Chandigarh, Nov 23 :
Scores of devotees thronged gurdwaras of Punjab and Haryana to pay obeisance to first Sikh guru Guru Nanak Dev on his birth anniversary on Friday.
Braving the chill, people from different faiths offered early morning prayers on Gurpurab and took part in ‘langars’ and ‘shabad kirtans’.
There was a huge rush of devotees since early morning at the ‘Harmandar Sahib’ in Amritsar, popularly known as the Golden Temple.
A security ring was enforced around all leading Sikh shrines in both the states, including Chandigarh, officials said.
In Haryana, devotees thronged gurdwaras at various places, including Karnal, Ambala and Yamunanagar while there was huge rush of devotees at Sector 34 Gurdwara in Chandigarh.
Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism, was born in 1469 at Nankana Sahib near Lahore, now in Pakistan.
Earlier this week, over 3,000 Sikh pilgrims had left for Pakistan to take part in festivities ahead of the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak, with the main function being held on the occasion at Gurdwara Janam Asthan in Nankana Sahib.
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh and his Haryana counterpart Manohar Lal Khattar had extended greetings to people on the occasion of Gurpurab. Addressing a gathering at historic town of Sultanpur Lodhi in Kapurthala district, where the first Sikh Guru spent considerable part of his life, Singh launched Friday the year-long celebrations of the 550th ‘Parkash Purb’ (birth anniversary) of Guru Nanak Dev, calling upon all people to set aside their religious and political differences to join his government in making the commemorative events memorable.
On Thursday, Singh had exhorted the people to embrace the ideology propounded by Guru Nanak Dev in its true spirit.
“The message of love, compassion, equality, peace and brotherhood that guru ji promoted all his life holds extreme relevance even today and the year-long celebrations will help in disseminating the same among the youth, in particular,” Amarinder said.
“Let us on this day, vow to come together in the spirit of harmony and humility, as preached by the great guru, to create a peaceful and equitable society,” he said.
