It was eight months ago when it was reported that Guru Nanak Dev’s chakki (hand-moved wheat grinder) had been spotted in the UK. The sacred relic was originally kept at Gurdwara Chakki Sahib, Eminabad, Pakistan.
However Pakistan police registered a case in this regard on Saturday. The first Sikh police officer of Pakistan, Gulab Singh, had lodged a complaint at Eminabad police station on September 6, demanding an investigation into the disappearance of the Sikh relic from the gurdwara.
Gulab told the Times of India on Saturday that in his complaint he has mentioned that he had come to know through the Sikh community in Britain that the “chakki” was in the possession of a UK-based Sikh and “many Sikhs in UK have paid obeisance to the relic”. He alleged that it was taken out from the gurdwara in connivance with some employees.
The first Sikh master, Guru Nanak Dev, used to grind corn with the “chakki” when he was taken prisoner. This event is recorded in the Janamsakhis or birth stories of Guru Nanak. Later, Gurdwara Chakki Sahib came up at that place. Gulab said that he had sought the registration of a theft case against the person who had taken away the Guru’s “chakki”.
The relic had dissapeard over ten years ago and has led to outrage among Sikhs the world over. Chater Singh, member of Bibi Nanki Trust, Pakistan, had announced the launch of a movement for tracing the “chakki” and re-installing it at the gurdwara after performing sacred rituals.
Former president of Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) Paramjit Singh Sarna had also confirmed that the millstone was not in Gurdwara Chakki Sahib and had been taken away by a UK-based Sikh. Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh had also directed Sikhs to trace it and re-install it at Gurdwara in Eminabad in accordance with rehat maryada (Sikh code of religious conduct).
If you know the whereabout of the sacred Chakki contact the Sikh Museum Initiative.
Originally reported by the Times of India on the 15th September 2015.
Photo Courtesy of Tahir Iqbal.