Gurdwaras in Peshawarਪੇਸ਼ਾਵਰ ਦੇ ਗੁਰਦੁਆਰੇ

Gurdwaras in Peshawar are the Sikh shrines of Peshawar, the old frontier city of the Khyber Pass road in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. This guide covers the two Peshawar gurdwaras with full Jugti entries, Bhai Joga Singh in Namak Mandi and Bhai Biba Singh at Jogiwara, and tells the longer Sikh story of a city that was the north-western capital of Maharaja Ranjit Singh's empire. It sits inside our country guide to Gurdwaras in Pakistan.

Why does Peshawar hold Sikh shrines?

Peshawar guarded the road between Kabul and the Punjab plains, and every power that held Punjab held Peshawar. Under the Sikh Empire the city became a Sikh stronghold: Maharaja Ranjit Singh's general Hari Singh Nalwa, the empire's famed commander on this frontier, founded a gurdwara here, and Sikh soldiers, officials and traders settled in the walled city and its bazaars. The shrines they built served that community for a century.

Partition in 1947 emptied most of Peshawar's Sikh neighbourhoods, as families moved east or into the tribal districts, and both of the city's great gurdwaras closed. Unlike many frontier shrines, Peshawar's Sikhs never entirely left: a Sikh community still lives and trades in the city today, and it is their persistence that brought both shrines back to life, Bhai Joga Singh reopening in 1980 and Bhai Biba Singh, after restoration by the Evacuee Trust Property Board, in March 2016. The two shrines stand about two and a half kilometres apart in the old city.

Bhai Joga Singh: the Namak Mandi shrine

Gurdwara Bhai Joga Singh stands in the Jogan Shah area by Namak Mandi, the salt market quarter of the old city. Hari Singh Nalwa founded it when Peshawar was part of the Sikh kingdom, and it honours Bhai Joga Singh Ji, the young Peshawar Sikh who served Guru Gobind Singh Ji at Anandpur Sahib. Recalled by the Guru's letter in the middle of his own wedding, with only two of the four circumambulations done, he left the ceremony at once and rode for Anandpur; on the way his pride in that obedience nearly undid him at Hoshiarpur, and Sikh tradition holds that the Guru himself guarded him through that night. The gurdwara closed in 1947 and reopened in 1980, and it has been the working centre of Peshawar Sikh worship ever since.

Bhai Biba Singh: the Jogiwara shrine

Gurdwara Bhai Biba Singh stands at Jogiwara in the Hashtnagri area of the old city. The shrine is believed to have been established in the time of Guru Gobind Singh Ji, which makes the building some 300 years old, and it is admired for its ornate carved woodwork from the Sikh period. For centuries one of the most visited Sikh shrines of the frontier, it fell silent at Partition and lay neglected for decades while the neighbourhood changed around it. The Evacuee Trust Property Board began restoring it in 2012, and on 30 March 2016 it reopened for worship, the Guru Granth Sahib installed and the first ardas offered in nearly seventy years, to the open joy of Peshawar's Sikhs and their Muslim neighbours. Our full entry carries the reopening story and the debate over visits by Indian pilgrims.

All Gurdwaras in Peshawar

• Gurdwara Bhai Joga Singh, Peshawar - the Namak Mandi shrine founded by Hari Singh Nalwa, reopened in 1980
• Gurdwara Bhai Biba Singh, Peshawar - the 300 year old Jogiwara shrine with carved woodwork, reopened in 2016

How do you visit Peshawar's gurdwaras?

Both shrines stand inside Peshawar's old city and are best reached on foot with local guidance: Bhai Joga Singh by Namak Mandi, the food and salt market quarter, and Bhai Biba Singh at Jogiwara near Hashtnagri gate, about two and a half kilometres apart. They serve Peshawar's resident Sikh community first, so visitors should ask locally about darshan timings and any permission needed, and dress and behave as at any working gurdwara. Pilgrims on the Pakistan yatra circuit usually pair Peshawar with Panja Sahib at Hasan Abdal, on the road between the two cities.

What is the most famous gurdwara in Peshawar?

Gurdwara Bhai Biba Singh at Jogiwara, the 300 year old shrine whose reopening in March 2016, after nearly seventy silent years, was celebrated across Pakistan. Gurdwara Bhai Joga Singh, reopened in 1980, is the city's longer serving working shrine.

How many gurdwaras are in Peshawar?

Two historic gurdwaras have full Jugti entries: Bhai Joga Singh and Bhai Biba Singh. Community accounts of the 2016 reopening also named smaller gurdwaras at Saddar and RA Bazaar, which do not yet have Jugti entries.

Are Peshawar's gurdwaras open today?

Yes. Bhai Joga Singh reopened in 1980 and Bhai Biba Singh reopened on 30 March 2016 after restoration by the Evacuee Trust Property Board. Both serve the city's resident Sikh community; visitors should confirm timings and permissions locally.

Who founded Gurdwara Bhai Joga Singh?

Hari Singh Nalwa, Maharaja Ranjit Singh's celebrated general on the north-west frontier, founded the gurdwara when Peshawar was part of the Sikh kingdom. It is named for Bhai Joga Singh Ji, the Peshawar Sikh of Guru Gobind Singh Ji's court.