AMRITSAR: Descendants of Rai Bhular Bhatti, a contemporary and disciple of Guru Nanak Dev, welcomed Sikh pilgrims to Nankana Sahib, Pakistan, on Sunday to perpetuate the nearly 500-year-old relationship that their forefather had forged with the first master of Sikhs during his lifetime.Rai Saleem Akram Bhatti and Rai Bilal Akram Bhatti mingled with the pilgrims who reached the shrine to celebrate the parkash purb (birth anniversary) of Guru Nanak Dev at Gurdwara Janamasthan, Nankana Sahib, which falls on Monday.Guru Nanak was born in Nankana Sahib in the 15th century and died in Kartarpur Sahib sometime in the 1500s.To express gratitude to Sikhs, the Bhatti family had earlier established an organisation dedicated to perpetuating and nurturing this strong connection with the community.
Sikh intellectual Charanjit Singh said the pilgrimage to Nankana Sahib is considered incomplete without meeting the descendents of Rai Bhular Bhatti.
The Bhattis themselves invite pilgrims to their house or go to Gurdwara Janamasthan or to the sarai (inn) in Nankana Sahib to meet Sikh pilgrims from across the globe, he said.