Thousands offer prayers at Golden Temple to mark Guru Nanak’s Parkash Purb
The 554th Parkash Purb of the first Sikh Guru – Guru Nanak Dev- was celebrated with fervour on both sides of the India-Pakistan border today.
A sea of devotees thronged the decorated Golden Temple in Amritsar to be part of the special gurmat programmes organised by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) at Gurdwara Sri Manji Sahib Diwan Hall, in the shrine complex where the bhog of akhand path was performed.
The centre of attraction was the ‘jalau’ (grandeurs) ritual during which the rarest of the rare articles of ornamental beauty studded with precious stones and pearls and bejewelled canopy were displayed for the public view at the sanctum sanctorum of Golden Temple, Akal Takht and Gurdwara Baba Atal Rai Sahib, in addition to the fireworks in the evening to mark the occasion.
Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Raghbir Singh and SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami extended their greetings and asked the devotees to follow the teachings of the Guru and maintain universal brotherhood and harmony.
Pilgrims from across the globe reached ‘Janam Asthan’, Sri Nankana Sahib in Pakistan to commemorate the occasion. A nagar kirtan, led by Guru Granth Sahib enshrined in a golden ‘palki’ (palanquin) and Panj Pyaras, was taken out. According to information, this procession was started off from Gurdwara Sri Nankana Sahib that covered a red-carpet stretch of around one-and-a-half km.
