ਅੰਮ੍ਰਿਤ ਸਰੁ (aṁmrit sar)
Meaning: noun: The pool of amrit (ambrosial nectar).
Quote:
ਲਾਹੌਰ ਸਹਰੁ ਅੰਮ੍ਰਿਤ ਸਰੁ ਸਿਫਤੀ ਦਾ ਘਰੁ॥
ਲਾਹੌਰ ਸ਼ਹਿਰ ਨਾਮ –ਅੰਮ੍ਰਿਤ ਦਾ ਸਰੋਵਰ ਅਤੇ ਸਿਫਤੀ –ਪ੍ਰਭੂ ਦੀਆਂ ਸਿਫਤਾਂ ਦਾ ਘਰ ਬਣ ਗਿਆ ਹੈ।
laahaur sahar aṁmrit sar siphatee daa ghar.
The city of Lahore has become the pool of amrit and the home of praises of the Praiseworthy Divine. -Guru Amar Das Sahib, Guru Granth Sahib, 1412
This quote tells us that the city of Lahore turned to be a better place during the guruships of the third to fifth Gurus (1552-1606). Furthermore, Guru Ram Das (1534-1581) was born in a family based in Lahore.
This period is parallel to the Emperor Akbar’s rule (1556-1605). Akbar had a more liberal policy of religious tolerance and communal harmony. He thus fostered the sentiments and views preached by Guru Nanak, his successors and the other Bhagats of that era.
The verse is of great historical significance. It shows how Lahore’s inhabitants transformed and became virtuous with the guidance of the Gurus’ teachings and influence. Bhai Gurdas also makes reference to Lahore when he mentions the names of some famous Sikhs of the Guru-period:
ਸਨਮੁਖਿ ਸਿਖ ਲਾਹੌਰ ਵਿਚ ਸੋਢੀ ਆਇਣੁ ਤਾਇਆ ਸੰਹਾਰੀ॥
In Lahore, there is a Guru-centred Sikh, the elderly Uncle Sanghari Mal, from the family of Sodhis. -Vaar 11, pauri 25
Keen to Explore Further?
Sikh Misls (the sovereign states of the Sikh confederacy that rose during the 18th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent following the weakening of the Mughal Empire) secured control over Lahore in 1767. Lahore became the capital of the Sikh Empire in 1799 and remained so until it was annexed to the British Empire and made capital of British Punjab in 1849.
Ranjit Singh’s rule (1799-1839) restored much of Lahore’s lost grandeur. He established a mint in the city in 1800. In 1801, he established the Gurdwara Janam Asthan Guru Ram Das to mark the site where Guru Ram Das was born.
Presently, Lahore is the capital city of the Pakistani province of Punjab, the second largest metropolitan area in the country. Want to read more, see here.
