Sikh Diaspora (Punjabi Sikh Migration)

Gurdwara Dera Sahib Panjvin Patshahi Lahore, (part of the complex 

adjacent to Lahore Fort which houses Ranjit Singh's Samadhi)

Gurdwara Janam Asthan, Nankana Sahib - This site is 

‘Janam Asthan’ meaning ‘Place of   Birth’ and childhood home.

Gurdwara Panja Sahib, Hasan Abdal – This is the site where Guru Nanak Dev 

stopped the rock with his hand and the palm print is impressed on the rock.

Gurdwara Sri Rori Sahib Eminabad District Gujranwala

Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartar Pur, Narowal District – It is built on the historic site where 
Jagat Guru Nanak Ji died on 23rd Assu, Samvat 1596 (22nd Sept. 1529)

Sikhism is (de facto) an ethnic religion and Punjab region being the historic homeland of Sikhism.

Sikh migration from the Punjab began in earnest in the second half of the 19th century when the British Raj had successfully completed its annexation of the Punjab. The pivotal action in the British annexation was the lifetime exile of the then eleven-year-old Maharaja, Duleep Singh, thus making him the first (although unwilling) member of the Sikh Diaspora.

The Sikh Diaspora is the modern Punjabi Sikh migration from the traditional area of the Punjab region. About 83 per cent of the Sikh Diasporas in Canada, the UK, Australia and the US would like to visit religious sites and Sikh shrines (Yatra) in Punjab.

The five most important pilgrimage sites for Sikhs are located in Punjab.

1.   Gurdwara Janam Asthan, Nankana Sahib - This site is ‘Janam Asthan’ meaning ‘Place of   Birth’ and childhood home.

2.   Gurdwara Dera Sahib Panjvin Patshahi Lahore, (part of the complex adjacent to Lahore Fort which houses Ranjit Singh's Samadhi)

3. Gurdwara Panja Sahib, Hasan Abdal – This is the site where Guru Nanak Dev stopped the rock with his hand and the palm print is impressed on the rock.

4. Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartar Pur, Narowal District – It is built on the historic site where Jagat Guru Nanak Ji died on 23rd Assu, Samvat 1596 (22nd Sept. 1529).

5. Gurdwara Sri Rori Sahib Eminabad District Gujranwala

A study commissioned by the Punjab government (Pakistan) estimates that if proper facilities are provided and marketing efforts made, Business Sikh tourism (Yatra) from the Sikh Diaspora could easily reach 30,000 tourists per year.

The World Bank has shown interest in helping Pakistan promote religious tourism in the country. The potential for religious, cultural and heritage tourism linked to Sikhism remains heavily unexploited. The World Bank believes that promoting the cultural and heritage tourism sector will not only help promote economic development and better protect cultural heritage but also help project a softer image of Pakistan to the world.