ANANTNAG (33° 44`N, 75° 13`E), a district town on the southern edge of the Kashmir valley, is named after a nearby spring which is regarded as sacred by the Hindus. The town claims a historical Sikh shrine commemorating the visit of Guru Nanak (1469-1539), who passed through here on his way to Mattan in 1517. The present building of Gurdwara Guru Nanak in the southern part of the town was constructed in 1950, and a second storey was added to it in 1970.
DE LA ROCHE, HENRI FRANCOIS STANISLAUS (d 1842), a Frenchman born in Mauritius, served in the army of Begam Samru. As the force was disbanded by the British after the Begam`s death, he came to Lahore in 1838 and took up service under Maharaja Ranjit Singh as a cavalry officer on a salary of Rs 500 per month. Apart from army duties, he was occasionally deputed to settle boundary disputes on the Sikh frontier.
