Asad

Dear Chatanga, I belong to D.I.K but presently I don't live there. Though I visit it every once or twice a year. Asad

Sat Sri Akal B Singh Ji, I had not visited the forum for quite some time now so sorry for a late reply. I saw your post just today and hence replied immediately. This splendid Gurdwara was built in 1875 on the premises of an older Gurdwara by the efforts of Sardar Arjun Singh. Dera Ismail Khan fell to the Sikhs in 1835 when the Nawab of Dera handed over the town to Prince No Nihal Singh (Grandson of Maharajah Runjeet Singh). I don't know if its already too late but I can send you some high resolution photos of this Gurdwara but I am not a professional photographer so you would have to excuse me for that. I would be glad if these pics can make their way into your book and you have my permission to use my photos. Dera Ismail Khan had a substantial Sikh population before partition and there were a number of Gurdwaras and Dharamshalas in D.I.K but except for one or two the rest have either disintegrated or have been converted to private residences. The above Gurdwara is now a high school and another one in the vicinity is a primary school. I can send you the pics of that one too. Do let me know. Was nice meeting you and let me know if you would like a detailed history of the two. I can contribute the history for your book. Regards Asad Awan

The following are the Quranic verses: Surah Fatiha In the name of Allah, the most beneficent the most merciful. All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds. The most beneficent, the most merciful. The lord of the day of Judgement. Thee alone do we worship and thee alone we seek for help. Guide us to the right path. The path of those upon whom thou has bestowed favors, Not of those who thou has cursed once nor of those who have gone astray. Surah Ikhlas Say: He is Allah, the One and Only; Allah, the Eternal, Absolute; He begetteth not, nor is He begotten; And there is none like unto Him. Another verse from the Quran Obey Allah, and obey the Messenger [/left]

Dear SheikhFareed, Thanks for your reply. Please view the closeup of the picture below. Now it will be clear and easily readable. Otherwise you can always download the picture and then zoom it in Windows photo viewer or ACDC. The Urdu on top of one of the entrance door states "Drawing Hall". It is a school now so it must be a Drawing Hall. The beautifully decorated verses inside the building beneath the ceiling are not in Urdu. They are in Arabic and are verses from the Quran and Hadith. Schools generally have these verses written. I will recap the history of this Gurdwara subsequently. Asad

Hello All, Recently I visited a very old Gurudwara at my home town of Dera Ismail Khan. This was a Gurudwara cum Dharamsala before partition and was known as the Khalsa Gurudwara. Please view the pics below. Now it too hosts a school. This was one of the biggest Gurudwaras of the North West Frontier Province before partition. In the below pics I have also posted a picture of the main door of the Gurudwara. Can any one translate the Gurmukhi on it as i cannot read Gurmukhi. Would like to know what is written on it. Any help would be much appreciated. Can anyone please translate this for me ? Its in Gurmukhi and I cannot read it. Please do a good translation. Thanks Asad

GurSa Singh, Thanks for your elaborate repy. Can you please translate the whole inscribed tablet for me. chatanga jee was kind enough to read one line from it but I would like to know what the rest of it states. This would also let me record it for the history of my hometown. It would be very kind of you. Waiting in anticipation.

Thank you chatanga sahib for replying. You seem to be the only one who replies When I visited this Gurudwara a week back and took its pictures I heard that a survey team had come and they were planning on demolishing this Gurudwara as it had become old. Now it is being used as a primary school. Maybe they want to construct a new school here. I dont know the exact time frame and what they intend to do with it but it has become very old and one of the roofs of a hall has collapsed. But I wish they would renovate it. Its such a beautiful building with a very long pole for 'Nishan Sahib' which you can see in one of the pics. There are very few Sikhs in Pakistan only located in Punjab and NWFP. Dera Ismail Khan is in NWFP and its a very restive province.

Can any one please reply to this post. This Gurudwara is marked for demolition and before it falls I would like to preserve what few memories remain of it. I would like to preserve at least its pictures which are of rare historic and arhcitectural value. Otherwise they would be lost forever. Can any one please identify the writings on the plaque and other artifacts ? If required I can post some more pictures as well. Reply needed.

As promised please view the pictures from inside the Gurudwara: Can anyone tell me what it says ? I cannot read Gurmukhi or is it in any other language. Can anyone tell me what it says ? I cannot read Gurmukhi or is it in any other language. This building is just opposite the Gurudwara. What is written on it ? Another Shot of the same building. What is written on it ?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harcharan_Singh

Yes once I saw a Sikh in Dera Ismail Khan. There is a small minority of Hindus and Christians in the town but I have only seen a Sikh once there.

Dear chatanga Thanks for the questions. But apart from you i see no one else really bothered to reply. I will surely try to take some pictures from inside and post it here but after partition there were hardly any Sikhs left to take care of the Gurdwaras so the Auqaf Department took them and handed them over to the Education Department. I dont suppose there is any thing of value now inside this Gurdwara. There is also another bigger Gurdwara and Dharamshala in the town by the name of Khalsa and that has also been turned into a school and goes by the name of Khalsa School. Asad

There is a Gurudwara in my home town of Dera Ismail Khan, Pakistan called Gurudwara Amir Shah Singh http://www.allaboutsikhs.com/gurudwaras-in-pakistan/gurudwara-amir-shah-singh-at-jhanda-ram-street It is a school now. Pease see its close-up below: After the annexation of Dera Ismail Khan by Prince Nao Nihal Singh in 1836, there were a great many buildings built in Dera Ismail Khan by the Khalsa government. Few of which remain. The above building is one of them. I am a Muslim but I know that the emblem seen on the building is a Sikh emblem. That's how I differentiated it but can any one tell me what does it signify ? I was also researching about few of the most prominent Sikh families in my hometown of Dera Ismail Khan who left after partition in 1947. If I post some details about them would any one be able to help me locate some information on them ? Any sort of help in this regard would be appreciated. Most of them were followers of some religious Sikh saints. If I can get help from any quarter, I would post the details. Let me know.

11th Sikhs on the March through Waziristan 1937 A Machine Gun piquet of 11th Sikhs Waziristan 1937