Sikh pilgrims return from Pak

          Attari (Punjab): The Sikh pilgrims who had gone to Pakistan to celebrate the birth anniversary of Guru Govind Singh at Gurudwara Nankana Sahib, returned today. The pilgrims expressed satisfaction over the upkeep of Sikh holy shrines in Pakistan. "Now there is much improvement. Nankana, Panja sahib are in a good condition, there is improvement in the working of the shrines," Gursharan Singh Babbar, a devotee, said on his arrival at the Attari station. "We want that whenever we visit Pakistan we should be allowed to visit every shrine," said Harbhajan Singh, another devotee. A few thousand followers of the Sikh religion are living in Pakistan but majority of them migrated to India after the partition in 1947. The Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC) has repeatedly questioned the functioning of its Pakistani counterpart in maintaining the shrines. The body had, earlier, refused to recognise the Pakistan Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee saying it was not autonomous in nature and demanded that Gurudwaras in the neighbouring Muslim nation should be under its aegis. There are more than 172 Gurudwaras or Sikh shrines in Pakistan but the government there does not allow pilgrims to visit all of them. -Nov 30, 2004

Sabarimala: Devotees from far and wide throng Ayyappa shrine

          Thiruvananthapuram: Sabarimala, the abode of Sabarimala Sastha or Ayyappan, is one of Kerala's best known destination of pilgrimage. Devotees from all over the world are making a beeline for the temple that opened on November 15. The Ayyappas go to the Sabarimala Sri Ayyappan temple and offer prayers to fulfil their wishes. During the pilgrimage period and the formal " Vratham" period normally all swamies (devotees) wear only black dress. According to Hindu belief, one Ayyappa should take 41 days "vratham" for the holy Darshan. The Ayyappas go to Sabarimala with Erumudi Kettu containing coconut filled with ghee, rice and coconut. "In the Ayyapapa temples, it is like a festival during the Malayalam month of Vrishchikom. During the 41 days, devotees abstain from non-vegetarian food, follow a spiritual way of life and go on a pilgrimage to Sabarimala," said by Perumal Swamy, a devotee. Sabarimala is the best known pilgrimage destination in Kerala, among all the Sashtha temples Sabarimala Sri Dharmasastha is a very famous temple, is situated high up in the Sahyadri Mountains. The Sabarimala temple opened this year on November 15 and will close on January 20 next year. A unique feature of the temple is that it opens to people of all faiths and many non-Hindus conduct pilgrimage to this temple. Invariably, all of the pilgrims, irrespective of their faith, offer prayers to the Lord. The pilgrims address each other also as Ayyappa.
- Nov 20, 2004

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