Srinagar, Apr 14: The Sikh community of the Kashmir valley celebrated Baisakhi with religious fervor across the region on Saturday, with the biggest function held at Srinagar’s ChhatiPadshahiGurdwara located in Rainawari.
A large number of devotees, including men, women, and children, joined the celebrations, while religious congregations were held at various places across the Kashmir valley, including in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district.
Gurdwaras across Kashmir were adorned with colorful lights and flowers, with various Sikh organizations joining to perform “Nagar Kirtan”. Community kitchens were also organized at various places.
“Sikh devotees highlighted the historical significance of ChattiPadshahiGurdwara, as the sixth Sikh Guru, Hargobind Sahib, had visited the shrine during the Mughal period,” said Manjeet Singh, a devotee at ChattiPadshahi Srinagar.
The festival of Baisakhi marks the harvest of the Rabi crop, with farmers offering thanksgiving for a good harvest and prosperity. For the Sikh community, Baisakhi holds significant religious importance, as it commemorates the foundation of the PanthKhalsa by the 10th Guru of the Sikhs, Guru Gobind Singh, on this day in 1699, marking the New Year for the Sikhs.
The beats of dhols resonated throughout the morning, accompanied by joyful bhangra performances and extravagant feasts celebrating the occasion. Bhajankirtans were performed in gurdwaras around Kashmir.
People visited temples and gurdwaras, where langars (community feasts) were held as a form of charity on this special day. ColorfulBaisakhi fairs were held, with hundreds of Sikh worshippers visiting GurdwarasChattiPadshahi in Baramulla, KhawajaBagh, and Paranpila in Uri in north Kashmir.
Throughout the day, markets in the vicinity were bustling with shoppers, while devotees offered prayers in other gurdwaras across the Kashmir valley.
Meanwhile, the Deputy Commissioner(DC) of Srinagar, Dr. Bilal Mohi-Ud-Din Bhat, paid a visit to GurudwaraChattiPadshahi in the Rainawari area of the District to extend warm greetings to the Sikh fraternity on the occasion of Baisakhi, marking the new solar year and the harvest season. The Deputy Commissioner was accompanied by senior functionaries of the GurudwaraPrabandhak Committee.
