- Sikh businessman Ravinder Singh Sethi is donating Nepal's Guru Nanak commemorative coins to four prominent Indian universities for archival preservation.
- Issued in 2019, the coins feature the 'Ek Onkar' symbol to mark the 550th birth anniversary of the Sikh faith's founder.
- The donation highlights Guru Nanak’s historical travels through Nepal and fosters academic research into shared spiritual and cultural heritage.
Amritsar/Kathmandu: A Kathmandu-based Sikh businessman is taking a personal initiative to preserve a small but meaningful piece of Nepal’s connection with Guru Nanak Dev Ji by donating commemorative coins issued by the Government of Nepal to mark the 550th birth anniversary of the founder of Sikhism.
Ravinder Singh Sethi said Tuesday that sets of the coins, issued by Nepal in 2019, will be presented to four prominent Indian universities—Panjab University in Chandigarh, Guru Nanak Dev University in Amritsar, Punjabi University in Patiala and Punjab Agricultural University in Ludhiana—for archival preservation and academic reference.
The coins were issued in denominations of 100, 1,000 and 2,500 Nepalese rupees to commemorate the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev Ji. They were jointly released by Chiranjibi Nepal, the then Governor of Nepal Rastra Bank, and Manjeev Singh Puri, the then Ambassador of India to Nepal.
For Sethi, the coins represent more than a commemorative issue. They are a reminder of the centuries-old spiritual and cultural connection between Nepal and Guru Nanak, whose travels took him across the Himalayan region.
“The initiative will serve as a lasting reminder of the deep respect, reverence and affection shown by the government and people of Nepal towards Guru Nanak Dev Ji,” Sethi said.
Coins reflect Nepal’s tribute to Guru Nanak
The commemorative coins carry the sacred Sikh symbol ‘Ek Onkar’, expressing the Sikh belief in the oneness of God, along with an inscription commemorating Guru Nanak’s 550th birth anniversary.
Sethi believes that placing the coins in university archives will give students, scholars and future generations an opportunity to understand an important but often less-known aspect of the historical relationship between Nepal and the Sikh tradition.
Rather than remaining in a private collection, the coins will be preserved in academic institutions where they can become part of broader research into Sikh history, Nepal-India relations, religious heritage and commemorative coinage.
The four institutions have been selected for their longstanding contributions to education, research and the preservation of Punjabi and Sikh heritage.
Guru Nanak Dev University in Amritsar, named after Guru Nanak Dev Ji, has a particularly close connection to the initiative. The university has long been associated with research and teaching in Sikh studies, Punjabi language and literature, history and culture.
Panjab University in Chandigarh and Punjabi University in Patiala are also important centres for research into Punjab’s language, history and cultural traditions. Punjab Agricultural University in Ludhiana, one of the country's leading agricultural institutions, will also preserve the commemorative material as part of its institutional heritage collections.
Guru Nanak’s journey through Nepal
The significance of the donation is closely linked to the Sikh tradition that Guru Nanak Dev Ji travelled through Nepal during his third Udasi, or spiritual journey.
According to Sikh tradition, Guru Nanak spent more than a year in Nepal during his travels in the Himalayan region, including his journey associated with Mount Kailash and Tibet. During these journeys, he met people from different religious, social and cultural backgrounds and shared his message of equality, compassion, honest living and devotion to one God.
Kathmandu continues to preserve an important memory of this journey through Gurdwara Guru Nanak Math, a historic Sikh shrine traditionally associated with Guru Nanak’s visit.
The gurdwara has remained a place of remembrance for Sikhs visiting Nepal and serves as a visible reminder of the historical links between the Kathmandu Valley and the Sikh faith.
A personal effort to preserve shared heritage
For Sethi, the decision to donate the coins is also about ensuring that Nepal’s tribute to Guru Nanak is remembered beyond the anniversary celebrations.
He had earlier donated a similar set of the commemorative coins to Blackburn Gurdwara in Melbourne, Australia, extending his preservation effort to the Sikh diaspora.
The latest donations to four universities in Punjab and Chandigarh will place the coins in institutions where they can be preserved, documented and potentially made available to researchers and students.
Commemorative coins often provide a tangible record of how governments and societies remember important historical figures and events. In this case, the Nepal-issued coins carry significance beyond their monetary value, reflecting Nepal’s recognition of Guru Nanak’s historical association with the country.
Strengthening Nepal-India cultural connections
The initiative also highlights the broader cultural relationship between Nepal and India. The two neighbouring countries share deep religious, historical and social ties that predate their modern borders.
Guru Nanak’s travels across the Himalayan region form part of this shared heritage. His teachings and journeys crossed geographical and religious boundaries, connecting communities across South Asia.
The 2019 coin issue was part of international commemorations marking the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev Ji, which was observed by governments, religious organisations and communities around the world.
Nepal’s decision to honour the occasion through commemorative coins was particularly meaningful to the Sikh community because of Guru Nanak’s traditional association with Kathmandu and other parts of the Himalayan region.
Sethi said he hoped the donation would encourage greater awareness of Guru Nanak’s connection with Nepal and promote further efforts to preserve historical artefacts associated with his travels.
The coins may be small in size, but their story is much larger. Once placed in the archives of the four Indian universities, they will serve as lasting reminders of Nepal’s respect for Guru Nanak Dev Ji and of the enduring cultural and spiritual connections shared by Nepal, India and the global Sikh community.
