TAXILA: The Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) will soon open the abandoned Gurdwara Chowa Sahib, which is one of the most sacred Sikh temples.

A major restoration and preservation project would be initiated at the temple so that local and foreign Sikh pilgrims could offer their religious rituals there regularly without any hindrance.

The opening of the Sikh temple dating back to 1834 would highlight the government’s commitment to giving complete religious freedom to the minorities as well as strengthening interfaith harmony.

This was stated by ETPB Deputy Secretary, Shrines, Imran Gondal while talking to mediapersons here in Hassanabdal on Thursday.

Official says restoration project also planned at Gurdwara Chowa Sahib

He said that Gurdwara Chowa Sahib meant “Gurudwara of the exalted spring”, which was an abandoned temple located on the northern edge of Rohtas Fort and it commemorated the site where Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikh religion, was popularly believed to have created a water spring.

Mr Gondal said that this temple and water of the adjacent spring were sacred to the followers of the Sikh religion.

He said that according to a Sikh legend, Guru Nanak and Bhai Mardana were travelling in the region and had arrived at the site during hot summer in year 1521.

There Bhai Mardana lamented that water was scarce in the area on which Guru Nanak is said to have then struck the earth with his cane and moved a stone thereby revealing a natural spring.

The official said that the present building of this temple was constructed in 1834 on the command of Maharaja Ranjit Singh.

He said that the water was so holy that according to the Sikh history, Ranjit Singh used to drink water from this temple, specially transported to Lahore for him.

Answering a question, Mr Gondal said that access to the building was from inside the fort. He said that after restoration and preservation was completed the temple would become a favorite destination of religious tourism.

He said that ETPB chairman Dr Aamer Ahmed along with members of Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee would inaugurate the temple’s restoration project and reopen its doors to the people.

Published in Dawn, July 26th, 2019