Gurdwara Thara Sahibਗੁਰਦੁਆਰਾ ਥਾੜਾ ਸਾਹਿਬ

Gurdwara Thara Sahib is a Sikh memorial in Multan, Pakistan: a seat (thara) in the corridor of the tomb of Sufi saint Shah Shams Sabzwari, marking Guru Nanak Dev Ji's visit. It commemorates the sakhi of the brimming glass of milk, on which the Guru floated a jasmine petal to show there is room for all.

History and the Multan sakhi

According to Bhai Gurdas Ji's Vars (Var 1, Pauri 44-45), Guru Nanak Dev Ji travelled from Kartarpur via Achal Batala to Multan, the ancient city that was a great centre of Muslim piety. As the Guru arrived, the pirs of Multan sent him a bowl brimming with milk, a gesture meaning the city was already full of religious teachers and had no room for another.

Guru Nanak laid a jasmine flower upon the milk, showing he would make room for himself without displacing anyone. Bhai Gurdas writes that the Guru mingled there as the waters of the Ganges mingle with the sea. The Miharban Janam Sakhi records that many people of Multan came to hear him, among them Shaikh Bahauddin Makhdum, a descendant of the famous saint Bahauddin Zakaria.

Multan, the city of saints

Multan's holiness long predates the Guru's visit. Under the Mughals it was the capital of a province; in 1752 it was ceded to Ahmad Shah Durrani. The Bhangi Sikhs conquered it in December 1772 but lost it to Taimur Shah early in 1780. In 1818 it became part of Maharaja Ranjit Singh's kingdom, and in 1848 the revolt of its Sikh governor Diwan Mul Raj sparked the second Anglo-Sikh war. Because Multan remained a predominantly Muslim city, no Sikh shrine commemorating Guru Nanak's visit was established there in the old days, though Tara Singh Narotam's Sri Guru Tirath Sangrahi records a memorial in the house of one of the pirs, served by Muslim officiants.

The thara and its setting

Thara Sahib is not a separate gurdwara building. The memorial is a seat (thara) in the corridor of the mazar (tomb) of the Sufi saint Shah Shams Sabzwari on Shah Shams Road, the tall, tiled tomb visible just past Daulat Gate Chowk in Multan. Guru Nanak is said to have stayed outside the city here and held discussions with the mystics and learned men of the area.

During the rule of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, Prakash of Guru Granth Sahib Ji took place here. Under British rule it was discontinued in 1850. The corridor still stands as a monument of the Jagat Guru's arrival in Multan.

The tomb itself is among Multan's landmark shrines. GreenPak's field guide describes it as a beautiful building touching the sky, visible just past Daulat Gate Chowk, and its site photographs credit the Department of Archaeology and Museums, Government of Pakistan.

Thara Sahib endures as a symbol of Sufi-Sikh dialogue and mutual respect. The milk-glass sakhi teaches that spiritual quality matters more than quantity: that, like a single petal perfuming a whole bowl of milk, one person's goodness can fill the world, and there is always room for holiness.

Visiting

The thara sits in the corridor of Shah Shams Sabzwari's tomb on Shah Shams Road, just past Daulat Gate Chowk in Multan. The best months to visit are November to February, when the weather is cool and quiet; the saint's urs in early June draws huge crowds in Multan's extreme summer heat, when June averages about 41 degrees. Visitors often combine it with Multan's other historic shrines. Pakistan's tourist helpline 1424 can help with trip planning.

See also: Gurdwaras in Pakistan, the complete guide to the country's Sikh shrines.

What is the milk-glass story?

The pirs of Multan sent Guru Nanak a bowl brimming with milk to say the city was full of holy men; he floated a jasmine flower on it to show he would make room without displacing anyone.

Why is there no full gurdwara in Multan?

Multan stayed a predominantly Muslim city, so no Sikh shrine was raised to the Guru's visit in the old days. The memorial that did exist stood in the house of one of the pirs and was served by Muslim officiants; today the thara in the tomb corridor is the memorial.

When did Prakash stop here?

Prakash took place during Maharaja Ranjit Singh's rule and was discontinued in 1850 under British rule.