Ganga Sagar Beneficiary Nawab Rai Kahla’s Portrait To Be Placed in Central Sikh Museum on July 24
Posted: 21 Jul 2017 10:45 AM PDT
AMRITSAR SAHIB, Punjab—The apex Sikh body SGPC had announced to place portrait of former Muslim chief of Raikot province Nawab Rai Kahla in the central Sikh museum on July 24. SGPC appointed Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh and SGPC President Prof. Kirpal Singh Badungar will unveil the portrait at 10 am on July 24 following a religious program.
Sharing the development with Sikh24, Rai Azizullah Khan, who is 9th descendant of Rai Kahla, informed that he has been informed about this by the SGPC via postal letter. He said that he won’t be able to attend the portrait installation ceremony as he was residing abroad but he will definitely come to pay obeisance at the sanctum sanctorum Sri Harmandir Sahib in future.
Nawab Rai Kahla, who was Muslim chief of Raikot province during Mughal Empire of Aurangzeb, had welcomed the tenth Sikh master Guru Gobind Singh Ji, not only risking his position as chief but his own life and the life of his family. Guru Ji stayed in a residence provided by Nawab Rai Kahla for three days in January 1705. While departing on January 5, 1705, Guru Ji had blessed Rai Kahla with two of his personal belongings, a sword and the Ganga Sagar, as a token of gratitude. The sword is currently located in a museum in New Zealand, while the Ganga Sagar has been in custody of the Rai family for decades now.
Ganga Sagar, is the name given to the sacred relic which belonged to the tenth master of the Sikh religion, Guru Gobind Singh Ji. It is a traditional copper urn of the 17th century, which weighs approximately half a kilogram and is less than 1 foot in height. It has about two hundred holes carved throughout the rim of the base.