Gurudwara Amir Shah Singh At Jhanda Ram Street, Dera Ismail Khan

[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.

[chatanga]

Dear Brother

Can you post more recent photos of it and from the inside as well please?

Can you find out why and when it ended ip being a school?

DId the Sikhs take everything from the Gurdwara or are there anythings left there by the Sikhs which are still there?

thanks.

[Asad]

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

[chatanga]

Asad Ji, if you can post those pics it would be brilliant. See if you can get inside pics as well. Can you try and find out if any religious items were left behind, not because of financial value, but more so, because of historical and sentimental value.

Are there any Sikhs at all in DIK?

[Asad]

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.

[chatanga]

can you get us some pictures o fthe Dharamshala in the town please?

[Asad]

[Singh, Mahan]

.

The symbol/emblem that you see is called ' Khanda Sahib'. It is a 'standard/emblem' of Sikh religion. The elements of the emblem are (1)The vertical element in the centre is a Khanda-the two edged sword (2) the circular element is called chakkar (sharp edged circular iron) (3) at the bottom are two crossed swords .

All gurdawaras world over have yellow marigold coloured triangular shaped flags with this emblem on them.

The flags are called 'Nishan Sahib' but the emblem is called the Khanda or the Khanda-Sahib. The Nishan Sahib is hoisted much higher than the buildings. Many buildings associated with Sikh religion also have the Khanda emblem on the them.

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[Asad]

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 ?

[Asad]

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.