050. Gurdwara Nanak Sar – Jhang

There are dozens of Gurdwaras and religious institutes in India, Pakistan, Europe, and North Africa named Nanaksar. Nanaksar or Nanak Sar, as far as I understand, means “(sacred) Pond of Nanak” (the first Guru of the Sikhs). But in Pakistan, there is a village 12 km away from Jhang on the Toba Tek Singh Road, which itself is known as Nanaksar (also spelled Nanksir). This small village houses an old Gurdwara, which gave the village its name.

Guru Nanak Dev Ji came to this village during one of his many journeys, which he undertook to learn and preach. It is a tradition of Sikhs to build Gurdwaras to commemorate their Gurus. So, this Gurdwara was also built following the same tradition. However, I could not find out when it was constructed. It is located at 31° 10′ 2.03″ N, 72° 22′ 58.64″ E.

Two young men greeted us when we asked about the Gurdwara. One of them lived in the building of the same Gurdwara. His name was Imran, son of Ghulam Mohammad. According to him, his family migrated from Ambarsar (this is how a true Amritsari pronounces Amritsar), from a village called Murad Pur. He runs a printing press. His friend, also named Imran, accompanied us. He works for the State Life Insurance Company (thank God he didn’t try to sell us an insurance policy!). His family had migrated from Jalandhar. Both were very friendly, cooperative, and hospitable, true Pakistani Punjabi young men.

Nanaksar: Beautiful fields just outside the village (22.03.2016.)

Nanaksar:  Main entrance of the gurdwara complex (22.03.2016.)

 Nanaksar: A closer view of the entrance (22.03.2016.)

Nanaksar: Beautiful face of a deorhi or an inner building (22.03.2016.)

As can be seen in the above picture, the entrance to the inner portions of the Gurdwara is closed. So we went through another by-lane and approached it from the hall, which is located at the backside of this deorhi.

Nanaksar:  Muhammad Imran s/o Ghulam Muhammad and Muhammad Imran (right) s/o Muhammad Anwar (22.03.2016.)

Nanaksar: A Plaque on the hall (22.03.2016.)

Nanaksar: Inside view of the deorhi. (22.03.2016.)

Nanaksar: Inner view of the derohi. (22.03.2016.)

Nanaksar:  Deorhi from inside. (22.03.2016.)

Nanaksar: A small building between deorhi and the hall (22.03.2016.)

Nanaksar: The main hall (may be Gurasthan or Langar Khana) (22.03.2016.)

Nanaksar: The main hall (may be Gurasthan or Langar Khana) (22.03.2016.)

Nanaksar: A room above the hall (22.03.2016.)

Nanaksar: A view of the surrounding area (22.03.2016.)

Nanaksar: View from the roof of the hall. The small square building and the deorhi from inside (22.03.2016.)

Nanaksar: A plaque at the front of the main hall (22.03.2016.)

In the above plaque, first of all the most important prayer of Sikh religion is written, which is called Mool Mantar. The words, transliteration and translation is given below:

ੴ ਸਤਿ ਨਾਮੁ ਕਰਤਾ ਪੁਰਖੁ ਨਿਰਭਉ ਨਿਰਵੈਰੁ ਅਕਾਲ ਮੂਰਤਿ ਅਜੂਨੀ ਸੈਭੰ ਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ ॥

॥ ਜਪੁ ॥

ਆਦਿ ਸਚੁ ਜੁਗਾਦਿ ਸਚੁ ॥ ਹੈ ਭੀ ਸਚੁ ਨਾਨਕ ਹੋਸੀ ਭੀ ਸਚੁ ॥1॥

Transliteration:

Ik oa(n)kaar sath naam karathaa purakh nirabho niravair akaal moorath ajoonee saibha(n) gur prasaadh ॥

॥ jap ॥

aadh sach jugaadh sach ॥ hai bhee sach naanak hosee bhee sach ॥1॥

I have copied the above mantar and its translation from www.sikhiwiki.org. However, please correct me, if I have made any mistakes unintentionally. As I am not familiar with the Gurmukhi script. Though I have a desire to learn it and soon I shall learn it. It was not easy to read the rest of the writing, as it was written on a stone and some words are difficult to read or even missing. After the Mool Mantar some names etc. are given, who had this gurdwara constructed or participated in it. 

نانک سر جی دا کھو، بھائی بھگت سنگھ جی کا بیٹا ، بھائی
دربار سنگھ جی کا بیٹا، بھائی گورجا سنگھ جی اے ہال سربت ساد سنگت، سمت جائے پاؤڑی
18/40

دھرم سال بنائی متی ان پنچمی 1454 

According to the inscription, the well was built by the son of Bhagat Singh Ji, who was the son of Darbara Singh Ji, who in turn was the son of Gurja Singh Ji. The hall was constructed by contributions from all the members of the community. The Dharamsal (guest house) is said to have been constructed in the fifth month of the year 1454.

This translation was provided by Jagmeet Singh, but I believe it may not be entirely accurate. The greatest mystery lies in the year of construction, 1454. If this is according to the Bikrami Samvat (which is commonly used in Sikh tradition), then it corresponds to 1398 AD. However, that seems impossible, as Guru Nanak Dev Ji was born in 1469 AD.

Perhaps this is why Imran, the man whose family currently resides there, told me that the place is around 500 years old—possibly something he heard from one of the few Sikh visitors who still come to this Gurdwara. It’s likely that the date was either misread, mistranslated, or refers to a later calendar system or a different context altogether.

While reading the Mool Mantar, I could not help but notice the striking resemblance it bears to Surah Al-Ikhlas. It is well known that Guru Ji was a highly educated man, and that he received part of his education from Muslim scholars as well. He also learned Arabic and Persian. Even later in life, he often kept the company of Muslim ulema and Sufis.

Nanaksar: Sarovar (22.03.2016.)

The above picture is very important, as it was most likely also part of the Gurdwara complex. Due to certain reasons and time constraints, I was unable to enter it. The picture also shows some remnants of the Sarovar, the sacred pond.

Below are a few pictures of a small structure located at the edge of the village. This structure was perhaps part of the Shamshan Ghat (cremation ground).

A general view of the gurdwara from the Sarovar. (22.03.2016.)

The building on the right side in the above picture was probably also a part of this gurdwara. It is located behind the main hall. I could not visit this building and took a picture from outside. So this is one of my those posts, which I consider incomplete. I hope somebody will shed more light on the history of this gurdwara. 

Tariq Amir

May 6, 2016.

Doha – Qatar.