HomeBiharMore than half a million Sikhs from the UK, USA, Canada, Australia and India to converge at Patna PatnaBeats Bihar More than half a million Sikhs from the UK, USA, Canada, Australia and India, besides other countries, are expected to converge at Patna on 6 January to celebrate the 350th birthday of Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth and last guru of the Sikhs. The famous Takht Sri Patna Sahib gurdwara is the birthplace of the great guru and is the second most important Sikh shrine after the Harmandir Sahib, popularly known as the Golden Temple, in Amritsar. The Bihar government has gone all out to welcome devotees and the state capital has been spruced up, roads widened and renovated, three massive tent cities built, illuminated the holy shrines and declared three public holidays from 3 to 5 January for an international conclave as part of celebrations that will continue until 8 January. Over 300 CCTV cameras have been installed at critical locations for security. Tourist information centres have been set up. Billed as the biggest and the grandest event organized by the government of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, the event will be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. More than 300 special buses and 10 special trains will carry devotees to Patna from Punjab and elsewhere. Besides the tent cities, visitors have been offered free accommodation at schools and hotels. Nine ‘langars’ serving free meals, spread over different locations, are already serving about 300,000 believers every day and 10,000 volunteers have landed in Patna to help in the distribution of food at these locations. Gobind Rai Sodhi was born to the ninth Sikh Guru, Guru Tegh Bahadur, and Mata Gujri on 22 December 1666, at this site in Patna. He was anointed Guru Gobind Singh Ji as the supreme leader of Sikhs when he was nine years old, becoming the tenth and the last of the Sikh gurus. On the site of the house at Patna in which Gobind Rai was born and where he spent his early childhood now stands the sacred shrine. In 1699, Guru Gobind Singh Ji, formed the Khalsa, by choosing the five pyaras (beloved ones) from different castes, different locations and different vocations. This act reinforces the guru’s much needed vision of creating a unity amongst all peoples beyond caste, vocation and ethnicity. Photo by : Manish Sinha Source: TheIndianDiaspora Do you like the article? Or have an interesting story to share? Please write to us at [email protected], or connect with us on Facebook and Twitter. Quote of the day:“What a waste my life would be without all the beautiful mistakes I've made.” ― Alice Bag, Violence Girl: East L.A. Rage to Hollywood Stage, a Chicana Punk Story
