India Asks Iraq To Renovate Historic Baba Nanak Gurdwara In Baghdad

India has formally requested Iraq to rebuild the Baba Nanak Gurdwara in Baghdad. The matter was raised by Indian National security advisor Ajit Doval with Iraqi NSA Qasem Al Araji during his Delhi visit. This has been a long-standing demand of the Sikh community as well, with the matter being raised by them Iraqi authorities in the past several times. 

Araji was in India from March 23 to March 25 at the invitation of Indian NSA Ajit Doval.
 
The Baba Nanak Gurdwara in Baghdad is a significant religious site for the Sikh community. The Gurdwara was built in memory of Guru Nanak, the founder of the Sikh religion, who visited the city around 1511 AD.

The Gurdwara was discovered by Dr. Kirpal Singh, a captain in the Indian Medical Service of the British Indian army during World War I, who located it in the west of Baghdad town. The Gurdwara was mostly destroyed during the Iraq war in 2003.

In 1982, Major General Harkirat Singh, the nephew of Dr. Kirpal Singh, visited Baghdad to encourage the local Sikh community to rebuild the Baba Nanak Shrine into a major gurudwara. After Major General Harkirat Singh passed away in 1983, the community took up the task of rebuilding it. The Gurdwara's layout and inscription on a stone tablet were documented in the book "Divine Master," written by Sardar Sewaram Singh, a Sessions Judge and the father of Major General Harkirat Singh.

The Iraqi Government expressed a desire to rebuild the Gurdwara in 2007, and since 2018, a gate has been erected to protect the space where the former gurudwara once stood. Only parts of an outer wall and one Mehrab remain in one of the walls, but efforts are underway to rebuild the Gurdwara to its former glory. The Baba Nanak Shrine remains a significant site for the Sikh community and a testament to the enduring legacy of Guru Nanak.

Mukhtiar Singh Assal, chairman Indian Sikh Council informed Zee News that he has been in touch with the Iraq Embassy, and had a series of meetings in this regard the embassy of Iraq is also seeming to be very keen to work on the project of Gurdwara Sahib in Bagdad. "This gesture will promote the India-Iraq relations," he added.