TAXILA: Gurdwara Punja Sahib, Hassanabdal, is not only an icon of vibrant expression of faith, community and cross-border connection but also a ‘spiritual home’ for Sikhs across the globe, especially those living across the border. The pilgrims expressed joy and spiritual connection to the land, chanting “Jo Bole So Nihal”.

The gurdwara was constructed in 1823 by Sardar Hari Singh Nalwa, a general under Maharaja Ranjit Singh. He is the same Hari Singh after whom the city of Haripur is named. The renovation of Panja Sahib began in 1920 and continued intermittently until 1930. The gurdwara is home to a stone with Guru Nanak’s handprint, which is preserved, and the construction of the canopy over the handprint was completed in 1932. The term “Panja” refers to the handprint and “Sahib” means the “Lord” in Arabic, so the full meaning is “The Lord’s Handprint”.

Pakistan issued record 6,751 visas to Indian Sikh pilgrims for this year’s Vaisakhi festival — more than double the number granted in the previous years. Sardar Ravinder Singh Jaggi, a local Granthi (religious leader), said that Baisakhi also marks the day when Gobind Singh, the 10th and final guru of Sikhism, established the discipline of Khalsa, through which the faithful can aspire to the ultimate state of purity.

Thousands of Sikh men with orange robes and swords in their belts along with women and children dressed in colourful attire gathered last week at the temple to offer their religious and traditional festival of Besakhi, commemorate the 326th birth anniversary of the Khalsa, and renew the pledges of Sikhism to exercise harmony and brotherhood enshrined in their religion and the teachings of Guru Granth Sahib — the last Guru of the Sikh religion.

“Our faith began here. It is our spiritual home,” said Daljeet Singh Sarna, a leader of the Delhi Gurdwara Management Committee. The leader of the contingent of Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, Jang Bahadur Sing, said that the followers of the Sikh religion whether living in India or any other part of the world considered Pakistan as their holy land and its people as their brethren.

A pilgrim from Amritsar, Prof Satwant Singh, said that Pakistan was very important for Sikhs because Guru Nanak Dev was born and died in Pakistan. He added that the Sikh faith originated in Lahore in the 15th century, when Guru Nanak began a faith that preached equality. He said the sayings of Baba Farid were also added to the Granth, which further strengthened the relations between the two communities.

The most significant aspect of the gathering is ‘guru ka langar’ (food) at the gurdwara, which epitomises the abundance of divinity that can be found in the community working together regardless of their background or beliefs. It’s a central practice that emphasises sharing, community, and equality.

The Sikh pilgrims on their return from Vali and Kandahari, said that they had got peace of mind by going to Baba Vali Kandahari and the wish they had brought from India had been fulfilled, the devotees added.

A large number of Indian Sikh pilgrims, especially the elderly whose parents migrated in 1947, demanded that the Pakistan government allow the Sikh people to visit their birthplaces now situated in Pakistan.

Published in Dawn, April 20th, 2025