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7 Jul, 2015

Sikh pilgrims bring memories of a past life to Hassanabdal, Pakistan – DAWN.COM

After waiting for 70 years, Karanveer Singh, a pilgrim from Hoshiarpur in India, is finally allowed to visit Pakistan. Mixed feelings of nostalgia and reverence overtake him as he pays homage to Maharaja Ranjit Singh on his 176th death anniversary. In the midst of rituals and preparations, he yearns to meet someone from Toba Tek Singh, his childhood town before partition.

Karanveer is among 400 pilgrims or yatrees from India who were given visas to travel to Pakistan to commemorate the occasion this year at the Gurdwara Panja Sahib in Hassanabdal, a site of immense importance to members of the Sikh community. Embedded on a rock in the gurdwara is the sacred hand print of Baba Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism.

Read the rest: Sikh pilgrims bring memories of a past life to Hassanabdal – Pakistan – DAWN.COM