Kartarpur is held in high esteem by the Sikh community. That is so because Guru Nanak Dev Ji (1469-1539), founder of the Sikh religion, lived there for over 17 years. He gave the name Kartarpur Sahib to the place. And it is at this place that his holy spirit left his mortal frame to re-join the Source. Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji constituted the code of ethics for the humanity at this place. That code is now the ethics of the Skh religion. The three basic tenets are naamjapo (pray to God), vandchhako (share food with others) and kiratkaro (earn by doing labour). Through these ethical codes, Guru Nanak Dev ji laid the foundation of the Sikh community. The tradition of guruship in the Sikh religion was also established at Kartarpur Sahib. Guru Nank Dev ji appointed his sevak Bhai Lahina Ji as second Guru of the Sikhs and named him Guru Anagad Dev ji. By bestowing guruship on Bhai Lahina Ji, Guru Sahib introduced the concept of guruship as a continuing process wherein Sri Guru Granth Sahib is our prestigious eleventh Guru. The village Kartarpur situated on the right bank of River Ravi. It is now in Narowal district of Pakistan (earlier in Sialkot of Pakistan) near the Indian-Pakistan border. In India, it is usually referred to as Kartarpur Ravi to distinguish it from the Kartarpur town which falls in Jalandhar district of the Indian Punjab. Until 1947, i.e. the Partition of India, Kartarpur village fell in Shakargarh tehsil of Gurdaspur district, now in the Indian Punjab. With the Partition, this sacred place became inaccessible to the Sikhs. One could have a darshan (holy glimpse) of it from the high embankment marking the Indo-Pak boundary north of Dera Baba Nanak which is situated on the left bank of the Ravi and falls in Gurdaspur district. Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji was born on April 15, 1469 at Rai Bhoi Ki Talwandi which is now reverently named Nankana Sahib in Pakistan. By tradition, the birth anniversary of Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji is celebrated worldwide on the full moon day in the month of Kartik, the eighth month which coincides with October-November. Nankana Sahib is about 65 km south-west of Lahore. Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji’s father MahitaKalu Ji belonged to the Bedi clan of the kshatriyas and was a patwar,i i.e. village accountant in the service of Rai Bullar, the local Muslim chief. His father and mother Mata Tripta Ji were both very religious minded. To spread the message of God and also to interact with leaders of other religions, deras and muths, Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji travelled widely, visited several cities in India and abroad. He undertook four udasis (long journeys) in the four directions. During the first udasi, he went eastward and the places visited by him included Kurukshetra, Mathura, Banaras, Gaya, JagannathPuri and several places in Assam and Bengal. His second udasi was towards the south during which he visited Arbudgiri (Koh Abu), sectuband, Rameshvaram, Sinhdweep (Sri Lanka). During the third udasi, he visited Garhwal, Gorakhpur, Sikkim, Bhutan and Tibet. His last udasi was west-ward during which he visited Balochistan, Rom, Baghdad, Iran, Kandhar and Kabul. Guru Nanak Dev ji is one of the two non-Muslims to have paid a visit to Mecca and Madina. During these travels, he visited the establishments of sidhas and yogis. He also visited the sufi establishments at Pak Pattan and Multan and shrine sites along the west coast of India. He concluded his travels around 1521. After these four udasis, Guru Nanak Dev ji reached Hasan Abdal (Panja Sahib). After that he arrived at the village PakkhokeRandhave, now named as Dera Baba Nanak, which falls in Gurdaspur district and sat near a well owned by AjittaRandhava who was the chaudhary (headman) of the village. Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji’s family was already staying in this village with his wife Mata Sulakhni Ji’s parents. Mata Sulakkhni Ji’s father Mul Chand Ji, who belonged to Batak, held a minor revenue office position at PakkhokeRandhava. It is at this place where Guru Nank dev ji halted for some time. People from the surrounding villages started pouring in to obtain Guru Sahib’s blessings. And thus grew the town, which is now known as Dera Baba Nanak. AjittaRandhava requested Guru Sahib to settle at this place. But in the meantime a disciple of Guru Sahib donated land on the right bank of River Ravi for establishing a habitation. Thus, Guru Sahib went across the Ravi and established a village which he named Kartarpur, also known as Kartarpur Ravi. It became the centre for the congregation of his followers and thus the centre of the newly founded Sikh panth (community). Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji lived at Kartarpur Ravi for over 17 years and this place became the principal seat of Sikh faith. Guru Sahib’s parents and his own family. Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji lived at Kartarpur Ravi for over 17 years and this place became the principal seat of Sikh faith According to The Encyclopaedia of Sikhism published by Punjabi University, Patiala, Guru Sahib’s father MahitaKalu Ji (1440-1522) left for his heavenly abode at Kartarpur Ravi in 1522. Soon after, Guru Sahib’s mother Mata Tripta Ji also left for the heavenly abode at Kartarpur Ravi. At Kartarpur Ravi, Guru Nanak Dev ji himself ploughed (Kirit-Labour) his own fields. It was at this place that Bhai Lahina Ji, who because of his blessings later became the second Guru of Sikhs, met Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji. When Bhai Lahina Ji came to Kartarpur Ravi and reached Guru Sahib’s house, he was told by Mata Sulakhni Ji that Guru Sahib was out in the fields. Bhai Lahina Ji reached the farm where Guru Sahib asked him to carry a drenched sheaf of some crop to his house. Bhai Lahina Ji obeyed these orders. Henceforth, Bhai Lahina Ji obeyed all orders of Guru Sahib for about 12 years. It was because of his loyal obedience and perfection in the errands of seva that Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji decided to bypass his sons Baba Sri Chand Ji and Baba LakhmiDas Ji, and several other reputed disciples and bestow guruship on him. Guru Sahib named him ‘Angad’ which denoted that the disciple had become as much a part of his holy body as his own limbs (ang). On September 7, 1539 Guru Nanak Dev Ji’s holy spirit left his mortal frame to rejoin with its Source. All three communities – Sikhs, Hindus and Muslims – claimed that Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji was their prophet and there was a tussle over his mortal remains. The Sikhs and Hindus cremated his sacred body and put the ashes in an urn and buried it right there. The Muslims got a few clothes belonging to Guru Sahib and buried them there and built a samadh over it. In his fond memory, the Sikhs have constructed a monument at the place where his holy ashes were buried. At this very place now stands GurdwaraKartarpur Sahib. With the construction of the Kartarpur corridor, the Sikhs living in India would be able to have Darshan of the gurdwara and pay their obeisance here. It is every Sikh’s desire is to visit this sacred place. The writer is a Senior Journalist, Indo-Pak Peace Activits