The hillock is only a short distance away from Thamel, Kathmandu's noisy tourist district. However, as the forested slopes cut off the noise, serenity envelops the syncretic shrine on the top. Legend has it that en route to Tibet, Guru Nanak stopped at the place where now stands the Guru Nanak Muth.
Nanak spent considerable time in Kathmandu during his third udasi (journey) when he had lengthy theological and spiritual discourses with the local ascetics, mainly near the Pashupatinath temple. It is also on this hillock, beneath which the Bishnumati river flows, that he is said to have meditated. Indeed, there still stands a pepul tree, under which, Nanak is said to have meditated. Today, a pair of footprints, engraved in stone, are placed at the foot of the tree and worshipped with offerings of flowers and kumkum.
The ruling king then gave 1,200 rupanis (a measure of land) to the muth so that it could be self sustaining. Neem Muni is the current udasi in charge of the muth. He belongs to the Nepali ethnicity, but speaks Hindi and Punjabi, in addition to Nepali. In his mid 60s, he is the 31st udasi of the muth. “We follow one of the earliest forms of Sikhism, propagated by Nanakji's son Baba Srichandji,” says Neem Muni. However, the shrine has many syncretic features. Not only is it constructed in the local Nepali architecture, it also reveres a range of Hindu deities and several ascetics.
“I begin my day by reading the path from the Granth Sahib. But I also recite aartis and revere the tulsi and the shaligram,'' he says. There is an ordinary looking, printed Granth Sahib that he uses for daily readings.
That said, the pride of the muth is a hand-written holy book, which is around 300 years old. It is perhaps the oldest copy of the Granth Sahib in Nepal. “I keep it wrapped in a cloth, and take it out only to show people who are interested,” says Muni. The book has been recently rebound, he informs.
Strangely, the muth does not feature in the city's tourist map. Most locals too, are unaware of its existence. On the other hand, the shrine has an impressive list of people who have visited it over the past several years, including Gyani Zail Singh, I.K. Gujral, Parkash Singh Badal, and many Sikhs from Canada, the US and the UK, among others.
However, the shrine had to give away much of its land to projects and encroachments in the name of development. As recently as earlier this year, the muth ceded more land for a road project. Neem Muni has no complaints though; with increased awareness comes a demand for the muth's protection.
Nepal has a modest Sikh population of just around 4,000. But its connections with Sikhism are as ancient as the foundation of the faith itself. Apart from this muth, there are several smaller muths scattered in the Kathmandu valley. These are in addition to newer gurudwaras in the city. Nepal also has another significant Sikh connection. Jind Kaur, the wife of Sikh king Ranjit Singh, who was heckled by the East India Company after the ruler's death, was granted asylum in Nepal by King Jung Bahadur Rana.
To mark the 550th year of Guru Nanak's birth, Nepal is minting three commemorative coins—two in silver and denominations of Nepali Rs 2,500 and 1,000, and a cupronickel one of Rs 100.