Guru Nanak in Africa

Egypt

Uganda

A new discovery now suggests that Guru Nanak Dev Ji may have travelled as far as East Africa. A small settlement, a hundred miles from Kampala, Uganda, is named ‘Bamu Nanika’ ( (Bamu may be a short form of Baba Mungu - Mungu means God in Swahili) which the locals there revere for it’s spiritual powers. They say that a holy man, not one of their own, sat on a certain spot there and meditated. The spot is covered in a bark-like material and not shown to anyone. Prayers are done in their traditional way. It is also said that all of Uganda’s Kabakas (traditional kings) visited the ’shrine’ to receive blessings upon their advent of rule.

The area is arid with no fresh water for miles. But only a few hundred meters away is a small spring of fresh water which the locals do not allow anyone to drink or wash hands with. The water is somehow used like ‘giving amrit’ to devotees who are all africans.

When asked about who they revere the place for, the locals say that, ‘He is not one of ours but there is some great spiritual power here’.

Recently, a number of Gyanis from India visited the shrine to further the discovery. It is even believed that in a sakhi, Bhai Mardana asked Guru Nanak why the locals had curly hair. That faintly suggests Guru Nanak’s visit to Africa.

The locals know not who the Sikhs are. We are strangers to them but with further research, there is a high possibility of adding Africa’s name to the places Guru Nanak travelled to.

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