Kartarpur Sahib: PM Modi puts Pakistan gurudwara in news again

The Gurdwara Sahib in Kartarpur, which is situated in the Punjab province of Pakistan, is once again in the news.

Ahead of the seventh phase of the Lok Sabha elections on June 1, Prime Minister Narendra Modi made the claim while campaigning in Punjab that, had he been in power at the time, he would have reclaimed the Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara from Pakistan in 1971.

“We could only have a ‘darshan’ of the Kartarpur Sahib gurdwara with binoculars for 70 years,” Modi remarked.

He declared, “Had Modi been there at that time, he would have liberated their troops and taken Kartapur Sahib from them.”

“I did what I could, but they (Congress) did not do that,” Modi continued.

However, what makes this gurdwara important? What is its past known to us?

Kartarpur hamlet is home to the Sri Kartarpur Gurdwara.

The village of Kartarpur is located on the west bank of the Ravi River in the Narowal district of Pakistan. The distance from the international border is about 4.5 km.

In 1572, the gurdwara’s foundation stone was laid. Maharaja Ranjit Singh the ruler of the Khalsa Empire  – the last major native empire before the British East India Company extended its rule over the whole of India –  had adorned its dome with gold.

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After Partition, the area in which this gurdwara is situated became a part of the newly-created state of Pakistan.

The significance of Kartarpur lies in the fact that the first Sikh Guru, Guru Nanak Dev spent the final 18 years of his life here.

Guru Nanak traveled across numerous nations and a large part of India before arriving in Kartarpur in 1521. 

He received 100 acres of property on the banks of the river Ravi bank from Duni Chand, the jagirdar of the area.

After receiving the grant, Guru Nanak moved here with his parents, wife Mata Sulakhni, and two sons, Sri Chand and Lakshmi Chand.