Kartarpur sahib
Kartarpur (meaning: The City of God) (Gurmukhi: ਕਰਤਾਰਪਰ ਸਾਹਿਬ) was established by Guru Nanak in 1522[1]. The town is located in Pakistan at a distance of about 3 kms from the Indo-Pakistan border. It is very close to Gurdwara Dera Baba Nanak in Gurdaspur with the River Ravi separating the two locations. A bridge which joined the two Gurdwaras was destroyed during the 1965 Indo-Pak war.
The original abode established by Guru Nanak was washed away by floods of the river Ravi and the present Gurudwara was established by Maharaja Ranjit Singh. Recently, there has been lobbying to open the corridor for Sikhs from India to visit the shrine without any hindrance or visa. It lies only 3km from the border.
When Guru Nanak departed for his heavenly abode, Hindus and Muslims disagreed on how to perform the last rites. The Hindus as per their tradition wanted to carry out a cremation while the Muslims wanted to carry out a burial. A samadh (Hindu tradition) lies in the Gurdwara and a grave (according to Muslim traditions) lies on the premises as a reminder of this discord.
The gurdwara is located next to a small village named Kothay Pind (village) on the West bank of the Ravi River in Punjab, Pakistan. The Gurudwara at Kartarpur can be seen from another Gurudwara located across the border at the historical town of Dera Baba Nanak in India (It is not Daara, as so many people wrongly call it. Dehra is derived from the word Deh or body). Both sites are one of the holiest places in Sikhism located in the Majha region. Recently, there has been lobbying to open the corridor for Sikhs from India to visit the shrine without any hindrance or visa. It lies only 3 km from the border.
Geography
Kartarpur is located at [2]. It has an average elevation of 155 metres (511 feet).
See also
- Kartarpur, India
- See Wikipedia article on Kartarpur sahib for more information
