TAXILA, Nov 7: Thousands of Sikh devotees arrived at Gurdwara Punja Sahib Hassanabdal from different parts of the world especially India, UAE, Thailand and Canada to offer their religious rituals.

Early on Tuesday morning, over 4,000 Indian Sikh yatrees in four special trains arrived at the Gurdwara Punja Sahib. The officials of the Evacuee Trust Board (ETB) and members of the Gurdwara Parbhandhak Committee welcomed the pilgrims at the railway station.

These yatrees have come to Pakistan in connection with the 537th birth anniversary celebrations of Baba Guru Nanak, founder of Sikh religion. Soon after their arrival, they offered their religious rituals including Ashnan (bath in the holy water of the gurdwara) Akhand Path, Keertan, etc., and visited the symbolic shrine of Baba Wali Qandhari.

Much enthusiasm was observed at the Punja Sahib, a stone with a hand print of Baba Guru Nanak on the occasion of Mathatek at the Gurdwara.