Thousands of Sikh pilgrims gathered at Gurdwara Punja Sahib in Hassanabdal, Pakistan on April 14 to participate in the main ceremony of the Baisakhi festival, called ‘Bhog’.
Baisakhi celebrated on the first day of the month of Vaisakh, marks the onset of the harvest season. This year’s festival commemorates the 325th anniversary of Khalsa, symbolizing the Sikh brotherhood.
On this occasion, the Gurdwara was awash with colors as the pilgrims in their traditional yellow turbans filled the halls and the courtyards. The temple echoed with Sikh religious slogans as devotees engaged in the sacred ritual. Girls from Peshawar’s Khalsa School recited hymns at the festival.
After ‘Bhog’, the pilgrims conducted ‘Keerthan’ for purification, followed by ‘Ardaas’ (prayer), marking the formal conclusion of the festival. Additionally, ‘prasad’ (sweetmeats) was distributed among the pilgrims. The ‘Palki’ procession was also taken out toward the end of the ceremony.
3,000 Indian Sikh pilgrims arrive in Pakistan for festival
Around 8,000 Sikhs reportedly attended the celebrations. Of these, more than 3000 Sikhs came from India while over 2,000 came from other countries, including the UK, the US, Canada, Australia, and Gulf countries. From Pakistan, around 2,000 Hindus and Sikhs attended the festival.
Punjab Minister for Minorities Ramesh Singh Arora, Evacuee Trust Property Board’s (ETPB) additional secretary (shrines) Rana Shahid, Sardar Mampal Singh, Sardar Tara Singh, Stawant Kaur and other officials of Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee welcomed the Indian guests.
The visiting pilgrims were presented with bouquets on behalf of the ETPB chairman.
European and Southeast Asian diplomats attended the ceremony for the first time, observing Sikh devotees as they performed their rituals.
Sardar Rawinder Singh, a leader of Amritsar’s Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), told journalists that their special affection for Pakistanis motivated them to visit the country repeatedly.
“We are grateful to the Pakistan government, particularly the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB), for making arrangements for the protection of gurdwaras in Pakistan,” he added.
