AMRITSAR: Dedicated to 550 birth anniversary of

Dev, the

Nepal

government will release three coins and a postal stamp.

"With our persistent efforts, Nepal government has agreed to release Rs 100, Rs 1000 and Rs 2500 coins besides a postal stamp" said Pritam Singh, president of

Guru Nanak

, Kupondole,

Kathmandu

while talking to TOI over phone from Kathmandu on Tuesday.

He said they had been conveyed that coins and postal stamp would be released ahead of Guru Nanak's birth anniversary. The Nepal government had also shown the sample coins to Sikh leadership here, he said.

The minuscule Sikh population of Nepal would be celebrating Guru Nanak's birth anniversary in a befitting manner, he said adding that preparations for holding various functions in Kathmandu had already begun.

Pritam Singh also informed that they had also initiated a process to take charge of Gurdwara Nanak Math situated on the banks of river Vishnumati in Kathmandu.

During one of his journey's Guru Nanak Dev had stayed in Kathmandu while returning from

. The then king had given around 200 acres of land which was still in the name of Guru Nanak Dev. "Unfortunately now only about 4 acres of land is left and in the year 1965 we had to make a boundary wall around the land" said Pritam Singh.

"There is a gaddi system and presently 32nd

was sitting on the gaddi" he said.

He informed that a couple of years ago, the government had advertised to auction the Gurdwara land following which Sikhs moved the court and got the stay.

"We have offered to spend Rs 125 crore for the renovation of historical Gurdwara, construction of 200 room sarai, an old age home, a school etc. that would also attract Sikh tourists to visit and pay obeisance at Gurdwara Nanak Math" he said. He informed there was a hand written saroop of Sri Guru Granth Sahib in the Gurdwara Guru Nanak Math.

Advisor to Gurdwara Guru Nanak Satsang committee Ajit Singh said that Nepal government's announcement of release of coins and postal stamp was a matter of great honour not only for the Sikhs living in Nepal but across the globe. "We are overwhelmed with Nepal government's gesture" he said.