‘Guru Nanak palace’ demolished in Pakistan, doors and windows sold

A centuries-old ‘Guru Nanak palace’ was partially demolished by a group of vandals in Pakistan’s Punjab province. The precious doors and windows have also been sold. “The walls of the four-storey building had pictures of Sikhism founder Guru Nanak as well as of various Hindu rulers and princes,” Dawn news reported.

The “Palace of Baba Guru Nanak”, said to have been built over four centuries ago, was frequented by a number of Sikhs from across the world including India, the report said.

 The structure at a village in Narowal city—about 100 kms from the provincial capital Lahore—had 16 rooms with each of them having at least three delicate doors and at least four ventilators, it said.

Authorities are clueless about its ‘owner’. A local resident Muhammad Aslam said: “This old building is called the Palace of Baba Guru Nanak and we have named it Mahalan. A number of Sikhs from across the world, including India, used to visit this building”.

Once a six-member delegation, including a woman carrying a book with information about the historical building, had come from Canada. The delegation was elated upon visiting the site as if they had found a treasure, he said.

“The auqaf department was informed about the demolition of the building by some influential persons, but no officer or official took any action or even reached here.

“Three storeys of the building have already been demolished and new houses constructed. The influentials have demolished the building with the connivance of the auqaf department and sold its costly windows, doors, ventilators and wood,” another local Muhammad Ashraf said.