Gurdwaras in Pakistani Punjabਪਾਕਿਸਤਾਨੀ ਪੰਜਾਬ ਦੇ ਗੁਰਦੁਆਰੇ

Gurdwaras in Pakistani Punjab are the historic Sikh shrines of Punjab province in Pakistan, the western half of the old undivided Punjab and the land where Guru Nanak Dev Ji was born, taught and spent his final years. This guide gathers every Pakistani Punjab shrine in the Jugti Kosh, from Nankana Sahib and Kartarpur Sahib to the martyrdom shrines of Lahore, each with its own full linked entry, and it sits inside our country guide to Gurdwaras in Pakistan.

Why is Pakistani Punjab the birthplace of Sikhism?

The faith began here. Guru Nanak Dev Ji was born in 1469 at Rai Bhoi di Talwandi, now Nankana Sahib, and the towns of his childhood, schooling and first teaching all stand in this province. He settled at Kartarpur on the Ravi for his final years, and his successors kept returning: Guru Ram Das Ji was born in Lahore's Chuna Mandi in 1534, and Guru Arjan Dev Ji was martyred at Lahore in 1606. Under Maharaja Ranjit Singh, whose Sikh Empire had its capital at Lahore, many of these shrines received the domes and gold work pilgrims see today.

Partition in 1947 divided Punjab, and most Sikhs of the western districts moved east, leaving the shrines in the care of the state. Today they are looked after by the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee under the Evacuee Trust Property Board, and organised jathas of pilgrims cross from India for Gurpurab, Vaisakhi and other festivals. The province's own Sikh community, counted at 5,649 people in the 2023 census, keeps small pockets in Lahore and Nankana Sahib.

Nankana Sahib and Kartarpur: the Guru Nanak heartland

Two towns anchor the province. Nankana Sahib holds nine gurdwaras around the Janam Asthan, the birthplace shrine, including the childhood shrines of Bal Lila, Patti, Tambu, Mal Ji and Kiara Sahib and the later twin shrines of Panjvin and Chhevin Patshahi. North east of it, Kartarpur Sahib marks where Guru Nanak Dev Ji farmed, taught and passed away; since 9 November 2019 the Kartarpur Corridor has let Indian pilgrims visit it visa free for the day. West of Nankana, Sacha Sauda at Chuharkana remembers the young Nanak feeding hungry sadhus with his father's trading money.

Lahore: capital of the Sikh Empire

Lahore carries the province's second great cluster. Dera Sahib stands by the Lahore Fort and the Samadhi of Maharaja Ranjit Singh at the spot of Guru Arjan Dev Ji's martyrdom in 1606, and the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee has its headquarters there. Across the old city, the Janam Asthan of Guru Ram Das Ji marks the fourth Guru's birthplace in Chuna Mandi, Shahid Ganj Singh Singhania is the martyrdom ground where Bhai Mani Singh Ji was executed in 1738, and the Shaheed Bhai Taru Singh shrine at Naulakha has been closed to visitors since December 2022. At the city's edge stand two quieter entries: Bebe Nanaki's birthplace at Dera Chahal and the defunct but standing Patshahi Chhevin at Hadiara. Our city guide to Gurdwaras in Lahore tells the whole story street by street.

Eminabad, Sialkot and the Guru Nanak road

North of Lahore, Eminabad preserves the Saidpur of Babur's 1521 invasion: Rohri Sahib, the Chaki Sahib millstone shrine and Bhai Lalu di Khoi, the house and well of the carpenter whose honest labour Guru Nanak Dev Ji praised. In Gujranwala district, Khara Sahib at Mattu Bhaike marks a halt of Guru Hargobind Ji, while Beri Sahib at Sialkot and Thara Sahib at Multan carry Guru Nanak Dev Ji's memory to the province's north east and its southern edge at Multan. Faisalabad's Singh Sabha gurdwara, now a school, records the canal colony Sikhs of Lyallpur.

All Gurdwaras in Pakistani Punjab

• Gurdwara Janam Asthan, Nankana Sahib - the birthplace of Guru Nanak Dev Ji
• Gurdwara Darbar Sahib, Kartarpur - where Guru Nanak Dev Ji spent his final years
• Gurdwara Panja Sahib, Hasan Abdal - the sacred handprint rock of Guru Nanak Dev Ji
• Gurdwara Dera Sahib, Lahore - the martyrdom shrine of Guru Arjan Dev Ji beside the Lahore Fort
• Gurdwara Sacha Sauda, Chuharkana - the true bargain, where the young Nanak fed hungry sadhus
• Gurdwara Rohri Sahib, Eminabad - the pebble shrine of Guru Nanak Dev Ji's Eminabad stay
• Gurdwara Beri Sahib, Sialkot - Guru Nanak Dev Ji's ber tree shrine at Sialkot
• Gurdwara Thara Sahib, Multan - Guru Nanak Dev Ji's raised platform at Multan
• Gurdwara Bal Lila Sahib, Nankana Sahib - the playing field of Guru Nanak Dev Ji's childhood
• Gurdwara Patti Sahib, Nankana Sahib - the school of Guru Nanak Dev Ji
• Gurdwara Tambu Sahib, Nankana Sahib - the tent like tree where Guru Nanak Dev Ji sheltered after the Sacha Sauda
• Gurdwara Mal Ji Sahib, Nankana Sahib - the mal tree where a cobra is said to have shaded the sleeping Guru Nanak Dev Ji
• Gurdwara Kiara Sahib, Nankana Sahib - the field where Guru Nanak Dev Ji's strayed cattle left the crop unharmed
• Gurdwara Chhevin Patshahi, Nankana Sahib - where Guru Hargobind Ji rested, beside the Panjvin Patshahi shrine
• Gurdwara Panjvin Patshahi, Nankana Sahib - the domeless shrine of Guru Arjan Dev Ji in a shared enclosure
• Gurdwara Janam Asthan Guru Ram Das, Lahore - the birthplace of Guru Ram Das Ji in Chuna Mandi, rebuilt by Maharaja Ranjit Singh
• Gurdwara Shaheed Bhai Taru Singh, Lahore - the Naulakha shrine of Bhai Taru Singh Ji, closed to visitors since December 2022
• Gurdwara Shahid Ganj Singh Singhania, Lahore - the martyrdom ground near Landa Bazaar where Bhai Mani Singh Ji was executed in 1738
• Gurdwara Janamasthan Bebe Nanaki, Dera Chahal - the birthplace of Bebe Nanaki Ji, elder sister of Guru Nanak Dev Ji
• Gurdwara Patshahi Chhevin, Hadiara - the frescoed shrine of Guru Hargobind Ji near the border, defunct since 1947 but still standing
• Gurdwara Chaki Sahib, Eminabad - the millstone shrine of Guru Nanak Dev Ji in Babur's Saidpur of 1521
• Gurdwara Bhai Lalu di Khoi, Eminabad - the house and well of Bhai Lalo, where Guru Nanak Dev Ji taught honest labour
• Gurdwara Khara Sahib, Mattu Bhaike - the Guru Hargobind Ji shrine protected by its village and handed back in 2019
• Gurdwara Singh Sabha, Faisalabad - the 1911 Lyallpur gurdwara that has been the Pakistan Model High School since Partition
• Gurdwaras in Nankana Sahib - city guide to the birthplace town of Guru Nanak Dev Ji and its eight Jugti shrines
• Gurdwaras in Eminabad - city guide to Guru Nanak Dev Ji's Saidpur and its three historic shrines

How do pilgrims visit Pakistani Punjab?

Most pilgrims arrive in organised jathas for Guru Nanak Gurpurab in November, Vaisakhi in April and the Saka Nankana Sahib commemoration in February, travelling between Lahore, Nankana Sahib, Eminabad and Hasan Abdal, where Panja Sahib draws every jatha to its handprint rock. Kartarpur Sahib is different: the corridor from Dera Baba Nanak in India allows visa free day visits, with registration in advance and a passport. Independent travellers need a Pakistan visa and should confirm which shrines are open, because some entries in this list are heritage buildings rather than working gurdwaras.

Which is the most important gurdwara in Pakistani Punjab?

Nankana Sahib, the birthplace of Guru Nanak Dev Ji, is the most revered, with Kartarpur Sahib, where he spent his final years, a close second. Together they frame the Guru's whole life inside one province.

How many gurdwaras are in Pakistani Punjab?

More than 150 historic gurdwaras stand across Pakistan, and most of them are in Punjab province. This hub lists the 24 Pakistani Punjab shrines with full Jugti entries, and it grows as more are documented.

Is Pakistani Punjab the same as Pakistan?

No. This hub covers Punjab province only. Pakistan's other gurdwaras, in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh and Balochistan, are listed in our country guide to Gurdwaras in Pakistan, and the shrines of India's Punjab state have their own hub, Gurdwaras in Indian Punjab.

Can Indian citizens visit gurdwaras in Pakistani Punjab?

Yes. Indian citizens travel in organised pilgrim jathas with visas for the big festivals, and visa free for day visits to Kartarpur Sahib through the corridor. Pilgrims register in advance and travel on the routes the two governments agree.