Gurudwara Nanaksar draws sick and destitute from far and near

Can a bath in the pond cure all your ailments? Many believe so. It is believed that a dip in the holy pond at Gurudwara Nanaksar in Verka can make one hale and hearty.

By Savinder Singh

Amritsar, Nov 24 : Can a bath in the pond cure all your ailments? Many believe so. It is believed that a dip in the holy pond at Gurudwara Nanaksar in Verka can make one hale and hearty.

Gurudwara Nanaksar or Nanak's pool just lies five miles from Amritsar, where a bath is believed to have cured many a sick and destitute.

Every Sunday, huge crowds, majority of them sick and destitute, gather here to pay obeisance to Guru Granth Sahib and pray for their good health and prosperity.

The spot, where the gurudwara is located is the place where Guru Nanak, the first Sikh guru, rested after returning from Batala.

Guru Nanak was always ready to help the poor and the needy. His visit to Verka, then a small village, drew huge crowds. He cured a poor child of his ailments and since then it has become a ritual.

"Guru Nanak happened to pass through the village and rested here under a tree. A woman came to have darshan of the guru with her son who was very weak. She prayed to the guru to bless him. Guru Nanak advised her to bathe her son in the pond nearby. After a dip in the pond the child was cured," said Baldev Singh, a priest at Gurudwara Nanaksar.

It is believed that patients who desire to cured of their illness should make five visits on Sundays and on the last Sunday they have to offer a clay pot with sweets as 'parsada'.

"The children suffering from various ailments come here and bathe in the holy pond. With the guru's blessings they get cured," said Ranjit Singh, a devotee.

For the convenience of the visitors, the small pond was converted into a 'sarovar' in 1899 with funds donated by devotees.

Heena, another devotee added, "My son is physically weak and remains ill. We were told to bathe him at Gurdwara Nanaksar. So we have come here."

The tree, under which it is believed that Guru Nanak had rested, stands inside the Gurudwara complex.

ANI