TAXILA: Thousands of Sikh men with orange robes and swords in their belts along with women and children dressed in colourful attire headed towards the Gurdwara Panja Sahib in Hassanabdal to pay homage to Guru Garanth Sahib. This is the holy book of the Sikh religion.

The temple was lit up on the eve of Baisakhi festival, which was decorated to host processions where around 10,000 devotees gathered to celebrate the festival.

Earlier, 2,470 Indian Sikh pilgrims embarked at the gurdwara on Wednesday evening to celebrate Baisakhi, also known as Vaisakhi which also marks the beginning of the harvesting season as well as the beginning of the Sikh New Year. They were ferried through special 58 air-conditioned coaches from Nankana Sahib aimed at improving strict security measures.

On Thursday, pilgrims who poured in from other parts of the world offered their religious rituals including cleansing ritual of ashnan in which many of the devotees took a dip in the scared water pool located in the temple complex, against the backdrop of the rising sun.

Talking to journalists, Amarjit Singh Bhalipur, the party leader of Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) said that it was the ultimate desire of every Sikh to visit the religion’s holy sites like Panja Sahib, Nankana Sahib, and Kartarpur Sahib, which are located in Pakistan.

“There is no doubt that Pakistan is the land of Sikh gurus which is why followers of the religion, living in any part of the world love this land as it is our second homeland. We are always welcomed with love and it is a true example of Sikh-Muslim friendship,” said Surjit Singh of All India Danga Peer Welfare Punjab on this occasion.

Joginder Kaur, the deputy party leader (SGPC), while answering a question lauded the splendid services of the host country and said they felt at home. She also lauded steps taken by the Pakistani government for upkeep and restoration of gurdwaras, adding that despite Ramazan, Muslims have given us a lot of respect and love.

Baljinder Singh, deputy party leader of Bhai Mardana Society, while talking to journalists said that the Indian Sikh community was grateful to the government for issuing them maximum number of visas, adding that this land was indeed sacred to Sikhs as their holy places were located here.

Talking to Dawn, Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) Deputy Secretary Shrines Saiful Islam Khokar said the board, in collaboration with the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee and the district administration had made security and accommodation arrangements for the pilgrims.

“Strict security measures were taken in and around the Sikh temple where dozens of officials from security agencies were deployed,” he added. While sharing the schedule of visiting Indian Sikh pilgrims, Mr Khokar said that these pilgrims would depart for Lahore to visit Gurdwara Dera Sahib where they will stay for the next one day. On April 16, they will leave for Eminabad to visit Gurdwara Rorro Sahib.

The same day, they will also visit Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur, Narowal where they will stay for the night. He added that on April 17, the pilgrims will again depart for Gurdwara Dera Sahib in Lahore and after spending the night there, they will return to India via Wagha the next day (April 18).

Moreover, Regional Police Officer (RPO) Syed Khurrum Ali along with District Police Officer Sardar Ghias Gul Khan also visited the temple and reviewed security measures taken for the safety and security of visiting pilgrims.

The complex also houses one of the largest langars or free community kitchens, where visitors were fed throughout the day. It was observed that the devotees took part in community kitchens for the poor and processions.

Published in Dawn, April 14th, 2023