'Jore Sahib' should be housed at Patna Sahib gurdwara: Ex-MP

Former Rajya Sabha MP and former chairman of the National Minorities Commission Tarlochan Singh on Monday said the footwear of Guru Gobind Singh and Mata Sahib Kaur, kept safely by the family of Union Minister Hardeep Puri, should be placed at Takth Patna Sahib gurdwara.

In a statement after the Tribune broke the news that Puri had requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to find a suitable home for the holy relics, Singh said these be placed at Takhat Patna Sahib, the birthplace of Guru Gobind Singh.

Personal belongings of Guru Gobind Singh are preserved in this holy gurdwara, Singh added. He referred to the PM listening to a shabad recital in a meeting at his residence in connection with "Jore Sahib" stated to be the personal footwear of Dasmesh Pita Sri Guru Gobind Singh and Mata Sahib Kaur, mother of the Khalsa.

"The Prime Minister was pleased to know that these sacred relics were preserved and worshipped by the ancestors of Hardeep Singh Puri, now Union Cabinet Minister. After leaving Pakistan, the family kept these in their house in Karol Bagh, Delhi. After passing away of Sardar Jasmeet Singh Puri, his wife approached the eldest member of the family, Hardeep Singh Puri, to arrange a befitting place for the wider darshan for the sangat," Singh said.

He said he had learnt that the Ministry of Culture that the Archeology Department had done all the testing. "I am aware that many families in Punjab are having sacred relics of Sikh Gurus. While appreciating the devotion of Hardeep Puri and his wife Laxmi Puri, I would suggest that these 'Jore Sahib' be placed at Patna Sahib gurdwara," Singh said.