‘Lost but not forgotten’: 42 historic Sikh shrines in Lahore documented after 77 years

BATHINDA: Over 77 years of the partition those into Sikh history and Sikh beliefs suffered a physical distance and significant loss of memory upon the separation from their historical shrines in Pakistan.
With these shrines forgotten from community’ collective memory back in India, the emotional toll of this separation is immense. Now to overcome that loss, Pakistan based social and religious organisation Jeevay Sanjha Punjab (JSP) is out to revive the memories of those lost gurdwaras in Pakistan and has come out with a guidebook ‘Sikh historical shrines in Pakistan: Lahore district’, which was released on Baisakhi, April 13.
JSP has documented the 42 shrines, including six Gurdwaras dedicated to first Sikh master (Guru) Guru Nanak Dev, one to Guru Amardas, two to Guru Ram Das, four to Guru Arjan Sahib, and eleven to Guru Hargobind Sahib. It also includes three Gurdwaras and monuments of associates of the Sikh Gurus, five Shaheeds of the Sikh Misl era, four Samadhs from the Sikh Kingdom, and six other sites – all located within the current Lahore district of Pakistan.
Five shrines are functional Gurdwaras, and one shrine is well-maintained but not a functional Gurdwara. Fourteen sites are still standing but occupied by locals. Eight sites are in ruinous condition due to neglect, while fourteen sites have disappeared entirely or been replaced by new buildings, but JSP now know their exact locations.
“After studying all available books in Gurmukhi published before 1947 on Gurdwaras in Pakistan, each site was meticulously detailed, including its location. The information was then confirmed with the elderly residents of the village or neighborhood by personal visits to each site, and a video was made for nearly every site”, says JSP Co-Director Tarunjit Singh Butalia.
JSP has prepared a guidebook that includes a brief history of each shrine, Google Maps location coordinates, a link to an educational video for each shrine, and three colored coded maps showing the 42 sites across Lahore district. Each site also details how much land and property was attached to it before 1947. It took Jeevay Sanjha Punjab about five years to complete this work.
This guidebook in English, of immense historical significance, aims to revive the 'lost to memory' Sikh historical shrines in the community's consciousness. The guidebook in Gurmukhi and Shahmukhi will be released soon, which may be useful for researchers in knowing more about these historical sites, says Butalia.
Earlier on February 23, 2025, Jeevay Sanjha Punjab along with the walled city of Lahore authority (WCLA) had explored historical significance of Lahore Fort during Sikh empire lasting for five decades from year 1799 to 1849. It discovered the various monuments associated with Sikh empire under Maharaja Ranjit Singh.