Travels in Kamrup: A land of tantarism, Kamrup is a place near the modem town of Guhati, Asa Desh was ruled by Raja Swarg Narian and the Golaghat Tehsil town of Sibsagar district at the extreme east of Assam from where Guru Nanak entered the Dhanasri valley. Guru Nanak had confrontation with the man caters in this area, because of the presence of cannibals in the valley.
Through Shillong he reached Sylhet (Via Jowai & Jainti Hills), Sylhet was another great Sufi Center of the area. At Sylhet there is an old Gurdwara in the memory of Guru Nanak, Guru Nanak navigating by boat the rivers of Surma and Barak, reached Dacca. From Chittagong, Guru Nanak visited the small island of Sondwip and back to Daccaknown for the temple of Dhakeshwari Goddess, Guru stayed at the site of present day rare bazar. An old well and Gurdwara i§ associated with Guru’s visit.
From Dacca to Ceylon: Via Pilgrims route: Before reaching Jagnnath Puri, Guru Nanak passed through Calcutta and Cuttack. There is a sacred spot on Harrison Road where Guru Nanak stayed. At Puri, Guru Nanak and Chaitanya met each other at this historic temple and performed a joint Kirtan service. Arti by Guru Nanak was sung here. Before reaching Kanchipuram, Guru Nanak passed through Guntur town of Andhra Pradesh, There is a Gurdwara at Kanjivaram in the name of Guru Nanak. At Kanjivaram are the splendid temples of Shiva and Vishnu.
Another sacred spot sanctified by the traditions of Shiva and his consort Parbati, Viz, the Tiruvannamalai (Arcot district) was visited by Guru Nanak and there is a Gurdwarain the memory of great Guru Nanak. Guru Nanak arrived at Tiruchchiruppalli (Old Trichnappalli), here he visited historic temple of Sri Rangam, It is here, Ramanujthe famous saint of Deccan had settled down towards the end of his life. The sacred shrine in the name of Guru Nanak has disappeared for lack of repair.
From here, Guru Nanak sailed down to Nagapattinam, a very old port of south India, in order to reach the Ceylon port of Trincomalee. This port had a famous Hindu temple, pulled down by the Portuguess.
Journey within Ceylon:Guru Nanak’s first important place to stay was Batticaloa, a little south of Trincomalee. This port area was under the influence of Hindu and Tamil cultures. Its, here, believed that Lanka was burnt by Hanuman, A dialogue between Raja of Kotte and Jnankacarya (Guru Nanak) is inscribed on a stone at Kurukal Mandap. Then he visited Katargama, a Hindu tirath, having many sacred traditions of Shiva’s son Katargama. Then he reached at Sitawake Via Badulla and Nuware Eliya, where believed Sita had spent the time of her captivity. This place was in the Kotte kingdom of Raja Dharam Prakarmabahu IX, the inscription discovered by Dr.Karunaratna furnishes a briefaccount of the events at the court of this ruler in which Jnanakacarya (Nanak) took a leading par. Then, Guru Nanak arrived at the capital town of Annuradhapura of Ceylon in olden times, The whole of the area through which Guru Nanak travelled was a drought stricken. Guru Nanak took his return journey from the port of Mannar.
(To be continued) provided by: Bhai T.S, Sandhu, Fremont Ca.
Article extracted from this publication >> February 26, 1993
