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Sikh pilgrims return from Lahore Lahore:
Five hundred Sikh pilgrims returned to India from Lahore on Wednesday
after observing the death anniversary of Sikh ruler Maharaja Ranjit
Singh. The pilgrims reached Attari railway station after a week-long
visit to Pakistan. Ranjit Singh died on June 27, 1839 and each year
since then a number of Sikh pilgrims gather in the city to mark his
death anniversary. Ranjit Singh, who declared himself the Maharaja of
Punjab, ruled for 40 years. The pilgrims were given a warm welcome by
the Sikh Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee of Pakistan at Wagah border
station near Lahore when they had arrived in Pakistan last week. The
pilgrims crossed over the border in a special train. Apart from participating
in the death anniversary of the Sikh ruler, the pilgrims visited Gurudwaras
at Nankana Sahib, Panja Sahib, Sacha Sauda and Dera Sahib, some of the
famous Sikh shrines in Pakistan. The pilgrims then returned to Lahore
and participated in the recitation of the 'Granth' at Gurdawara Dera
Sahib, and then left for India. "We are very happy. The people here
(in Pakistan) have been very hospitable. They have been embracing us
like relatives," said Mangal Singh, a Sikh pilgrim at Lahore railway
station. There are nearly 172 Sikh shrines in Pakistan but the government
allows Sikh pilgrims to visit only a few of them. The Pakistan government
has constituted their own management committee to take care of Sikh
shrines situated there but SGPC, the supreme Sikh Sikh body managing
Gurudwaras in India, does not recognise them. A few thousand followers
of the Sikh religion are living in Pakistan but majority of them migrated
to India after the partition in 1947. Amarnath pilgrimage: Protests against curbs Jammu:
Holy men protested on Tuesday demanding permission to enlist for
a pilgrimage to Amarnath cave shrine. The seers want an increase in
the number of pilgrims being allowed for the coveted trek, resticted
to a few thousands due to security concerns. After weeks of protests,
the state government last week agreed to increase the duration of the
pilgrimage by 15 days but said it was impossible to make more concessions
due to security concerns. Several times in the past, the annual pilgrimage
to the holy Amarnath cave shrine has been targeted by Islamic militants.
"We will go on foot. We have come here all the way. We shall go there
and visit our favourite deity. This is our religious right. Mahabholeshwar
(Lord Shiva) is the guru of Hindu sages. No one else can stop us. We
will pursue our trip till our last breath," Dayanand Swami, a holyman
said. "Even if the government stops us, we will continue our pilgrimage.
We will complete what we have begun. Let the government do whatever
they want. Let them try their tricks to stop us. They can even cane
charge us, we are not going to stop here," Ramakant Dubey, said president
of Baba Amarnath Yatri Niwas. Every year hundreds of thousands of devotees
trek the steep, slippery 48-kilometre Amarnath cave shrine. Amarnath
stands at a height of nearly 12,500 feet above sea level. Gurudwaras: Pak told to hand over to SGPC Amritsar:
The Sikhs have demanded that the management of the Sikh shrines
in Pakistan should be handed over to the Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak
Committee (SGPC). Nearly a thousand Sikh pilgrims from Punjab recently
visited various Gurudwaras in Pakistan, to observe the martyrdom day
of Guru Arjun Dev. The pilgrims who visited Gurudwaras at Nankana Sahib,
Panja Sahib, Sacha Sauda and Dera Sahib, some of the famous shrines
in Pakistan, said they were unhappy over their upkeep. "Pakistan should
hand over the Sikh shrines, which are badly managed in that country,
to SGPC (Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee) for proper upkeep.
We have been demanding it for quite some time. The SGPC would be better
placed in taking care of the Sikh shrines, which are in bad shape there.
Most of the Shrines in Pakistan are badly managed," Raghubir Singh,
an SGPC official, said in Amritsar at a function to felicitate the pilgrims
who had returned from Pakistan. There are nearly 172 Sikh shrines in
Pakistan but Islamabad allows Sikh pilgrims to visit only a few of them.
The Pakistan government has constituted its own management committee
for Sikh shrines but SGPC, the supreme Sikh body managing Gurudwaras
in India, does not recognise it. A few thousand followers of the Sikh
religion are living in Pakistan but majority of them migrated to India
after partition. Sikh pilgrims return from Pak Attari:
A thousand Sikh pilgrims on Thursday arrived in India after observing
martyrdom day of Guru Arjun Dev in various historical Gurudwaras in
Pakistan. The pilgrims arrived at the Attari station in Punjab in a
special train. The pilgrims visited Gurudwaras at Nankana Sahib, Panja
Sahib, Sacha Sauda and Dera Sahib. The pilgrims said they were accorded
an overwhelming reception by the Pakistan Sikh Gurudwara Prabandhak
(Management) Committee (PSGPC) but demanded better upkeep of Gurudwaras
in Pakistan. "There is only one priest among the several shrines. They
should allow more priests to operate there," sadi Surjit Singh, a priest.
There are nearly 172 Sikh shrines in Pakistan but the government allows
Sikh pilgrims to visit only a few of them. The Pakistan government has
constituted their own management committee for Sikh shrines, the PSGPC,
but SGPC, the supreme Sikh Sikh body managing Gurudwaras in India, does
not recognise them. A few thousand followers of the Sikh religion are
living in Pakistan but majority of them migrated to India after partition. Vaishno Devi pilgrims stranded in Jammu Jammu: Pilgrims heading for a famous hilltop temple in Jammu and Kashmir were left stranded on Monday (June 14) as authorities temporarily suspended the pilgrimage at the base camp due to heavy rush. Temple management and local authorities have been unable to handle the unprecedented summer rush of pilgrims to the shrine Goddess Durga at Katra on the outskirts of Jammu. Most of the passengers coming from distant places, finding no accommodation in hotels and lodges, have made the Jammu railway station as their makeshift home. "We are sitting here at this time. There is no information when we will get permission to visit the shrine. As there is too much rush, people have been stopped here. Some people are here for the last two days. We came in the morning and there is no information about our trip to the shrine," said Nidhi, a pilgrim from Delhi.
"We have been stationed here for the past two days. There is no information
when we will be able to start our journey. Nobody is giving us any information,
we are facing lot of problems," said Rahul Arora, another pilgrim, arrived
from Punjab. Officials estimate ten thousand pilgrims make their journey
to Jammu and Vaishno Devi everyday of whom around four thousand passengers
are left stranded. Perched atop Trikuta hills at a height of 1,700 meters
above sea level, Vaishno devi shrine attracts more than three million
pilgrims every year, particularly during summers, and is the main source
of livelihood for thousands of residents. Pilgrims visit shrines in Uttaranchal Haridwar:
Pilgrim tourism in Uttaranchal has set a record in recent times.
From Haridwar, the Himalayan state is dotted with several Hindu shrines
and a sacred Sikh Gurudwara. Thousands of pilgrims are visiting Haridwar
to bathe in the Ganga. According to Hindu mythology, Haridwar is one
of four places where the nectar of immortality fell to earth after Garuda,
the winged carrier of Lord Vishnu, spilled it while flying off with
the pitcher of nectar. Tourists find that visiting such places serves
dual purpose as they can worship as well as holiday. "There are many
places for holidaying but only a spiritual place provides us with the
peace of mind," said Sridhar. "It serves twin purpose, you have an outing
as well as some religious work as well, it enhances our belief," said
Anita. M.N.Prashad, secretary, department of tourism, Uttaranchal, said
tourism has been the focus of the new state since it was carved out
in November 2000. "Every year there is a major increase in the number
of pilgrims turning up here, last year the number of tourist just doubled
from previous year, total 1.2 million. So the main aim of the state
government is to provide maximum facilities and security to the tourists
who come here. We want to make all possible facilities available for
them," he said. Meanwhile, pilgrims are also thronging popular temples
at Badrinath in the Himalayas. The temple, situated at a height of 3,133
metres (10,284 feet) above sea level in the Garhwal Himalayas, reopened
on April 27 after remaining closed for nearly six months from November
due to heavy snow. The temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu is one of the
four holiest shrines in Uttaranchal, which make up the Char-Dham pilgrimage.
The other three are Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri, all located above
10,000 feet. Sikh pilgrims off to Pakistan Amritsar:
About a thousand Sikh pilgrims left for Pakistan on Tuesday to observe
the martyrdom day of the fifth Sikh Guru Arjan Dev. The pilgrims were
given a warm send-off by the Sikh Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC)
in Amritsar. The pilgrims will cross over the border in a special train,
and visit Gurdwaras at Nankana Sahib, Panja Sahib, Sacha Sauda and Dera
Sahib, some of the famous Sikh shrines in Pakistan. "The shrine of the
fifth guru is in Lahore. That's why every year we go to Gurdwaras Nankana
Sahib, Panja Sahib. This year 470 Sikh pilgrims from Punjab are going
to Pakistan. Around 450 from all over the country are also going to
Lahore," said Dilbagh Singh, secretary, SGPC. There are nearly 172 Sikh
shrines in Pakistan but the government allows Sikh pilgrims to visit
only a few of them. The Pakistan government has constituted their own
management committee to take care of Sikh shrines situated there but
SGPC, the supreme Sikh body managing Gurdwaras in India, does not recognise
them. Manikaran: Pilgrimage for both Hindus and Sikhs Manikaran (HP): An excellent example of communal harmony, Manikaran in Himachal Pradesh attracts thousands of devotees from all religious groups. Perched in the Himalayas on the right banks of river Parvati, at an altitude of 1,760 metres, 45 kms away from Kullu town, Manikaran is a place of pilgrimage for both Hindus and Sikhs. Manikaran is considered as one of the oldest pilgrimage sites in northern India. Manikaran has a hot sulphur spring that bubbles next to the icy waters of Parvati river. The water emerging from the spring is so hot that the community food in the shrine is cooked in it. The temperature of the water is about 94.6 degree Celsius. Besides the Sikh community's Gurudwara, Manikaran has several temples, the oldest dedicated to Lord Ram, built in the 17th century. Religious heads feel the pilgrimage exemplifies that God is one but manifests itself in different forms. "God is one but has different names. It depends on the devotion of the devotee. God fulfills his wishes. Just as water has different names, so has God. It all depends on us, by what name we call him," Baba Shri Ramji, a seer, said. The
shrines have plenty of accommodation and community feasts are held in
the gurudwara and temples for devotees making the pilgrimage. "We had
heard that this place is a symbol of Hindu- Sikh unity and I find it
to be true. There is a temple and Gurudwara at this place. It is a living
symbol of national integrity," said Hardeep Sandhu, a Sikh pilgrim.
Legend says that Lord Shiva and his consort Parvati, attracted by the
lush green patches and the forests of Manikaran, lived there for 1,100
years. One day Parvati dropped her earring and was stressed as she could
not find it. The angry Shiva then opened his third eye, which created
commotion in the universe. In order to subside the wrath of Shiva, a
snake was urged by the gods and goddesses to hiss. The hot boiling water
was flown from his mouth, which took the shape of spring and brought
down a large number of precious stones. |
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