Pakistan permits Ex-IAS officer to exhibit pictures of sacred trees related to Sikh shrines

File Photo: Gurdwara Amb Sahib

LAHORE, Pakistan—Pakistan authorities have permitted an Ex-IAS bureaucrat DS Jaspal to exhibit pictures of sacred trees related to Sikh history at Gurdwara Nankana Sahib.  The permission was granted by the Evacuee Trust Property Board which is responsible for the upkeep of Gurdwaras in Pakistan.

DS Jaspal is the author of the book ‘Tryst with Trees’, which is a pictorial documentary of 58 Sikhs shrines of India and Pakistan.

Talking with Sikh24, DS Jaspal Singh informed that the exhibition will start by mid-November of this year during parkash purab anniversary celebrations of Guru Nanak Sahib.

“Images of sacred trees will draw attention of not only the Sikhs but all nature lovers to the rich natural heritage of the Sikhs and highlight the importance of preserving our depleting forest wealth,” he added. He informed that out of 58 historical Sikh shrines situated in India and Pakistan, names of 19 Sikh shrines are named after the different species of trees.  He portrayed the names of Gurdwara Tahli Sahib (Amritsar), Gurdwara Nim Sahib (Patiala), Gurdwara Babe Di Ber Sahib (Sialkot), Gurdwara Reetha Sahib (Uttrakhand), Gurdwara Lahura Sahib (Lahore) as an example.

Some of the pictures at the exhibit will bring out the sanctity in which devotees hold trees and the central role of nature in religious preaching and practices.  Jaspal’s exhibition explores the profound impact of nature and the environment on the spiritual, social and cultural evolution of the Sikh religion.

He prepared the exhibition after personally visiting these 58 historical shrines.  It took nearly 3 years to cover the shrines, mostly in Punjab, but also in Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Leh, Orissa and across the border in Pakistan.

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