Pilgrims from Maharashtra, who were part of the first jatha to visit the Gurdwara Darbar Sahib at Kartarpur in Pakistan, said they could not explain the emotions they felt while visiting the gurdwara where the founder of Sikhism, Guru Nanak, spent the last 18 years of his life.
Others said that their life has come a full circle because they could visit Kartarpur after visiting Nankana Sahib, the birthplace of the guru, also in Pakistan.
While four people from Maharashtra visited the holy site on November 9, a jatha consisting of around 100 people from the city is expected to visit the gurdwara in a month’s time.
“There was a lot of apprehension among people about visiting Kartarpur because they thought if there is a Pakistan stamp on their passport, they won’t get visas for other countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom easily. But, that’s not the case; the authorities there do not put a stamp on your passport,” said Jasbir Singh Dham, president, Gurdwara Guru Nanak Satsang Sabha, Chunabhatti. Dham added that he had never imagined going to Pakistan would be like “going to an uncle’s place”.
Some of the pilgrims who couldn’t complete their registration formalities looked at the gurdwara from the Indian side of the border using binoculars. Bhupinder Singh Manhas, president of Takhat Sachkhand Sri Hazur Abchal Nagar Sahib in Nanded, said he felt privileged to have visited the well which was used by Guru Nanak for irrigating his farm, and brought the water from that well for his family members.
{{/usCountry}}Some of the pilgrims who couldn’t complete their registration formalities looked at the gurdwara from the Indian side of the border using binoculars. Bhupinder Singh Manhas, president of Takhat Sachkhand Sri Hazur Abchal Nagar Sahib in Nanded, said he felt privileged to have visited the well which was used by Guru Nanak for irrigating his farm, and brought the water from that well for his family members.
{{/usCountry}}“I had wished to go to Nankana Sahib in August with other community members, but I couldn’t. I feel lucky to have got an opportunity to visit Kartarpur on the invitation of the Indian government,” said Manhas.
Gurinder Singh Bawa, a member of Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), the apex body of gurdwaras in the country, said everything there was beyond what the pilgrims had imagined, and they were treated with utmost respect by the Pakistan authorities. “We had langar at the gurdwara and it felt as if we were eating out of Gurudevji’s hands. We are thankful to both the countries for making this happen in our lifetime, and we hope that the relations between the two countries improve ,” said Bawa.
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