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16 JPS 17:1&2
of Lahore, but at the same time, was creating a better version of it.
This position comes into focus in the light of the early Sikh
community’s understanding of Guru Nanak’s life and activity. The first
account of the founding of Kartarpur, which appears a decade or so after
the Guru’s death, explains it in terms of the establishment of a kingdom
with a castle at its base (Nanaki raju chalia sachu kotu satanhi niv dai,
Rai Balwand and Satta Dum, GG, 966), and his nomination of a
successor is described in metaphors of the transference of his royal
throne to Guru Angad (b. 1504, Guru 1539–1552, Lahanhe dhareou
chhatu siri kari sifati amritu pivade, Rai Balwand and Satta Dum, GG,
966). The Goindval Pothis compiled in the early 1570s refer to Guru
Nanak as the “Bedi King,” who supports both the religious and the
temporal dimensions of the world (Baba Nanak Vedi Patisahu din dunia
ki tek, Pinjore, folio 215), and call him and his successors as the “True
Kings” (Baba Nanaku, Angad, Amardas, Sache Patisah, Jalandhar, folio
8). 54 The bards at the Sikh court of the subsequent decades categorized
the activity of Guru Nanak in the areas of politics (raj) and spirituality
(jog), and presented his line of successors as a divinely sanctioned royal
dynasty (Sri guru raj abichalu atalu ad purakhi furmaio, the Bhatts, GG,
1390). 55 In his vars, Bhai Gurdas presented the establishment of the
Kartarpur community in terms of the minting a new coin (Maria sika
jagati vich, Nanak Nirmal Panthu chalia, 1: 45).
As mentioned earlier, the Guru enjoyed the supreme authority at
Kartarpur; the manjis represented this in distant congregations, and the
pothi containing his compositions marked a symbolic version of it. In
addition, the Guru’s dargah (home) served as the Sikh tirath (sacred
spot) and the destination of pilgrimage, and the charanamrit (initiation
ceremony) brought new people into the community. The daily prayers
based on the recitation of the compositions of the Guru, followed by the
langar, which involved communal cooking and sharing food, served as
agencies of internal solidarity as well as distinction from others such as
Shaivites, Vaishanavites, Shaktas, Sufis, and Sunnis.
In addition to the institutional markers present at Kartarpur, scholars
have not paid adequate attention to the geographical and demographic
considerations that governed Guru Nanak’s decision to settle there.
Though the archeological remains of Kartarpur are not available,
references to its establishment in the early texts and its geographical
location offer interesting data. The Puratan reports that Guru Nanak
started some sort of communal activity at Talwandi (Sakhi 38), his native
village, but that ultimately he decided to move on and establish Kartarpur
(Sakhi 40). We know that Talwandi was founded by Rai Bhoa, a highcaste
Hindu convert to Islam, and given this situation, the layout of the
village would have a mosque at its center. The Puratan also mentions the
presence of a temple there, which would be in proximity to the Hindu
quarters, as we can guess from the layout of villages of the time.