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.