Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 5 January, partook in the celebrations for the 350th birth anniversary of Guru Gobind Singh at Patna Sahib, the birth place of the 10th Sikh Guru in Bihar.
This is the first time that Modi shared the stage with Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who had defeated the Prime Minister in the 2015 Bihar Assembly elections.
Speaking at Patna Sahib, the Prime Minister praised Kumar for personally taking care of the minutest details and organising the celebrations successfully.
He also congratulated Kumar for his ‘nasha-mukti abhiyan’ or alcohol ban policy, soon after the Bihar CM made an example of Modi, for carrying out prohibition successfully when he was the CM of Gujarat.
PM Modi Addresses Devotees at Patna Sahib
Second ‘Takht’ after Amritsar’s Golden Temple
Guru Gobind Singh was born on 22 December 1666, and spent the first seven years of his life in Patna. He was anointed the supreme leader of the Sikhs at the age of nine, becoming the last of the living Sikh gurus.
The Patna Sahib gurudwara is significant to Sikh history as it’s regarded as the second ‘takht’ after Amritsar’s Golden Temple. Guru Gobind Singh reportedly also mentions the city of Patna in his autobiography Bachitra Natak.
Hundreds of NRI Sikhs Offer ‘Seva’
Hundreds of devout Sikh NRIs have trooped into Patna for the celebrations and are enthusiastically performing 'seva' or voluntary service.
About 350 members, including 60 women from UK-based Guru Nanak Nishkam Sevak Jatha have also arrived to offer voluntary service at different community kitchens. The state expects at least 5 lakh devotees, an unprecedented number, to attend the celebrations.
The preparations have been in full swing for the last several months. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar designated top officials to monitor the preparations for the mega celebrations, and the state has announced a three-day holiday during the ‘Prakash Parv’ at Takht Harmandir Patna Sahib.
Patna Turns Into ‘Mini Punjab’
“Patna to Patna Sahib has turned into a mini Punjab,” Patna District Magistrate Sanjay Kumar Agrawal said. The Bihar capital has transformed into a special tent city with accommodation of every form packed to its brim till 7 January.
Three mega tent cities have been erected at Patna’s Gandhi Maidan, Kangan Ghat and the Patna Old bypass.
At least 10 special trains and 300 buses have reportedly ferried over 25,000 devotees from Punjab, free of cost.
Cooks from Amritsar in Punjab have arrived at the historic gurdwara to prepare this special 'prasad' for devotees.
This is one of the largest celebrations of the Sikh guru’s birth anniversary.
(With inputs from IANS)
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