
[edit] Administration
The area around Nankana Sahib was formerly a tehsil of Sheikhupura District. In May 2005, the provincial government decided to raise the status of Nankana Sahib to that of a district [6] as a way of promoting development in the area.
[edit] Development
The provincial government has developed plans [7] to develop Nankana Sahib with various projects including a rest house for Sikh pilgrims, a new hotel, a shopping mall, a housing scheme, a modern hospital and a roadlink to the Lahore and Faisalabad dual-Carriage way. A trans-national bus link is proposed that would operate between Nankana Sahib and Amritsar in Indian Punjab.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Location of Nankana Sahib - Falling Rain Genomics
- ^ World Gazetteer estimate for Nankana Sahib
- ^ Macauliffe, Max Arthur (1909, 1958, 2008). The Sikh Religion. USA: Oxford University Press, 1909, Forgotten Books 1958. pp. 48 - 60. ISBN 1606200992, 9781606200995.
- ^ The Land of Nanak by NAVEEN S. GAREWAL
- ^ 3000 Indian Sikhs to visit Nankana Sahib in Pak on Guru Parab
- ^ Nankana becomes a district
- ^ Government plans to turn Nankana into a model city
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