Gurdwara Pathar Sahib is another beautiful Gurdwara constructed in the memory of Guru Nanak Dev Ji in
the Ladakh region of J&K. It is situated 25 miles away from Leh, on the Leh-Kargil road, 12000 feet above
sea level. It stated that this site was discovered when the army was constructing leh-nimu road. When it was
found that a big boulder was coming on the way and despite all efforts including use of bulldozer, it could not
Some Prominent Gurdwaras and 37 Sikh Organizations of The World
be removed, it was decided to blow it apart with dynamite the next
day. That night the army officer also had a dream not to remove
the stone. He too decided the dream should be ignored, but early
that morning, being Sunday, he and the workers were visited by
several Lamas and other Ladhakhis who came to tell them the
story of a Holy Saint they called Nanak Lama and the unyielding
boulder. According to the legend, as narrated by the people, “once
a wicked demon lived in the area who terrorised the people where
the gurdwara is now situated. The people prayed to the Almighty
for help. It is said that Guru Nanak heard their woes and came to
their aid. He settled down on the bank of the river below the hill
where the wicked demon lived. The Guru blessed the people with sermons and became popular in the area.
The locals called him Nanak Lama. Seeing this the demon got into a rage and decided to kill Guru Nanak
Dev. One morning when the Guru was sitting in meditation, the demon pushed a large pathar (boulder),
down from the hilltop, with the intention of killing the Guru. The boulder gained speed as it rumbled down
the hillside, but when it touched the Guru’s body, it softened like warm wax and came to a halt against Guru
Nanak’s back. The Guru kept on meditating unhurt and undisturbed. Thinking that the Guru had been killed,
the demon came down and was taken aback to see the Guru deep in meditation. In a fit of anger, he tried
to push the boulder with his right foot, but as the pathar still had the softness of warm wax, his foot got
embedded in it. Pulling his foot from the boulder the demon was dumfounded to see the impression his foot
had just left in the stone. On seeing this, the demon realised his own powerlessness in comparison to the
spiritual power of the great Guru. He fell at the feet of Guru Nanak Dev and begged for forgiveness. Guru
Sahib advised him to get rid of his wicked ways and asked him to lead a life of a noble person. This changed
the life of the demon, who gave up evil deeds and started serving the people. Guru Nanak Dev thereafter
continued his holy journey towards Srinagar via Kargil. The pathar pushed down by the demon, with the
imprint of the body of Guru Nanak Dev and the footprint of the demon, is at present on display in Gurdwara
Pathar Sahib. It is said that since the visit of Guru Sahib (in 1517) to the building of the roadway in 1965, the
local Lamas had held the pathar sacred and offered prayers to it as, no doubt, they do to this day”. (Expected
from Sikh wiki encyclomedia of the Sikhs) This Gurdwara is being looked after by Punjab and Sikh regiments
of Indian army.
