New Delhi/Chandigarh: The 546th birth anniversary of the founder of Sikhism — the religion of Sikhs — Guru Nanak Dev, was celebrated yesterday across the country and abroad including in neighbouring Pakistan.
President Pranab Mukherjee, Vice President Hamid Ansari and Prime Minister Narendra Modi joined prayers at the Rashtrapati Bhawan premises.
Thousands of devotees thronged the holiest of Sikh shrines, the Harmandar Sahib, popularly known as Golden Temple in Amritsar, and other gurdwaras across Punjab, Haryana and other parts of the country to mark ‘Gurpurab’.
Gurdwaras were illuminated since Wednesday, and there was a jovial atmosphere to mark the occasion.
‘Langars’ or community kitchens were arranged at several places in and around gurdwaras.
A gurbani (hymn) recital was organised at the the presidential palace.
Ansari and Modi were among the dignitaries who attended the event. The gurbani was conducted by Bhai Chamanjit Singh.
In a series of tweets yesterday, Modi called on the people to follow the path of compassion, truth and peace as shown by Guru Nanak.
“I bow to the venerable Guru Nanak (Devji) on the occasion of Guru Nanak Jayanti. The life and teachings of Guru Nanak (Devji) inspire us eternally. Let us follow the path of compassion, truth and peace as shown by him,” Modi said.
“Today is also a day to pledge to embrace the path of service and work towards a just and equal society, free from any kind of social evils,” he added.
At the Golden Temple, thousands lined up since early in the day to offer prayers. Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) volunteers had a hard time managing the rush of devotees.
“We came here at 3am... The whole atmosphere was very spiritual,” said Adhiraj Singh, a student.
Hymns were sung at the shrine and hundreds of other gurdwaras across the region. A contingent of over 1,500 Sikh devotees who arrived in Nankana Sahib, 100km from Lahore, in Pakistan Wednesday celebrated at the historic gurdwara there.
Born in 1469 at Nankana Sahib (now in Pakistan’s Punjab province), Guru Nanak Dev founded Sikhism.
There was tight security at all leading Sikh shrines in Punjab and Haryana.
Religious processions were taken out by the Sikh community in most cities and towns in Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh in the last two days.
In New Delhi, thousands of devotees thronged gurdwaras in and around the city and offered prayers. In the afternoon, langars or community kitchens were arranged in gurdwaras and on roadsides by the devout. IANS
