No wonder then that all devout Sikhs, and for that matter all Punjabis, dream a visit to Nankana Sahib and pray at half a dozen historical gurdwaras, particularly Gurdwara Janamsthan, located about 75 km from Lahore. The gurdwara is among the most important places of Sikh pilgrimage besides the Golden Temple and the birthplace of the Khalsa, Takht Sri Keshgarh Sahib at Anandpur Sahib.

Thus it was a godsend for me when an offer came to visit Nankana Sahib. The Pakistan government had been allowing a limited number of pilgrims in religious jathas (groups) to visit the gurdwara on festive occasions. My visit was to be as part of a delegation led by former Haryana CM Om Parkash Chautala.

The Sikhs in our group were immersed in prayers when we saw the yellow and white complex. One could see their eyes get moist as we neared the gurdwara after about two hours’ journey from Lahore. We were awestruck as we entered the sacred and historic precinct and proceeded towards the entrance. Evidently not matching the opulence of the Golden Temple, the building was freshly whitewashed and the sweet rhythms of Gurbani floate from the sanctum sanctoram.

Guru Nanak was born here in 1469. The place was then called Rai Bhoi di Talwandi. He stayed here for several years before embarking on a long journey to spread his word. The place remained neglected for several decades after he left but regained prominence when two other Sikh Gurus, Guru Arjan Dev and Guru Hargobind, visited the place. The shrines remained under the control of local mahants during British rule and there were stories of excesses committed by them. Then in 1921 a large number of Sikhs protested and stormed the Gurdwara against the mahant who was being backed by the British. He ordered his men to open fire, killing about 150 of them. Bullet marks left by the incident are still visible in the premises.

This led to an uproar and the SGPC took over the management. It looked after the gurdwaras till 1947; thereafter the shrines fell into neglect once again. With the thaw in bilateral ties, Pakistan has been allowing greater and greater numbers access to visit the shrine. In March last year, Punjab chief Minister Amarinder Singh and his Pakistani Punjab counterpart, Pervez Elahi, jointly laid the foundation stone for a road linking the town with Manawala.