In the beautiful rural area of district Gujrat, about seven kilometers to the west of Kharian, lies a village which is now called Sunnat Pura. But once upon a time, which now seems a very distant past, though actually just 78 years ago, this place had a different name, and its inhabitants, too were somewhat different. At that time, the village was called Santpura, and its population was largely Sikh and Hindu. Now all the Sikhs and Hindus have gone, and even the old name of this place has been lost. Today, it is known as Sunnat Pura. I shall explain the difference below.
In Punjabi / Hindi, Sant means a saint or holy man, especially a Sikh or Hindu one. Hence, Santpura means “the place or dwelling of a saint.” On the other hand, Sunnat is an Arabic word meaning the actions, traditions, or teachings of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him).
But the subject of this article is not the village or its history. But a lonely gurdwara (that is what I initially thought it to be) at the outskirts of the village, situated in the open fields. The gurdwara is located at 32°46'35.31"N, 73°48'56.03"E. The gurdwara is also known as Gurdwara Santpura.
According to the local people, Santpura once had a large Sikh and Hindu population. It was a market town, and people from the surrounding villages came here for shopping. Even residents from Kharian, the nearest town, visited Santpura for their needs. But all of this changed after the partition in 1947. Today, Santpura is a beautiful, neat, and peaceful village, but commercially it is not as important as it used to be.
However, we shall focus on the gurdwara and its building, the subject of this article. I could not find any authentic information about the history of this gurdwara, but its building itself is telling its story quietly. The first thing that struck me was its very beautiful location and serene surroundings. As I noted above, it is situated outside the village to the south. In this quiet atmosphere, I felt peace but also sadness. The building looked sad and lonely to me, and I could not shake off this impression during my more than half an hour’s stay there.
The style of the building clearly shows that it was constructed in the 1920s. The roof is supported with iron girders and T-irons to hold brick tiles. We know that the use of iron girders became popular after the First World War. Before that time, they were used mainly in railways and large government buildings. During the Great War, iron production increased rapidly to meet the demands of military use and armament manufacturing. After the war, the expanded capacity was able to cater to civilian needs. Hence, we see a widespread use of iron girders in buildings constructed during the 1920s and onwards.
Unlike many other gurdwaras, where we usually find several plaques describing the history of the construction and the names of the donors, I could find no such plaques in this gurdwara, except for a writing at its main entrance. This, too, was faint and a bit difficult to read. At first glance, it seemed to be just the name of the gurdwara and a few welcoming words. But when I closely and carefully examined it at home, I discovered the most important detail I was looking for: the year of construction. It clearly mentions the year as 1926. This ends all speculation and conjecture in this matter and clearly establishes that the gurdwara was built in 1926.
Even from the outside, we can see that the building is in very bad shape and in a dilapidated condition, but the true extent of the devastation is only realized when you enter. It is so damaged that one wonders how it is still standing at all. There are huge cracks in the walls and columns, and the roof has collapsed in several places. Even large chunks have fallen down.
The interior is spacious and airy, and is a perfect square in shape. It is a two-storey building. All four sides of the square have three arches each, with the central arch being larger in size. Even in this devastated state, it has not completely lost its grandeur and beauty. Behind the arches are spacious verandahs. The roofs are supported by large iron girders and T-iron bars, which hold the brick tiles in place. It was a pleasant surprise that even after a century has passed, and despite the lack of any repair work or protection from water seepage, the ironwork remains intact.
There are several other clear indications that this building might indeed not be a gurdwara. Mr. Tarunjit Singh, who is an authority on Sikh historical gurdwaras, told me that he has never found any reference to this gurdwara in any book. Interestingly, the local people also say that this building was jointly used by Sikhs and Hindus for prayers, which is another indication that it was not a gurdwara. The locals also call it a dharmshala. Since Udasis travelled extensively, they often built dharmshalas, that is, guest houses, for travellers. Above all, the writing on the main entrance includes the word “Mandir,” meaning a Hindu temple. As Udasis often blend Hindu rituals with the teachings of the Guru Granth Sahib, this is yet another indication that the building was a dera of the Udasi Sikhs.
