南卡纳沙希布 城镇

Nankana Sahib is a city in the central part of Punjab, Pakistan, serving as the headquarters of its eponymous district. It is named after Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism, who was born and based here; with his birthplace gurdwara being a nationally 'Protected Heritage Monument' making Nankana Sahib among the holiest sites for Sikhs. It is located about 91 km (57 mi) west of Lahore and about 75 km (47 mi) east of Faisalabad. The city had a population of 130,041 in 2023.

Until 2005, it was a part of the Sheikhupura District.

History

Originally, the locality was founded by a Hindu ruler named Raja Vairat and was originally named Raipur but it was destroyed during the Muslim conquests in the Indian subcontinent. A town on the site of the first settlement was founded during the Delhi Sultanate rule by Rai Bhoi, a Rajput of Bhati stock whose Hindu ancestor had converted to Islam under the influence of Sufism, and thus was known as Rai-Bhoi-Di-Talwandi. His great-grand son Rai Bular Bhatti, renamed it as 'Nankana Sahib' after the birth of Guru Nanak. Talwandi Rai Bhoe had been a deserted and abandoned habitation until Diwan Kaura Mal sponsored the construction of holy-tanks (sarovars) and memorial gurdwaras there in 1750, which had generous land holdings given to them by Kaura Mal, which formed the estate of Nankana Sahib until partition of Punjab in 1947. The Gurdwara Nankana Sahib, originally constructed by the Sikhs during the Mughal-era in around 1600 CE was renovated in 1819–20 CE by the Sikh Maharaja Ranjit Singh.

During the Akali movement, on 20 February 1921, Narain Das, the Udasi mahant (clergy) of the gurdwara at Nankana Sahib, ordered his men to fire on Akali protesters, leading to the Nankana massacre. The firing was widely condemned, and an agitation was launched until the control of this historic Janam Asthan Gurdwara was restored to the Sikhs. Again in the 1930s and 1940s the Sikhs added more buildings and more architectural design.

Geography

Nankana Sahib and it surroundings were formerly a tehsil of Sheikhupura District. In May 2005, the provincial government raised the status of Nankana Sahib to a district for promoting development in the area. The present District has three tehsils: Nankana Sahib, Shah Kot, and Sangla Hill. Before December 2008, District Nankana Sahib also included Safdarabad Tehsil.

There are plans to construct a 100 acres (40 ha) university as well as hospitals and health care facilities by the district government with mutual interest of local communities and family of Rai Bular.

In 2007, the Pakistan government announced a plan to set up a university on Sikh religion and culture at Nankana Sahib, the birthplace of Guru Nanak. Chairman of Pakistan's Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB), Gen (R) Zulfikar Ali Khan, said that "The international Guru Nanak University planned at Nankana Sahib would have the best architecture, curricula and research centre on Sikh religion and culture".

Demographics

Population

According to the 2023 census, Nankana Sahib city has a population of 94,988.

Religions

The partition of India and Pakistan significantly changed the demographic composition of Pakistan's cities with the vast majority of Hindus and Sikhs having to leave Pakistan and vice versa for Muslims in India. The 2023 Pakistani Census however showed that while still overwhelmingly Muslim at 97%, there is now a re-established Sikh community in the holy city their founder was born in. This can be attributed to the migration of Sikhs to the city fleeing from the Taliban insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Data from the 2023 census shows that the city of Nankana Sahib has a Sikh population of 1,875 out of a total population of 130,041. Nankana Sahib is the only city in Pakistan where Sikhs are the largest minority religion comprising just under 1.5% of the population. There is also a significant Christian population of 1,734 in the city making up 1.3% of the population.

Languages

The city is overwhelmingly Punjabi speaking, with Punjabi speakers comprising over 96.3% of the population. 2.5% also stated Urdu as their mother tongue.

The average household size in 2023 was 6.3 per household while the 2017-2023 average annual growth rate was 2.82%.

Notable places

Quba Masjid (A replica of Quba Masjid of Madina)

Gurdwara Janam Asthan

Nankana Lake Resort

Residency of Baba Guru Nanak

Gurdwara Patti Sahib

Gurdwara Bal Leela

Gurdwara Mal Ji Sahib

Gurdwara Kiara Sahib

Gurdwara Tambu Sahib

And other historical Gurdwaras of Sikhism.

Education

Universities/Higher Education Institutes

Virtual University of Pakistan Nankana Sahib Campus

Baba Guru Nanak University

Education

Nankana Sahib is home to several educational institutions, including:

Government College of Commerce, Nankana Sahib

Government G.N. Degree College, Nankana Sahib

Government G.N. Degree College for Women, Nankana Sahib

Punjab Group of Colleges, Nankana Sahib

Superior College, Nankana Sahib

Schools

Nankana Sahib is home to several schools. A notable institution is:

Allied Schools (Pakistan)

Notable people

Rai Bular Bhatti

Mohammad Irfan, Pakistani cricketer

Rai Mansab Ali Khan

Rai Rashid Ahmed Khan

Shezra Mansab Ali Khan

Guru Nanak, founder and first of the Sikh Gurus

Ganga Ram

Ijaz Ahmed Shah

Babra Sharif, film actor

Barjees Tahir