Lahore: At least 4,500 Sikhs from across Pakistan participated in the Jyoti Jot Gurpurb event, which concluded on Tuesday at the historic Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur in the country’s Punjab province. The three-day event commemorated the 481st death anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev. A large number of Sikhs from across Pakistan, including from Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces, participated in the function. However, Indian Sikhs could not participate in the three-day event due to the travel restrictions in place in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. The event started on Sunday with Paath Sahib (recitation of Guru Granth Sahib) and ended on Tuesday with Bhog Akhand Paath Sahib and Ardas (prayers).
On Tuesday, 15 vehicles carried devotees singing holy hymns from Gurdwara Darbar Sahib to the Zero Point (Indo-Pak border). The devotees were led by officials of the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETBP) and the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (PSGPC). After performing Ardas at the Zero point, the devotees went back to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib. Vice Chancellor of Narowal University Dr Tariq Mehmud was the chief guest at the concluding day of the event.
According to ETPB, at least 4,500 local Sikhs attended the event. The Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara is located in Pakistan”s Narowal district across Ravi river about four kilometres from the Dera Baba Nanak shrine in India.
The Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara is the final resting place of Guru Nanak Dev, who had spent the last 18 years of his life in Kartarpur. The Sikh founder died on September 22, 1539. ‘Jyoti Jyot’ is the commemoration of his death anniversary. In November last year, India and Pakistan opened the corridor linking Dera Baba Sahib in Gurdaspur, India to Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib in Pakistan, in a historic people-to-people initiative as part of Guru Nanak Dev’s 550th birth anniversary celebrations.
At the time, it was decided that Indian pilgrims of all faiths would be allowed to undertake round-the-year, visa-free travel to the historic gurdwara. However, India temporarily suspended the pilgrimage on March 16 in view of the coronavirus outbreak. Last month, PSGPC president Satwant Singh had requested India to allow Indian pilgrims to visit Kartarpur Sahib on the occasion of ‘Jyoti Jyot’.
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