Kathmandu, Nepal (November 6, 2013): According to media reports the Nepalese Government has agreed to celebrate the Parkash Gurpurb of Guru Nanak Ji at Guru Nanak Math, a more than 400-year-old Gurdwara in Kathmandu, on November 17, 2013. The Nepalese government has agreed to allow pilgrims from all over the world to take part in the Gurpurb celebrations.
Guru Nanak Math (Kathmandu, Nepal)
According to information the government has accepted the demand of the Sarbat Da Bhala Charitable Trust headed by SPS Oberoi rgarding the installation of Guru Granth Sahib and implementation of the Sikh code of religious conduct at the gurdwara in the presence of Akal Takht Sahib Jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh on November 15.
It is learnt that the land of the ‘math’ still stands in the name of Guru Nanak Ji. In 1516, the then Nepal King Raja Jai Jagat Malla of the Malla dynasty had donated 1,600 acres of land for religious service to the first Sikh Guru.
As there was no one to take care of the ‘math’, various encroachments have taken place. Presently, only 34 acres are in the possession of the Gurdwara. However, with the help of the local population and officials, the Sarbat Da Bhala Ch. Trust (SDBCT) has managed to get access to the original papers signed by the then ruler under the official seal. To ensure no dispute arises about the donation, the king had made his son the witness.
A delegation headed by SDBCT had been in touch with Nepal’s Prime Minister Dr Baburam Bhattarai for past few months to restore the Sikh Maryada of the Gurdwara.
A SDBCT official reportedly said that after a Nepalese court have accepted the land donation and the government of Nepal has, in principle, agreed to allow restoration work at the Gurdwara Sahib. It has been entrusted to the Sarbat Da Bhala Charitable Trust, which has a registered branch in Kathmandu, and to the local people.
The SDBCT has reportedly signed an Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Guthi Sansthan of the Nepal Government for the celebrations and the Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh would personally monitor those.