Guru Nanak In Sri Lanka

[Harpreet Singh Ghotra]

Here are some places related to guru nanak while his visits in sri lanka

Gurudwara Pehli Patshahi (Battikola)

A town in Sri Lanka, visited by Guru Nanak Sahib and Bhai Mardana. At the time of the visit of Guru Sahib, Baticulla was known as Matiakullam. Raja Shiv Nabh ruled it. Bhai Mansukh of Lahore had, earlier, visited this town and had told the ruler about Guru Nanak Sahib. When Guru Sahib visited the town, Raja Shiv Nabh’s joy knew no bounds. He requested Guru Sahib to stay at his palace. Guru Sahib visited his palace but stayed at a place, about 20 km from Baticulla, now known as Kurukul Mandap.

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Gurudwara Pehli Patshahi (Koti)

KOTI - A town in Sri Lanka, visited by Guru Nanak Sahib and Bhai Mardana. At the time of the visit of Guru Sahib, Koti was an independent State ruled by Dharma Parkarma Bahu IX (1489-1513), who warmly welcomed Guru Nanak Sahib to his kingdom. In his court the king listened, as Guru Nanak participated in a debate with the Buddhist and Hindu mendicants of Koti. In the end Guru Nanak Sahib succeeded as they agree to the superiority of his, Sikh, philosophy. Dharma Parkarma Bahu was highly impressed by the Guru Sahib’s teachings.

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Gurudwara Pehli Patshahi (Kurukal Mandap)

KURUKAL MANDAP - A village in Sri Lanka, visited by Guru Nanak Sahib and Bhai Mardana around 1574. The village which grew up after the Guru had camped here owes its name to Guru Nanak. Kurukul Mandap is Tamil meaning "Guru's Village." In sanskrit Gurukul means the Guru's house or abode and mandap means tent or pavillion. Local oral traditions tell of a visit by a saintly missionary from the Punjab to this area. According to a tradition Bhai Changa Bhatra a disciple of Guru Nanak's, mentioned in the Janamsakhis, came from this area.

The Bhattra Sikhs legends of origins vary, some tell that the Bhatra Sangat originated in an island called Singaldeep, thought to be Sri Lanka (a similar name was given to the island by the early seafaring traders of Arabia who called the island Sarandeep—Island of the Lions). Another oral tradition tells that the Bhattras originated in the Panjab as Bhai Changa Bhatra who had returned with Guru Nanak spread the Guru's teachings in the Panjab.

The word bhat or bhatta comes from Sanskrit and means to talk, by extension to tell stories or to be a bard, even today the Hinglish phrase to 'sling the bhat' means to talk. Notably, many men of the Bhat Sikhs migrated to England before the partition of India where they worked first as corner or sidewalk and door to door salesmen, "hawking" their goods before they began to take salaried jobs. One can relate the English words BArd, BArter and BAllad back to the orginal B(h)Att of India.

In the / SikhSpectrum.com / Quarterly, Issue No.17, August 2004 M.S. Ahluwalia, in his article titled, Guru Nanak in Ceylon, writes:

"Recent researches have led to the discovery of an inscription mentioning the name of "Nanak Acharya" about which further investigations are being carried out. It is however certain the very name (Nanak) mentioned in the inscription testify to the theory that Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikh religion, visited Sri Lanka during his last Udasi."

The following footnote appears in his article: For more details and epigraphic evidence of Guru Nanak’s visit to Sri Lanka see S. Karunaratna’s article “Guru Nanak and Ceylon” in Harbans Singh (ed) Perspectives on Guru Nanak, Patiala, 1999. In his paper, the scholar, who is also a noted archaeologist, has examined an inscription in Sanskrit written on a slab, preserved in the Archaeological Museum at Anuradahpura (Sri Lanka) which testifies to the visit of Jananacharya (Nanak Acharya) to Jayavardhanapura during the rule of king Dharmaprakarambahu, a contemporary of Guru Nanak.

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[Big_Tera]

Hello all.

i am from the Bhatra community. but class myself as a Sikh.

Bhatra Sikhs are a well establisehd community in the UK. and have been here for well over a 100 years.

some people might not have heard of Bhatra Sikhs because they have not come across them. this is mainly due to were Bhatra Sikhs are settled. they are mainly located in Sea Ports across the UK.

in places like Cardif, Bristol, glasgow, Southampton. where they form the majority of Sikhs.

you will find that Bhatras are very nationalistic and Fiercely orthodox in Sikhsim.

[guptveer1469]

wow!!

Guru Nanak Ji in Sri Lanka

[das amritpal singh]

Hello all.

i am from the Bhatra community. but class myself as a Sikh.

Bhatra Sikhs are a well establisehd community in the UK. and have been here for well over a 100 years.

some people might not have heard of Bhatra Sikhs because they have not come across them. this is mainly due to were Bhatra Sikhs are settled. they are mainly located in Sea Ports across the UK.

in places like Cardif, Bristol, glasgow, Southampton. where they form the majority of Sikhs.

you will find that Bhatras are very nationalistic and Fiercely orthodox in Sikhsim.

there are too many secs of sikhi now

[Big_Tera]

Bhatras are not a sect. they are mainstream Sikhs.