Amritsar/Chandigarh: Millions of devotees lined up at gurdwaras across Punjab and elsewhere in the country early on Monday morning to celebrate Gurparab, the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev, the founder of Sikhism.
A heavy rush of devotees were seen outside the Golden Temple in Amritsar as people came to pay obeisance.
Hundreds of other gurdwaras in cities, towns and villages also saw a stream of devotees since morning.
Guru Nanak Dev was born in 1469 at Nankana Sahib (now in Pakistan's Punjab province).
Langars (community kitchens) were being organised on Monday at all gurdwaras across Punjab and along major highways to serve food to people.
Sikhs also celebrated Gurpurab in Nankana Sahib, Pakistan.
Nearly 2,000 devotees from India had gone to Pakistan to pay obeisance at the birthplace, despite the advice of the home ministry to avoid going to Pakistan in view of the deteriorating security situation and the rising number of terror attacks there.
The contingent, comprising Sikhs and Hindus, including a number of women, had left for Pakistan by a special train from the Attari border railway station, 25 km from Amritsar.
The group got visas for Pakistan late on Friday from its embassy in New Delhi. They had applied to the embassy for visiting Pakistan through the Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC).
Another group of over 150 devotees had privately left for Pakistan on the Samjhauta Express peace train between both countries on Thursday.
A contingent of over 200 devotees who had gone to Sikh shrines in Pakistan earlier in October had to cut short their visit after terrorists attacked the Army headquarters in Rawalpindi city.
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