Nankana Sahib and Sikh Shrines in Pakistan: A Spiritual Odyssey

Like the progress of a pilgrim this book as a spiritual odyssey reveals the religio-historic shrines in Pakistan which have been associated with the Sikh Gurus. Over the years, these gurdwaras have gained temporal significance and spatial dignity. Due to the partition in 1947, the Sikhs lost many sacred places of religious importance on the other side of the border. Anyone who desires to visit shrines has to cross many hurdles, particularly that of obtaining visa. So only on certain occasions the devotees can visit these places of religious importance and that too for a short period. This book provides a glimpse of almost all the gurdwaras in Pakistan and that too for all the times to come.

Luckily the narrator in this book got the chance of visiting Nankana Sahib, along with an official delegation, in the first ever direct bus from Amritsar to Nankana Sahib. It being an historic event, the bus was flagged off by the Prime Minister of India, Dr. Manmohan Singh, on Friday the 24th of March, 2006. The journey started after paying obeisance to Harmandir Sahib, Amritsar in the early hours of dawn. The bus journey was an exhilarating experience as the pilgrims were brimming over with joy, devotion and enthusiasm. Once at Nankana Sahib, the devotees got an opportunity to visit all the gurdwaras associated with the birth, childhood and boyhood of Guru Nanak.

The rare opportunity of visiting holy places in Pakistan illumined, with divine effulgence, the minds of the devotees and provided a fillip to their hearts to look forward to such occasion in the future also. (jacket)