Gurdwaras

About ten kilometers east of Arifwala, on the road towards Pakpattan, there is a mound rising from the green cultivated plain. A small village with about two dozen houses and a large graveyard stands atop this mound, which covers an area of almost 30 acres. The village is now called Jati Usman, after a saint…

In the beautiful rural area of district Gujrat, about seven kilometers to the west of Kharian, lies a village which is now called Sunnat Pura. But once upon a time, which now seems a very distant past, though actually just 78 years ago, this place had a different name, and its inhabitants, too were somewhat…

Lately, I have developed an interest in schools of historical importance, especially those that were established privately by various communities, including the Sikhs, who, before Partition, were very active in spreading the light of knowledge in this part of Punjab. After Partition, many gurdwara buildings also served the noble cause of promoting education among the…

I was looking for something else in Sargodha when I came across an old traditional-style building. This red, vintage structure immediately caught my attention, and on closer inspection, to my utter surprise, it turned out to be a gurdwara. For many years, I had passed close to this place and, despite catching a glimpse once…

I was in Hadali when a friend told me about a gurdwara in Khushab and roughly described its location as well. It was easy to find this prominent building in the main bazar of the city, inside the Kabuli Gate, one of the four gates of the city, at 32°17’40.05″N, 72°21’7.19″E. Until a few years…

Before 1947, Sikhs formed a significant proportion of the population of Rawalpindi. According to the 1941 census, they constituted 17.32% of the population, while Hindus made up 33.72% and Muslims, being the largest community, 43.79%, out of a total population of 185,042. Naturally, all these communities had their places of worship in the city, including…

Kanoha is 50 kilometers from Islamabad, near Kallar Syedan. It is a small village with a scattered population, possessing all the charm and beauty of the Potohar region. Besides that, the only significant feature of this place is an old and abandoned gurdwara. It is not a historic gurdwara in the sense that it is…

In my previous article, I took you to the historic Gurdwara Narankari in Rawalpindi. In this article, we shall visit another prominent gurdwara of the city, Gurdwara Singh Sabha. It is located in Raja Bazar, one of the busiest areas of Rawalpindi. Today, a school named Zia-ul-Uloom for Boys operates in the building. The gurdwara…