Rai Bhoi di Talwandi to Nankana Sahib

Nankana Sahib Gurudwara

Sikh history originates from Nankana Sahib. Guru Nanak Dev Ji was born here in 1469. The name of the place at that time was Rai Bhoi di Talwandi. But if we step back in history this town was called Talwandi. it was the centre of the Punjab or Panjab as it was called then.

 

It is said to have been originally built by a Hindu king called Raja Vairat and Talwandi was totally ransacked and destroyed by wave after wave of invaders and marauders. The earliest historical reference to the city of Talwandi is found in ballads. It is mentioned in the context of the first siege of Jaisalmer which occurred during the reign of Alla-ud-din Khilji (1295-1315). 

These were the tumultuous time in history, and perhaps to create a bulwark, the self-crowned heads of Delhi Sultanate bundled out Punjab to Muslim warrior chiefs in exchange for peace. One of these chiefs was Rai Bhoi Bhatti, a Muslim of the Bhatti Rajput tribe…..

This is another story that I can follow up in my next posting.

Rai Bhoi along with his son salvaged Talwandi from ruins, and as a part of the restoration built a fortification on a high ground in which he lived safe, secure and a just ruler of over 100, 000 acres land. Talwandi came to be known as Raipur and subsequently as Rai-Bhoi-Di-Talwandi.

After Rai Bhoi's death, his only son Rai Bular Bhatti inherited the legacy. Rai Bular governed the land and town at the birth and during the youth of Nanak. Rai Bular, himself became a devotee of the Guru….

After Bibi Nanaki, we could say that he was his most committed and dedicated disciple,

Rai Bular’s estate had several thousand acres of cultivated land and a boundless wilderness surrounded by a deep and lonely Bar or raised forest. … with jal predominates, which but there are also found the phulahi and the 

jand.....khejri. 






It was called Nilianwali Bar…. forest where nilgais abound in the 1400s A.D. The wild deer roamed freely in the forest with only occasional travelers to disturb the solitude of its domain. The hare and the partridges used to cower cautiously along the thickets around the town.

This was the haven where Rai Bular ruled and people of Rai Bhoi di Talwandi lived in a cocoon free of turmoil of the world around them. Rai Bular was a 'gentle giant', towering in stature, but quiet and solitary. Talwandi became a reflection of his personality. It was an idyllic place for the Baby Nanak to grow up and be a Guru, who could lead his people to the sacred path of truth, and open their minds from the superstitions of ages.

Mata Tripta .....Birth of Nanak

Guru nanak's birth took place on the third day of the light half of the month of Baisakh (April-May) in the year 1526 of the Vikramaditya era, corresponding to A.D. 1469.

It was renamed Nankana after the Guru. Nankana Sahib is in Sheikhupura. Nankana literally means Nanak da ana, or "the coming of Nanak".

Nankana Sahib is about 75 kilometers west-southwest of Lahore.

It was renamed Nankana after the Guru. Nankana Sahib is in Sheikhupura. Nankana literally means Nanak da ana, or "the coming of Nanak".

The Message of Guru Nanak was the True Blessing

So said Dalai Lama……….

Saints like Guru Nanak make their presence felt in this weary world in order to show the right path to the suffering humanity by personal sacrifice and example. The message of Guru Nanak was a real blessing at the time when India was in grave crisis.

The foundation of Sikhism is laid on the teachings of Guru Nanak. Guru Nanak's teachings centred on the firm belief in one ‘Param Atma’, earning an honest living and sharing, and that all the people of all religions are equal.

His Travels and Teachings were based on ' ONENESS'.

Guru Nanak disentangled people from the buildup of errors through ages and encouraged them not to harbour prejudices in mind and to reject rules and rituals which shackled them in dogmatic confusion of 'Kalyug', by and by guiding them towards spirituality. Guru Nanak laid stress on keeping true faith in God and pursuing the path of good, and truth which leads one towards God.

 He often said that God was inside oneself.

                      As fragrance abides in the flower
                 As reflection is within the mirror.
                 So does your Lord abide within you,
                 Why search for him without?”

But then, is this not what is said by each and every man of God over the centuries….

But do we listen?

Buddha -- The subject on which I meditate is truth. The practice to which I devote myself is the truth. The topic of my conversation is truth. My thoughts are always in truth. For lo! Myself has become the truth.

Jesus Christ -- Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God was coming, he answered them, "The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed; nor will they say, ‘Lo, here it is!’ or ‘There!’ for behold, the kingdom of God is within you."

Krishna -- I am the Self, O Gudekesa, seated in the hearts of all creatures. I am the beginning, the middle, and the end of all beings.

 Mohammed -- He who knows his own self, knows God..