Gurdwaras
104. A Tour of Jhang City 1: Two Old Gurdwaras & A Dharmshala
Jhang is an old city, situated almost in the middle of Pakistani Punjab. Its fertile lands are nourished by the waters of the Jhelum and Chenab rivers. It is home to the legendary Heer, heroine of the most famous love story in South Asia, the tale of Heer and Ranjha. Their tomb also stands in…
102. Gurdwara Bhai Karam Singh Ji Ahluwalia – Jhelum City
Jhelum is an ancient city on the banks of a river of the same name. Its history goes back to the times of Alexander the Great and has witnessed many dynasties rise and fall over the centuries. After the collapse of Mughal power in Punjab, the Sikhs rose rapidly and, in a short time, conquered…
095. Gurudwara Bhai Lalu Ji, Tatlay Aali, Gujranwala
ِIn my quest for forgotten or “lost” places, I reached a small town called Tatlay Aali, district Gujranwala, on July 22, 2018. I was looking for a Gurdwara known as Gurdwara Bhai Lalu Ji, in Tatlay Aali. But I was told that the gurdwara is in a nearby small locality, called Dinpur. It is a…
091. Gurdwara Khara Sahib: Mattoo Bhaike (Mattoo Bhaie Key)
Pakistan, especially Punjab, is dotted with numerous gurdwaras, Sikh houses of worship. Many of them are still functional, but most are no longer in use. After the partition of Punjab and the migration of minorities from both parts of the region, most of the gurdwaras had to be abandoned. Now, after the passage of seven…
084. Gurdwara Sacha Sauda – Farooqabad (Choorkhana) & Gurdwara Sachkhand
During the last few years, I have visited many gurdwaras, but all of them were abandoned due to the Partition in 1947. However, last year I had the opportunity to visit a gurdwara that is fully functional, where regular prayers are still offered. This is the famous and historic Gurdwara Sacha Sauda, located about 50…
075. Gurdwara Singh Sabha & Khalsa Middle School In Lyallpur (Faisalabad)
As I mentioned in my previous post about the Ghanta Ghar of Faisalabad (The Clock Tower of Lyallpur), this city is one of the newest in Pakistan, a well-planned city of 3.2 million. Its construction began in the 1890s as the centre of administration, trade, industry, and education for the Chenab Colony. To populate the…
072. Gurdwara of Baba Badan Singh Dhillon in Chak 68JB Leelan, Faisalabad.
1947 was a milestone in the history of India. It ended British rule and brought independence to 400 million people of South Asia. But it was not a happy time for all. Millions of people suffered terribly as a result of the events surrounding this occasion, which caused cataclysmic changes in some parts of India,…
065. An Old Gurdwara In Sargodha, Pakistan.
Sargodha is a big and important city in north-central Punjab. It is a new city; its foundations were laid down in 1903 during the British Raj. According to a booklet, “The Sargodha Perspective“, published by the Commissioner of Sargodha Division in 1975, this is how it got its name: The district of Sargodha derives its…
064. Gurdwara Chhevin Patshahi, Hafizabad
Hafizabad is a city located in north-central Punjab, about 45 kilometers west of Gujranwala. Over the past few years, I had passed through it many times on my way to Gujranwala, but never had the chance to explore it. Although I was vaguely aware of the presence of a historical gurdwara, I never found the…
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,…