VERKĀ, township 9 km northeast of Amritsar (31º-38'N, 74º-53'E), is sacred to Gurū Nānak (1469-1539) who once came and stayed here near a pond, west of the village. The pond so consecrated came to be known as Nānaksar, Nānak’s pool. The pond was converted into a sarovar in 1899 with funds donated by a Sindhi lady, Birjī Bāī of Shikārpur. The building of Gurdwārā Nānaksar, marking the spot where the Gurū had stayed, reconstructed in 1926, was replaced in 1973 by the present complex within a walled compound. It includes a three-storeyed structure topped by a lotus dome and a gold-plated pinnacle. The Gurū Granth Sāhib is seated at the far end of the hall on the ground floor. The sarovar is on the left and Gurū kā Laṅgar and residential accommodation are at the back of the hall. The Gurdwārā is affiliated to the Shiromaṇī Gurdwārā Parbandhak Committee which manages it through a local committee. Besides the celebration of major anniversaries on the Sikh calendar, a fair is held on 12 Chet, now usually corresponding to 25 March, every year in the belief that it was on this date that Gurū Nānak was at Verkā.