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Gurdwara Lakhpat Sahib Ji
Gurpreet
Singh Anand
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Intrepid traveller,
who braved the cold of the North Pole, South Pole and Mount
Everest, takes us on a journey in the footsteps of the travels
of the first Master, Guru Nanak Sahib Ji in Gujarat. During the
course of an earlier interview, the author told us, “Life is a
journey, from one path to another, from one pilgrimage to
another and I am destined to do that.” Exclusive to World Sikh
News, this first person account candidly brings to life, the
aura and pristine glory of the place with awe and respect. Like
his words, the pictures taken by the author bring forth the
beauty and expanse of the place. |
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 Some
weeks back, my passion for travel took me to Gujarat. I was amazed
to come across a lesser known facet of Sikh history. I saw evidence
of the visit of Guru Nanak Sahib to Gujarat and also learnt that
except for some scholars, Sikhs had forgotten about this place and
other places visited by Guru Nanak. Better late than never. It is
time to connect the dots of history and discover our rich heritage
linked to our founder Guru Ji.
During his second Udasi (travels) from
1506-13 and fourth Udasi from 1519-21, Guru Nanak Sahib travelled to
Mecca through the then to the Port of Basta Bandher, in the then
province of Sind. Today, this place is called Lakhpat and is about
135 kilometers from the town of Bhuj on the edges of the Cori Creek
on the tip of the border between India and Pakistan.
Lakhpat fort is about 20 kilometers from
Korini village where there is also a big Sarovar to the memory of
Guru Nanak Dev ji Sahib's visit. Lakpat was so named, it is said, as
the daily income from sailings of inbound and outbound ships to
shore exceeded one lakh cories (the then local currency). Today the
Sindhu River no longer flows on its banks as it was diverted during
the great earthquake of Bhuj in 1819 to the west to an area what is
now in Pakistan's Sind province. Even today in the soil you can find
millions of shells from the dried bed of the Sindhu River.
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 It will come
as a surprise to Sikhs, that the Gurdawara was restored to its
present immaculate state by the strenuous efforts of United
Nations volunteer programme during a seven month period between
February and September 2003. |
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Since 1947, the Lakhpat Fort is housing
the lat outpost of the Border Security Force and is hope to some
400-500 people within its walls and several Temples and Sufi Darghas.
It also has Gurdawara Pehili Padshai "Lakhpat Gurdawara". There is
Hatkeshwar Temple that houses fossilized shells, The Gosh Mohmmad
Kuba, Darghah of Syed Pir Shah and Nanai Mai Darghah –all stand
witness to the glorious past.
Legend
has it that the place visited by Guru Nanak was the house of a
Brahman and is located within the fort of Lakhpat. According to the
local people, that house was converted into a Gurdwara some two
hundred years ago and vast tracts of land were bestowed on the
Gurdwara for upkeep, maintenance and regular expenses of the shrine.
The Gurdwara complex comprises of a main
building that has a courtyard and a separate structure which is a
two storied gateway on the western side with massive wooden doors.
The internal and external walls have paintings in line patterned
with floral motifs of the period -ships, flowers, royal personage,
etc. The walls have graffiti by religious travellers in old Gurmukhi
script. Constructed in limestone, the Gurdwara has on its walls
statues of elephants, flowers, Chabutras and statues in human and
animal form embedded to its walls. The verandah has exquisitely
carved wooden columns. The whole arena has a touch of the old and a
beautiful nostalgic charm to it.
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 The walls have
graffiti by religious travellers in old Gurmukhi script.
Constructed in limestone, the Gurdwara has on its walls statues
of elephants, flowers, Chabutras and statues in human and animal
form embedded to its walls. The verandah has exquisitely carved
wooden columns. The whole arena has a touch of the old and a
beautiful nostalgic charm to it. |
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The main room has relics associated with
Guru Nanak Sahib, which relics, it is said, were bestowed by Guru
Sahib to the Brahmin in whose house Guru Sahib stayed. These
include Charan paduka -khdawans or wooden footwear and a
Palki of the great Guru, both of which are housed in asealed
glass enclosure, where there is Parkash of Guru Granth Sahib. As
much as I know, these are perhaps the holiest relics of Guru Nanak
Sahib on Indian soil. In the adjacent room within a wooden and
glass panel are kept old handwritten Gurmukhi religious books and
old religious scriptures
It will come as a surprise to Sikhs,
that the Gurdawara was restored to its present immaculate state by
the strenuous efforts of United Nations volunteer programme for a
seven month period between February and September 2003. Thanks to
their efforts, the assistance of the local community and the Sikh
Sangat from Gandhidham, the Gurdwara has the unique distinction of
being awarded the Asia Pacific Heritage Conservation award for the
year 2004 by UNESCO. Carried out under the aegis of CRCI (Cultural
Resources Conservation Initiative), it was a major conservation
project.
 Conferring
the award UNESCO stated "the restoration of this Sikh house of
worship demonstrates a sophisticated holistic understanding of both
the technical and social aspects of conservation; careful attention
to detail and sensitive repair work have ensured the retention of
the building's historic character. The emphasis on involving and
empowering the community ensures the long term survival of the
historic building and its associated cultural traditions.” From what
I learnt, more than $ 43,000 grant was made by UNESCO to bring
restore the holy place to its pristine glory, with conservation
architects and masons brought in from Delhi, Punjab, Rajasthan,
Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat to assist in restoration work .
Those desiring to feel the ambience of
the visit of Guru Nanak Sahib can visit the can visit the Gurdwara
Sahib, to which a Yatri Niwas, Langar Hall, Diwan Hall, modern
amenities are being added.
The care taker of the Gurdwara Sahib who
is overseeing the work is S. Lakha Singh from Baruch and the Granthi
Sahib Bhai Sukhchain Singh can be contacted at 9909606367 for
arrangements to travel and stay.
Gurpreet Singh Anand
lives in Delhi. He may be contacted at pilgrim_gsa@yahoo.co.in
13
January 2010
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