OFFER OF SIKH STATE RECALLED BY MAHARAJA YADAVINDER SINGH. It was raining heavily and my garden was enveloped in mist. We were having the First real monsoon downpour of the season. The beautiful dahlias, some of them 10 inches or more in diameter, were sadly drooping. The gladioli were not looking too happy, either. This was all too much for them.
PAKPATAN, a tahsil town in Sahiwal (Montgomery) district of Pakistan, is known for the tomb of the famous Sufi saint Shaikh Farid ud Din Shakarganj (1173-1266). Guru Nanak visited Pakpatan during his travels through that part of the country. At the time of that visit he fell into a discourse with his successor, Farid II, at a place which is now marked by Gurdwara Nanaksar, about six kilometres to the west of the town, commemorating the Guru`s visit. Guru Nanak`s birth anniversary continued to be marked as a religious fair here until the partition of the country in 1947.
PARAMARTHA, a combination of param, i.e. the highest or the supreme, and artha, i.e. meaning or objective or purpose, is, in literature, the title generally applied to a work of exposition of a scriptural text. Unliked which deals with the text in an elaborate and comprehensive way, the paramdrtha, in contradistinction, refers only to the inner or central meaning of the text. In Sikh exegetical literature, the paramdrtha tradition goes back to the Janam Sakhis, the first ever written accounts of Guru Nanak`s life, which also contain elaborations and expositions of some of his compositions.
RAILI, a small village 12 km from Sirhind (30° 37`N. 76° 23`E) in Fatehgarh Sahib district, claims a historical shrine dedicated to the Ninth Guru. Before 1947 Rail! was predominantly a Muslim village, with only a few Kamboj Sikh families. These Sikhs maintained a platform as a memorial to Guru Tegh Bahadur`s visit. The present Gurdwara was built in the early 1950`s. It has a square hall with a low platform in the middle as the sanctum. The Gurdwara is managed by a village committee in which members of the old Kamboj families take a leading role.
RANJIT NAGARA, lit. the drum of victory in battlefield, was the name given the kettledrum installed by Guru Gobind Singh at Anandpur in 1684. Nagdrd, Punjabi for the Persian naqqdrah meaning a kettledrum, was a symbol of royalty. As well as fulfilling his spiritual office, Guru Gobind Singh had, like his grandfather. Guru Hargobind, adopted the emblems of worldly dignity. He wore an aigrette and arms, sat under canopy and went out riding in state. Adding another sign of authority, in 1684, his diwdn, Nand Chand, had a kettledrum installed at his bidding.
ROHTAS (30° 55`N, 73° 48`E), town in Jehlum district of Pakistan had a historical Sikh shrine, Gurdwara Choha Sahib, commemorating the visit of Guru Nanak (1469-1539) during his western uddsi or preaching tour. Later in 1542, Sher Shah Suri raised around the habitation a strong fort which he named Rohtas after one of his important citadels in Bihar. Rohtas is the name which the town now celebrates. Gurdwara Choha Sahib on the bank of a seasonal stream, Ghan, stood outside the Fort to the north of it.
