TAXILA: Light rain, on Sunday morning amid the hot and humid weather, was a source of delight for Sikh pilgrims who travelled from Nankana Sahib to Hassanabdal.

As many as 417 pilgrims from India reached here after pilgrimage visit to Gurdwara Janamasthan Nankana Sahib and Gurdwara Sacha Sauda Farooqabad to offer their religious rituals in connection with the 184th death anniversary of Maharaja Ranjit Singh for three days.

On Sunday, they performed matha taki, ashnan and paid homage by visiting the sitting place of Baba Wali Qandhari at a hill top.

Three-day celebrations of the death anniversary of Maharaja Ranjit Singh started at Gurdwara Punja Sahib, Hassanabdal. During the three-day stay at the gurdwara, the pilgrims performed different rituals.

Man Simran Kaur - a 10th grader from New Delhi was delighted to see the pleasant weather at the shrine.

Rituals observed on 184th death anniversary of Ranjit Singh

“When I got up in the early hours of Sunday, it was so pleasant as light rain was pouring down the shrine,” she said, adding that the weather here is like Simla. Responding to a question, she said that this is her first visit to the holy land of the guru and she found more spirituality than she had imagined. She said that only senior Sikh citizens prefer to visit Pakistan and she asked Sikh youth across the globe to visit their holy sites on this side of the border to get more knowledge about their religion.

Karamgeet Singh - a pilgrim from Amritsar told journalists that it was a memorable visit for him as he was planning to visit this holy land for years and pleasant weather jacked up his morale. He said that it was the ultimate desire of every Sikh to visit the religion’s holy sites like Punja Sahib, Nankana Sahib, and Kartarpur Sahib, where the founder of the Sikh religion Baba Gurunanak spent his noble days.

Manobar Singh - from Fatehgarh, Uttar Pradesh said that what added blessing in our pilgrimage is the pleasant weather which made the visit more memorable. He said that he would never forget the pilgrimage to the holy land of the guru. “Pakistan is sacred for us and we love it and we come here with a message of peace and brotherhood,” he added.

Talking to journalists, delegation leader of Indian Sikhs, Sardar Bhopandar Singh said that Maharaja Ranjit Singh, known as Sher-i-Punjab (Lion of Punjab), is revered not only by Sikhs but the people of Punjab for his love for humanity and military skills during his 40-year rule from 1799 to 1839. Mr Singh thanked the government of Pakistan for making good arrangements for them. He also appreciated the government for giving them religious freedom, providing security and keeping their sacred worship places in better condition.

Deputy secretary (shrines) Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) Saif Ullah Khokar said all facilities have been provided to pilgrims including foolproof security. Responding to a question, he said that the issuance of pilgrimage visas is in line with the government of Pakistan’s efforts for promoting visits to religious shrines and people-to-people interactions. “The government of Pakistan remains committed to preserving sacred religious places and providing all possible facilitation for pilgrims of all faiths,” he added.

Assistant Commissioner Dr Sana Ramchand said that the local administration with collaboration with police and other law enforcement agencies has made an elaborate security plan for the safety and security of Indian Sikh pilgrims during their stay here. She said that under the plan, more than 400 well equipped police officials and officers are deployed in three tiers along with 17 elite sections to perform their full proof security cover.

Published in Dawn, June 26th, 2023