Nankana Sahib

"Nankana" redirects here. For the 2018 Punjabi-language film, see Nankana (film).

For the district, see Nankana Sahib District. For the tehsil, see Nankana Sahib Tehsil.

Nankana Sahib ننکاݨا صاحب (Punjabi) ننكانہ صاحب (Urdu)
City
Gurdwara Janam Asthan
Nankana Sahib Show map of Punjab, Pakistan Nankana Sahib Show map of Pakistan
Coordinates: 31°27′0″N73°42′24″E / 31.45000°N 73.70667°E / 31.45000; 73.70667
Country	Pakistan
Province	Punjab
Division	Lahore
District	Nankana Sahib
Government
Elevation	187 m (614 ft)
Population  (2023)
• City	130,041
District Council	3 seats

Nankana Sahib
Punjabi language
Transliteration	nankāṇā sāhib
Shahmukhi	نَنکاݨا صَاحِب
Transliteration	nankāna ṣāḥib
IPA	[nə̃nə̆käːɳa‿s̪äː˧ɪb]

Nankana Sahib ^[a] 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. ^{[1] [2]} It is located about 91 km (57 mi) west of Lahore and about 75 km (47 mi) east of Faisalabad. ^[3] The city had a population of 130,041 in 2023. ^[4]

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. ^[5] 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. ^{[5] [6]} His great-grand son Rai Bular Bhatti, renamed it as 'Nankana Sahib' after the birth of Guru Nanak. 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. ^[7]

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. ^[8] 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 ^[9] 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. ^[10]

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. ^[11]

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". ^[12]

Notable places

Gurdwara Nankana Sahib

• Quba Masjid (A replica of Quba Masjid of Madina)
• Gurdwara Janam Asthan
• Nankana Lake Resort ^{[13] [14] [15]}
• Residency of Baba Guru Nanak
• Gurdwara Patti Sahib ^[16]
• Gurdwara Bal Leela ^[16]
• Gurdwara Mal Ji Sahib ^[16]
• Gurdwara Kiara Sahib ^[16]
• Gurdwara Tambu Sahib ^[16]

And other historical Gurdwaras of Sikhism.

Notable people

• Guru Nanak, founder and first of the Sikh Gurus
• Rai Bular Bhatti
• Mohammad Irfan, Pakistani cricketer
• Rai Mansab Ali Khan
• Rai Rashid Ahmed Khan
• Shizra Mansab Ali Khan
• Ganga Ram
• Ijaz Shah
• Babra Sharif, film actor
• Barjees Tahir

Demographics

Religion in Nankana Sahib (2023) ^[17]

1. Islam (96.9%)
2. Sikhism (1.44%)
3. Christianity (1.33%)
4. Others (0.32%)

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. ^[18] 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 the Pashtun Sikhs to the city fleeing from the Taliban insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. ^[19]

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. ^[20]

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. ^[21]

The average household size in 2023 was 6.3 per household while the 2017-2023 average annual growth rate was 2.82%. ^[22]

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 ^[23]
• Government G.N. Degree College, Nankana Sahib ^[24]
• Government G.N. Degree College for Women, Nankana Sahib ^[25]
• Punjab Group of Colleges, Nankana Sahib ^[26]
• Superior College, Nankana Sahib ^[27]

Schools

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

• Allied Schools (Pakistan) ^[28]

See also

• Sikhism in Pakistan
• Gurdwara Janam Asthan
• Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur
• Harmandir Sahib
• Gurudwara Sis Ganj Sahib

Notes

1. Punjabi: ننکاݨا صاحب, romanized: Nankāṇā Sāhib; Urdu: ننکانہ صاحب, romanized: Nankāna Ṣāhib

References

1. Iqbal, Amjad (22 November 2015). "Over 2,500 Indian Sikhs attend annual pilgrimage". DAWN.COM. Archived from the original on 7 January 2019. Retrieved 20 April 2016.
2. Historical Gurudwaras:Nankana Sahib Archived 2011-09-14 at the Wayback Machine . Sgpc.net. Retrieved on 2011-11-15.
3. Nankana Sahib Archived 2011-12-22 at the Wayback Machine . Nha.gov.pk. Retrieved on 2011-11-15.
4. "Nankana Sahib District Population of Cities, Towns and Villages 2017-2018". 23 May 2018. Archived from the original on 21 July 2019. Retrieved 21 October 2019.
5. Singh, Bhupender (December 2022). Baba Nanak Shah Fakir. Blue Rose Publishers. p. 151. ISBN   9789357046602. Talwandi is said to have been originally built by a Hindu king, Raja Vairat. It was sacked and destroyed by fire and crowbar, like most Hindu towns and cities, during the Muslim invasions. Rai Bhullar restored Talwandi (earlier known as Raipur) and built a fort on the summit of the tumulus (ancient burial mound), in which he lived as the secure and happy ruler of a small village, some limited acres of cultivated land, and a boundless wilderness. The Bhatti clan is known to have founded the cities of Bathinda and Jaisalmer, among others. Rai Jaisal Bhatti (who lived around 1000 AD) founded Jaisalmer. One of the descendants of Rai Jaisal Bhatti came out of Jaisalmer, moved towards Punjab and settled down in Lahore. From within the same clan a gentleman named Rai Addel Bhatti (1265–1350), the grandson of Rai Jaisal Bhatti adopted the Islam faith due to the influence of Sufism, but did not leave his Hindu Rajput traditions and culture and Rai Bhoi Bhatti, one of his descendants, established Talwandi Rai Bhoi Khan Ki (today's Nankana Sahib).
6. Khalsa, Sukhmandir (1 January 2010). "Historical Gurdwaras of Nankana, Pakistan Commemorating Guru Nanak Dev". About.com Religion & Spirituality. Archived from the original on 9 May 2016. Retrieved 20 April 2016.
7. "Our History | Nankana Sahib". nankana.punjab.gov.pk. Archived from the original on 2024-05-21. Retrieved 2025-03-08.
8. Singh, Roopinder (March 23, 2011). "Bhagat Singh: The making of the revolutionary". The Tribune . Archived from the original on 2015-09-30. Retrieved 2011-10-23. Bhagat Singh was a well-read, articulate young man who significantly impacted Indian history and left behind a legacy that even 80 years after his martyrdom is still very much a part of our cultural ethos
9. Nankana becomes a district Archived 2005-10-01 at the Wayback Machine . Dawn.com. Retrieved on 2011-11-15.
10. www.sheikhupura.pk https://www.sheikhupura.pk/skp/safdarabad.htm . Retrieved 2025-11-06.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
11. "Nankana Sahib in Pak to be a recreational village". The Times of India . Sep 27, 2003. Archived from the original on July 26, 2012. Retrieved 2011-10-23.
12. "Pak govt plans university at Nankana Sahib". The Times of India . Apr 17, 2007. Archived from the original on July 7, 2012. Retrieved 2011-10-23.
13. https://www.facebook.com/NankanaLakeResort/ Archived 2019-03-25 at the Wayback Machine ^{[ user-generated source ]}
14. "Nankana Lake Resort Nankana Sahib | Pakistan Hotels". Archived from the original on 2019-06-08. Retrieved 2019-06-08.
15. "Nankana Lake Resort and Gurdwara Nankana Sahib". Archived from the original on 2019-06-08. Retrieved 2019-06-08.
16. "Explained: What is the historical significance of Nankana Sahib in Pakistan?". The Indian Express. 2020-01-07. Archived from the original on 2021-10-27. Retrieved 2021-10-19.
17. "7th Population and Housing Census - Detailed Results". Archived from the original on 2024-12-03. Retrieved 2024-12-08.
18. http://faculty.washington.edu/brass/Partition.pdf Archived 2015-04-14 at the Wayback Machine Archived (PDF) from the original on 14 April 2021.
19. Khalid, Haroon (2018-01-09). "How Pakhtun Sikhs fleeing the Taliban made Nankana Sahib a cultural hub". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2025-06-01.
20. "TABLE 9 : POPULATION BY SEX, RELIGION AND RURAL/URBAN, CENSUS - 2023" (PDF). Retrieved 8 December 2024.
21. "TABLE 11 : POPULATION BY MOTHER TONGUE, SEX AND RURAL/URBAN, CENSUS-2023" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 8 December 2024. Retrieved 8 December 2024.
22. "TABLE 1 : AREA, POPULATION BY SEX, SEX RATIO, POPULATION DENSITY, URBAN POPULATION, HOUSEHOLD SIZE AND ANNUAL GROWTH RATE, CENSUS-2023, PUNJAB" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 8 December 2024. Retrieved 8 December 2024.
23. "Government College of Commerce, Nankana Sahib". Punjab Higher Education Department. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
24. "Government Colleges in Nankana Sahib". Punjab Higher Education Department. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
25. "Government Colleges for Women in Punjab". Punjab Higher Education Department. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
26. "Punjab Group of Colleges". Punjab Group of Colleges. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
27. "Superior College Nankana Sahib". Superior Group. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
28. "Allied Schools". Allied Schools Pakistan. Retrieved 29 August 2025.