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Thursday 17 September 2020

1483) 550th Parkash Purab of Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji: A Quaternary Silver Coin of Rs.550/- (Rupees Five Hundred and Fifty) commemorating the occasion, minted by the India Government Mint, Kolkata: Year of Coin issue: 2019:

1483) 550th Parkash Purab of Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji: A Quaternary Silver Coin of Rs.550/- (Rupees Five Hundred and Fifty) commemorating the occasion, minted by the India Government Mint, Kolkata: Year of Coin issue: 2019:

Some important Links:

1) Guru Nanak Dev Ji 550thy Parkash Guru Purab: 1) A set of five postage stamps brought out by India Post depicting five select Gurudwaras - Nanak Lama Sahib, Chungthang, Darbar Sahib, Dera Baba Nanak, Gurdaspur, Janamasthan Nankana Sahib, Ber Sahib, Sultanpur Lodhi and Nanak Jhira Sahib, Bidar: Stamp Set issue date: 09.11.2019

2) Ter-Centenary of the martyrdom of Baba Banda Singh Bahadur (1716-2016): A Special Postal Cover issued by the Delhi Postal Corcle, Department of Posts, India: Date of Cover issue: 20.06.2016

3) Commemorating the Ter-Centenary of Gur-Ta-Gaddi of Sri Guru Granth Sahib: Commemorative Coins issued bt the India Government Mints in 2008 in the denominations of Rs.100/- and Rs.10/- Also contains a brief on all the Gurus-

I have yesterday received a Quaternary Silver Coin (50% Silver, 40% Copper & 5% each of Nickel and Zinc) from the India Government Mint, Kolkata commemorating the  the 550th Parkash Purab of Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji.

 This Coin is also India's first Commemorative Rs.550/- Coin issued by an Indian Government Mint/Government of India

Guru Nanak Dev Ji was the founder of Sikhism and the first of the ten Sikh Gurus. His birth is celebrated world-wide as Guru Nanak Purab on Kartik Pooranmashi, the full moon day in the month of Katak (October-November). 

Gurudwara Janamsthan, Nankana Sahib is the place of his birth and was built at the site where Guru Nanak was born to Mehta Kalu and Mata Tripta. The shrine is located in the city of Nankana Sahib, near Lahore in the Punjab Province of present day Pakistan. The Gurudwara forms a part of an ensemble of nine important Gurudwaras in Nankana Sahib.

The shrine is frequently visited by Sikh "Yatris" (pilgrims/travellers) as part of a pilgrimage route in Pakistan. The first Gurudwara is believed to have been built at the site in the 16th Century by the grandson of Guru Nanak - Baba Dharam Chand. The current Gurudwara was built by Maharaja Ranjit Singh in the 19th Century and includes a domed sanctum with an attached rectangular pavilion, surrounded by a vast walled compound.

Guru Nanak Dev Ji travelled far and wide teaching people the message of one God. His preaching is registered in the form of 974 poetic hymns in the Holy Text of Sikhism.

Sikhism gave a league of extra-ordinary men that fought for truth and became pillars of courage. Their places of worship called Gurudwaras aresacred shrines that not only render spiritual comfort, but also offer insight into how Sikhism has sustained and grown over the centuries.

The essence of Guru Nanak's teachings is contained in the following sentence: "Kirat Karo, Naam Japo, Vand Chakho" (meaning "Earn An Honest Living, Contemplate God's Name and Share Amongst The Society").

The Cover of the Coin Album is titled "Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji Ka 550 van Prakash Parv" (in Hindi) and  "550th PARKASH PURAB OF SRI GURU NANAK DEV JI" (in both Hindi and English).

In the centre is an image of the Gurudwara Janamsthan, Nankana Sahib. At the bottom is mentioned - "Smarak Sikka. COMMEMORATIVE COIN" (in both Hindi & English). At bottom right is mentioned "PROOF SET" (indicating that this coin is of the highest quality minted by the Kolkata India Government Mint).

Pages 2 and 3 give the description of the Coin (in Hindi) and its specifications, as well as the Obverse face of the Silver Rs.550/- Coin.



The Obverse of the Rs.550/- Quaternary Silver Coin at left gives the country name "BHARAT" (in Hindi) and at right "INDIA" (in English).

In the top centre is the Lion Pillar Emblem/Capitol of Ashok, the legendary Ancient Indian "Samrat" (Emperor), which has been adopted by the Government of India as its Emblem. Below the Emblem is inscribed "Satyamev Jayate" (in Hindi - meaning "Truth Always Prevails").

At lower bottom is the denomination of the Silver Coin - "550" preceded by the Rupee symbol.

Pages 4 and 5 give the description of the Reverse face of the Silver Rs.550/- Coin in English, as well as, its specifications.


The Reverse of the Rs.550/-Quaternary Silver Coin shows at the centre an engraving of the Guru Jamansthan, Nankana Sahib and gives the dates of Commemoration "1469" (at centre left) and "2019" (at centre right).

On the upper periphery is inscribed "GURU NANAK Dev Ji ka 550van Prakash Parv" (in Hindi). On the lower periphery is inscribed "550th PARKASH PURAB OF GURU NANAK DEV JI". (in English).

Page 5 of the Coin Album gives a brief description of the life, teachings and beliefs of Guru Nanak Dev Ji:

" Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji is the fiurst Guru and founder of Sikh religion. His advent at Namkana Sahib in 1469 is celebrated as his date of birth i.e. Parkash Purab. His 550th Parkash Purab (550th Birth Anniversary) on 12th November 2019 was celebrated all over the world.

He adopted a mystic contemplative life and preferred the company of saints and sadhus and abandoned the world. He attained enlightenment at Sri Ber Sahib Sultanpur Lodhi. He belongs to the category of those great men who are not the monopoly of any particular sect, creed or religion, but are common to the whole human race. He believed in humanism, dynamism and comprehensive concept of religion. He composed hymns and sang them to the accompaniment of the rabab, a stringed instrument played by his faithful attendant, Bhai Mardana.

Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji's hymns were compiled in a book form, subsequently published as the Adi Granth. He started free community kitchens called "Guru Ka Langar". His followers, irrespective of their caste,  were persuaded to eat together.

Guru Nanak Dev Ji laid great emphasis on the purity of character and conduct as the first condition of approaching God, and the need of a Guru for guidance. Throughout his life, he incessantly strove to bridge the distinctions between the various communities and culture groups of India and preached to them the gospel of truth, love, honesty and moral integrity. 

It is said the Guru Nanak Dev Ji travelled all over India and to some countries of Central Asia, Sri Lanka and also visited Mecca and Medina. After his travels, he stayed at Kartarpur Sahib and taught everyone who came to learn from him.

In 1539, the Great Guru entered the Jyoti Jot."

The Back Cover of the Coin Album gives a history of the India Government Mint, Kolkata and its product range.


The above beautiful Combo Presentation Pack includes - one Quaternary Silver Commemorative Coin issued by SPMCIL (Security Printing and Minting Corporation of India) and one Miniature Sheet (MS) having five postage stamps, one Cancelled First Day Cover (FDC) and one Brochure on the five Postage Stamps issued by India Post on 09.11.2019, as well as, an information booklet from the Ministry of Culture. (The delivery of this pack, which I had booked on 09.11.2019 itself from India Post is still awaited).







13 comments:

  1. Santosh Khanna has commented:
    Great information."

    ReplyDelete
  2. Rajan Trikha has commented:
    "Wahe Guru 🙏🙏"

    ReplyDelete
  3. Vikram Bhatnagar has commented:
    Very informative post".

    ReplyDelete
  4. Vinod Khurana has commented:
    "Satnam Shri Wahegu."

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anil Kumar Jain has commented:
    "Another addition to your lovely collection. Lete raho."

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much. A coin and stamps combo is pending with the ePostoffice since 11/2019. This is only the second time, the mints and Posts have collaborated on a theme.

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  6. Joseph Pallatt has commented:
    "Hi Rajeev. How did you get into this wonderful hobby?"

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for visiting the blog, Joseph. Both my wife Sumita and I took early retirement from the Bank in 2006 and started pursuing our hobbies. I began with Tarot Card reading and research and spent a fortune on tarot decks.my next hobby was the Winesof Maharashtra, which grew into a sort of world wines enthusiasm. Next we took up a bird watching course and birds became an area of interest. Then, I stumbled upon a box of old coins and notes, which had been with me ever since my College days. When the heritage room of SBI Pune was set up as part of the 200 years celebrations, I contributed about 40 coins all representing history of coins in India. Then, in 2011, I started my blog on coins, short stories etc which is now one of the leading world resources on numismatics, philately etc. It is now a hobby which has grown on me.

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    2. Joseph Pallatt has further commented:
      "Great! Reminds me of a colleague (now no more) whose passion was warfare. He had spent over Rs 20 lakhs on amassing a wonderful library on this subject."

      Delete
  7. Ashok Borate has commented:
    "Nice hobby."

    ReplyDelete