Gurdwara Pathar Sahib

Gurdwara Pathar Sahib is a beautiful Gurudwara constructed in the memory of Guru Nanak about 25 miles away from Leh in Ladakh, on the Leh-Kargil road, 12000 ft above sea level. The Gurdwara was built in 1517 to commemorate the visit to the Leh Ladakh region of Guru Nanak Dev, the founder Guru of the Sikh faith.

During his lifetime Guru Nanak travelled to many distant places and one such place was Tibet. Guru Nanak is well respected by Tibetan Buddhists who consider him a saint; The Dalai Lama, has confirmed this in his discussions with some Sikh leaders saying that Tibetans respect Guru Nanak as a Buddhist saint under the name of Guru Gompka Maharaj.

Gurdwara Pathar Sahib

The 25 miles road from Leh to the Gurdwara Pathar Sahib is in good condition, visitors can go by bus or taxi. The Gurdwara Sahib is located next to the main road near Magnetic Hill India. Visiting hours for the Gurdwara Pathar Sahib is 8 A.M. to 7 P.M. from April to October and the rest of year it remains closed due to heavy snow fall.

In the late 1965, during the construction of the Leh-Nimu road in Leh Ladakh, a large boulder was found in the middle of the road bed covered with Buddhists prayer flags. The boulder was covered with Buddhist prayer flags, the type of flags that are often found in Ladakh and are strung by Buddhist Lamas along mountain ridges and peaks high in the Himalayas to bless the surrounding countryside.

It was tried to push the huge stone to the side by bulldozer, but it refused to move. Suddenly, with a large snap, the blade broke and the work stopped. That night the driver had a dream in which a voice told him not to move the stone.

Today, the site and the Gurdwara that now covers the boulder are respected by both the local Lamas and Sikhs. Currently the army is looking after the Gurdwara Pathar Sahib.

It was that boulder which was pushed down by the demon to kill Guru Nanak. The imprint of the body of Guru Nanak Dev and the footprint of that demon can be seen on it. The boulder is currently kept on display in Gurdwara Pathar Sahib. It is said that since the visit of Guru Sahib to the building of the roadway in 1965, the local Lamas had held the boulder sacred and offered prayers to it.

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