The True Identity of Guru Nanak Dev Ji’s Hand Imprint at Panja Sahib Gurdwara

Whether the hand imprint of Guru Nanak Dev Ji at the Panja Sahib Gurdwara in Pakistan is real or merely a later carving is largely a matter of personal belief. The significance of religion often lies in accepting such miracles as truths, as long as they are harmless. It is worth noting that the authenticity of the hand imprint may never be definitively confirmed.

The Hand Imprint at Panja Sahib Gurdwara

If you visit the Panja Sahib Gurdwara, you will witness the power of the Guru. There is a sarovar (sacred pond) with fish swimming around, and if you closely observe the hand imprint, you can see all the fish lining up to witness it. This phenomenon is vividly captured in numerous YouTube videos, making it easier to verify for yourself.

According to My Grandfather

The hand imprint is indeed that of Guru Nanak Dev Ji. It has been said that when Muslims removed the imprint in 1947, it reappeared according to eyewitness testimony, including my grandfather. This miracle serves as evidence of Guru Nanak Dev Ji’s handprint.

Guru Nanak and the Handprint

However, history presents a different perspective. Historian Mir Masum Hasan Abdal, buried at Kandahar and attended by Shah Rukh Mirza, a grandson of Timur the Lame, passed away sometime before 1447. This would place the saint's death well before Guru Nanak, who was born in 1469.

According to the Tuzk-e-Jehangiri, Emperor Jehangir visited the ‘enchanting place’ Hasan Abdal in April 1607. He inquired about Hasan Abdal but found no mention of the celebrated rock with a hand print. Similarly, English merchant William Finch, who passed through the area in the 17th century, made no note of the fable or the hand print.

A Later Addition

Two centuries later, when the Panja Sahib shrine was already famous, Delmerick, deputy commissioner of Rawalpindi, recorded in the Rawalpindi District Gazetteer 1893 that elderly Sikh residents of Hasan Abdal reported that it was a Muslim stone-mason named Kamma who carved the hand on the rock. It is believed that a fakir named Naju later invented the fable during the reign of Maharaja Ranjit Singh.

It is not surprising, therefore, that within a century and a half of the supposed miracle, it was already forgotten by the time of Emperor Jehangir and William Finch. This suggests that the story of the hand print might be a later addition to the existing historical narrative at Panja Sahib.

Conclusion

The authenticity of Guru Nanak Dev Ji’s hand imprint remains a matter of personal belief and faith. While many may adhere to the belief that it is real, the historical evidence suggests that it may be a later addition. Nonetheless, the significance of this site lies in its association with Sikh history and the teachings of Guru Nanak.