Massive preparation for Guru Nanak B'day

          Lahore: The Nankana Sahib district administration has made elaborate preparations for the Guru Nanak Dev's 538th birth anniversary. The three-day celebration begins on November 2. The Pakistan Sikh Gurdawara Prabandhak Committee (PSGPC) is expecting as many as 20000 Sikh pilgrims from across the world, including 4000 from India to visit the historic town during the celebrations. Another 2500 pilgrims are expected from Canada, the US and the UK. According to the Daily Times, the Evacuee Property Trust Board and the Sheikhupura administration have made extensive boarding and food arrangements for the pilgrims on the recommendations of the PSGPC. A security plan has been put in place for the first delegation of 150 pilgrims, including some from India who arrived here late on Saturday. They were received by PSGPC President Sardar Bishan Singh. Another delegation of 35 pilgrims from Dubai is expected in Lahore today. Meanwhile, special arrangements have been made for the celebrations in a big way. Bazaars have been decorated and special stalls selling traditional food, apparel, books and cassettes on Punjabi poetry and Sikh religion set up for the pilgrims. PSGPC senior member Sardar Sham Singh said Pakistan was very important for Sikhs because Guru Nanak Dev was born and died in Pakistan. The Sikh faith began in Lahore in the 15th century, when Guru Nanak began a faith that preached human equality, he added.
- Oct 29, 2006

Gangotri, Kedarnath shrines close for winter

          Dehradun: Vedic hymns and tradtional rituals marked the closure of the Gangotri shrine, which is dedicated to the Goddess Ganga, for winter on Monday. After the prayers, an idol of the goddess was escorted in a palanquin to Mukhba in Uttaranchal's Uttarkashi district. Situated at a height of 3200 metres, Gangotri is the first major shrine to be closed. The Kedarnath and Yamunotri shrines will be closed on Tuesday, while the Badrinath shrine will be closed on November 16. The shrine will now stay closed till March 2007. Gangotri is a town on the banks of the River Bhagirathi at which Hindu pilgrims congregate for six months of the year (March to October) to offer their prayers and seek blessings. Gangotri is the source of the River Ganges and seat of the Goddess Ganga. The river is called Bhagirathi at the source and acquires the name Ganga from Devprayag onwards where it meets Alaknanda. The origin of the holy river is at Gaumukh, which is further 18 km trek along the Gangotri glacier. Gangotri can be reached in one day's travel from Rishikesh, Haridwar or Dehradun, or in two days from Yamunotri, the first site in the Char Dham circuit. This small town is centered around a temple of the goddess Ganga, which was built by the Gurkha General Amar Singh Thapa in the early 18th century. Ritual duties are supervised by the Semwal family of pujaris. Kedarnath is located in the Himalayas, about 3584m above sea level near the head of river Mandakini, and is flanked by breathtaking snow-capped peaks. Kedarnath is the place where a form of the Lord Shiva is venerated as one of the twelve jyotirling (linga of light). The actual temple is an impressive stone edifice of unknown date. No specific family of pujaris supervises rituals at Kedarnath, which focus around veneration of the stone lingam that rests in the inner sanctum of the temple. The temple is open only during the months of May to October. Yamunotri is the source of the Yamuna River and the seat of the Goddess Yamuna.
- Oct 23, 2006

Haj pilgrimage: Arrangements in S Arabia

          New Delhi: Minister of State for External Affairs E. Ahamed will leave for a four-day visit to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday night. Ahamed will review the arrangements for the Haj 2006-II. He is also scheduled to meet the Saudi Arabian Authorities of Haj Affairs for making the forthcoming Haj pilgrimage smooth and hassle-free, an official release said. It may be noted that on some previous occasions, the Haj pilgrimage has been marked by stampedes resulting in the death of thousands of pilgrims. In January this year, nearly 363 pilgrims were crushed to death at the eastern entrance of Mena's Jamarat Bridge when pilgrims jostle to perform the stoning ritual at the annual pilgrimage. At least 1,426 had died in a stampede inside al-Muaissem tunnel near Mecca in July 1990. The accident occurred on Eid al-Adha (The Feast of Sacrifice), Islam's most important feast at the end of the annual Haj pilgrimage. In May 1994, a stampede near Jamarat Bridge killed 270 at the place where pilgrims hurl stones at piles of rocks symbolising the devil. In April 1998, 119 pilgrims were crushed to death in a stampede. In February 2004, a stampede killed 251 pilgrims near Jamarat Bridge.
- Oct 10, 2006

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