Historical Gurdwaras in Foreign Lands

PAKISTAN

Nankana Sahib

Gurdwara Panja Sahib - Hasan Abdal

Hasan Abdal is a small town and a railway station along the main Lahore - Peshawar railway line in Campbelopre (or Attock) district. Close to it is a spring of cool, clean water which according to tradition was created by Guru Nanak Dev.

It is said that the Guru arrived here at the end of his tour of West Asia. At the time the only source of water near this place was a reservoir at the top of the nearby hill where lived a Muslim divine Wali Kandhari. The Guru sent Mardana thrice to the Wali in order to drink and fetch some water, but every time the latter refused to oblige saying that he would not help a Muslim (Mardana was a Muslim) who followed a 'Hindu' Guru. Guru Nanak then asked Mardana to remove a stone nearby from where water sprang forth. At the same time water in Wali Kandhari's infuriated by the 'Hindu' miracle, rooled down, a rock towards the latter. Guru Nanak Dev, sitting unruffled, merely extended his right arm towards the rolling rock and not only the rock stopped dead, but his open plam made an imprint on it as if it was made of molten wax. Wali Kandhari, impressed by the miracle came down and bowed to the Guru asking his pardon and blessing.

Gurdwara Panja (lit. palm) Sahib was established during the reign of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. Its control remained with a line of mahants until Jathedar Kartar Singh Jhabbar and his small band of Akali reformers occupied it in September 1920.

A heroic incident which occurred at Hasan Abdal on 30th October 1922 made the place more prominent. Guru Ka Bagh Morcha was on. A train full of Sikh prisoners was on its way to Mianwali Central Jail. Sikh sangat of Panja Sahib arranged to serve meals to the prisoners at Hasan railway station, but the authorities refused to stop the train there. A band of Sikhs headed by Bhai Partap Singh, an employee of the Gurdwara, and Bhai Karam Singh, a pilgrim to the shrine, squatted on the rail track in order to force the train to halt. The train did stop but not before mowing down a number of non-violent resistors of whom the above two succumbed to their injuries.

The foundation of the beautiful three-storey building, designed after the samadb of Maharaja Ranjit Singh in Lahore, was laid in October 1932. Built with grey sandstone, its exterior is stopped with protruding domed bay windows. The central fluted dome is surrounded by several symmetrically placed big and small domed kiosks. Unlike the Maharaja's samadb in Lahore, it has porches covering entrances to the sanctum which stands within the sarovar that receives water gushing forth from around the rock bearing the sacred Panja Sahib or the palm-imprint of the Guru. Several other buildings for staff and pilgrims and other ancillaries were added subsequently.

Guru ka Langar at Panja Sahib was famous for the quality of food and service at all hours of day and night. Congregational fair used to be held on Baisakhi (mid-April) and on 30th October until 1947. Now only organized bands of pilgrims occasionally visit Panja Sahib with the permission of the Pakistan government. One of such regular visits coincides with the Baisakhi festival.