Gurdwara Chowa Sahib

Gurdwara Chowa Sahib is a historically significant Sikh shrine situated at the northern edge of the ancient Rohtas Fort, near Jhelum in Punjab, Pakistan. The name derives from the Punjabi word "chowa," meaning a natural spring, and the gurdwara commemorates the site where Guru Nanak Dev Ji, the founder of Sikhism, is believed to have miraculously created a water spring during one of his spiritual journeys known as udasi. Positioned near the Talaqi Gate of the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Rohtas Fort, the gurdwara stands on the banks of the River Ghan (also known as the Kahan River), approximately 18 kilometres from Jhelum city and 8 kilometres from the town of Dina.

The shrine is revered as one of the most sacred Sikh sites in Pakistan and forms a prominent landmark along the country's Sikh Heritage Trail. The gurdwara complex features a three-storey structure built in a style that blends 19th-century Sikh and Mughal architectural traditions. The main prayer hall, known as the Darbar Sahib, houses the Guru Granth Sahib — the eternal Sikh scripture — while the Langar Hall, named Guru Ramdas Hall, provides community meals to all visitors irrespective of their faith or background, embodying the Sikh principle of seva (selfless service).

One of the most distinctive features of the complex is its sacred pool, or sarovar, believed to be fed by the same natural spring that Guru Nanak is said to have created during his visit. Pilgrims come from across the world to collect this water, considered holy by the Sikh community. The spring continues to flow to this day and also supplies water to the surrounding local area.

After the 1947 Partition of the Indian subcontinent, the local Sikh population migrated to India, leaving the gurdwara unoccupied and gradually falling into disrepair. For more than seven decades, the structure suffered significant deterioration due to neglect and environmental exposure. A major restoration project was launched in 2019, spearheaded by the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) of Pakistan and the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (PSGPC), with financial contributions from the UK Sikh diaspora and support from organisations such as Ranjit Nagara, a Sikh heritage group based in the United States.

The restored gurdwara was reopened on 3 August 2019 to coincide with the 550th birth anniversary celebrations of Guru Nanak Dev Ji. Today, Gurdwara Chowa Sahib attracts Sikh pilgrims and heritage tourists from across the globe, particularly those visiting Pakistan under the cross-border pilgrimage arrangements that have grown since the opening of the Kartarpur Corridor in 2019. The site continues to be an active place of worship and community gathering, serving as a powerful symbol of Sikh spiritual heritage preserved within the landscape of historic Punjab.

The history of Gurdwara Chowa Sahib is rooted in the travels of Guru Nanak Dev Ji, the founder and first Guru of Sikhism, who undertook several extended spiritual journeys known as udasis across the Indian subcontinent and beyond. During his fourth udasi, believed to have taken place in the early 16th century, Guru Nanak and his devoted companion Bhai Mardana are said to have journeyed through the region near present-day Jhelum in Punjab. According to tradition, after spending approximately 40 days at the nearby Tilla Jogian temples, the two travellers stopped to rest at the rocky terrain near what is now Rohtas Fort.

Legend holds that Bhai Mardana was overcome by intense thirst in the arid landscape, where the available water was saline and unfit for drinking. Guru Nanak is believed to have struck the ground with his cane, dislodging a stone, whereupon a fresh and pure spring of water miraculously emerged and quenched Bhai Mardana's thirst. This spring — the chowa — is said to have been flowing ever since and remains the spiritual heart of the gurdwara complex.

The site gained further historical prominence during the reign of the Mughal emperor Sher Shah Suri, who constructed the imposing Rohtas Fort adjacent to the spring in the mid-16th century. It is recorded that Sher Shah Suri himself attempted to redirect or relocate the spring uphill for the fort's use but was unsuccessful — an episode that deepened the spring's reputation as a miraculous and inviolable source. The first formal commemorative structure at the site was built by Sardar Charat Singh, grandfather of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, who also installed a sarovar (sacred pool) and a space for the recitation of the Guru Granth Sahib.

The current gurdwara building was commissioned in 1834 by Maharaja Ranjit Singh, ruler of the Sikh Empire, who endowed the site with land grants and annual financial provisions for its upkeep. Following the 1947 Partition of the subcontinent, the gurdwara was abandoned as Sikhs migrated to India. It remained largely unattended for over 72 years until a formal restoration programme began in August 2019 under the ETPB and PSGPC.

Restoration employed traditional lime-based plaster techniques and was co-funded by the UK Sikh diaspora community. The gurdwara was ceremonially reopened in August 2019, marking a significant moment in the preservation of Sikh heritage in Pakistan and welcoming international pilgrims once again.