September 18, 2007	Tuesday	Ramazan 05, 1428

NAROWAL, Sept 17: Three-day religious rites to observe Sikhism founder Guru Nanak Dev’s 468th death anniversary will start from Sept 20 at Gurudwara Darbar Sahib in Kirtarpur, some 16-kilometre away from here, where he is believed to be resting.

Thousands of Sikhs from across the world, particularly from India and European counties, will attend the rites at Guru Nanak’s samahdi and grave in the Indo-Pak bordering village on Sept 22.

Both Sikhs and Muslims respected Guru Nanak as their religious leader and it is believed that after his death a controversy cropped up regarding his funeral as Sikhs wanted to pay him last respect according to their religious rites while Muslims wanted to offer his funeral according to Islamic traditions.

Later, Muslims constructed a grave while Sikhs built a smahdhi at the site now housed by Gurdwara Darbar Sahib.

Sikh traditions state that at the age of 30, Nanak went missing and was presumed to have drowned after going for one of his morning baths to a local stream called the Kali Bein or the Humber Bain. Three days later, he resurfaced and would give the same answer to any question posed to him: “There is no Hindu, there is no Muslim”. It was from this moment that Nanak would begin to spread the teachings of what was then the beginning of Sikhism. He assumed Guruship on Aug 20, 1507.

Though Sikhs believed him as their Guru, some Muslims equally respected him as their religious leader during his lifetime as his preaching were very close to Islamic thoughts. It is also believed that Guru Nanak had also performed Hajj during his last of the four meticulous journeys spanning thousands of kilometres in this part of the globe.

Guru Nanak always preached love, brotherhood, peace and sacrifice for the welfare of mankind beyond the discrimination of religion, race or colour. His primary message to society was recorded to be “devotion of thought and excellence of conduct as the first of duties”.

In 1504, Guru Nanak decided to stay at a place now Kirtarpur village on western bank of River Ravi near Jassar, some 60 kilometres away from Amritsar and some 36 kilometres from Batala. Ajeeta Randhawa, a follower of Guru Nanak, and his companions welcomed him at this place. They donated nearby lands to Guru Nanak and laid the foundation of the building now called Gurdwara Darbar Sahib. Dodha and Doni Chand also donated to setting up of a Dharam Shala (worshipping place) there.

In his last days, Guru Nanak appointed one of his followers, Guru Angad Dev, the 2nd Guru also known as Bhai Lahina Ji, as his successor on Sept 7, 1539. Guru Nanak died on Sept 22, 1539 at the age of 69.