Nagar kirtan leaves for five Takhts

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, August 2

As per the Khalsai traditions, the nagar kirtan, which arrived in Amritsar from Nankana Sahib in Pakistan on Thursday, started its next leg of journey within India on Friday. A “bir” of Guru Granth Sahib was placed in a beautifully decorated and specially fabricated bus that left for Gurdwara Dera Baba Nanak from the Golden Temple on Friday.

En route it will also halt at Majitha town, where former Cabinet Minister Bikram Singh Majithia among others will pay obeisance. Earlier, the nagar kirtan reached the Golden Temple from the Attari border on Friday morning, instead of its scheduled arrival on Thursday night.

SGPC chief Gobind Singh Longowal said in the second phase, the nagar kirtan would visit all five Takhts and pass through 17 states in the country. Devotees came in large numbers to pay obeisance to another specially fabricated vehicle displaying the sacred belongings, relics and articles of the Sikh Gurus. These included “khadawan” (wooden footwear) believed to be worn by Guru Nanak Dev and weighing stones he had used during his stay at Sultanpur Lodhi and shastars (weapons) of Guru Gobind Singh, sourced from Takht Kesgarh Sahib during the nagar kirtan.

Revamped, Gurdwara Chowa Sahib opens in Pak

• Amritsar: Ahead of the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak, the Pakistan government on Friday opened Gurdwara Chowa Sahib in Jhelum district of Punjab province.
• The inaugural ceremony was conducted by Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) chairman Amir Ahmad and Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee chief Satwant Singh
• Guru Nanak had stayed here for some time. Later, a gurdwara was built during the Maharaja Ranjit Singh era 
• Now, after its restoration by the Evacuee Trust Property Board, the gurdwara has been reopened. TNS