Celebrations: Sikhs to return today from holy journey

Will cross from Wagah after attending Besakhi festival in India.

PESHAWAR: Around 200 Sikh pilgrims will be arriving back to Pakistan on Sunday (today) via the Wagah border after completing their visit to five holy places in India as part of the Besakhi festival. This marks the beginning of harvest.

“These pilgrims will be given a warm welcome upon their return,” said a leader of the Sikh community in Peshawar, Babajee Gorpal Singh.

Majority of those returning belong to Peshawar and other parts of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. Gorpal said a special reception will be arranged at Wagah in Lahore and in Peshawar to receive the pilgrims.

During their stay in India, the pilgrims performed religious rituals in five different states.

The temples included Sri Akal Takht Sahib Golden Temple in Amritsar; Takht Sri Keshgarh Sahib Anandpur in Punjab; Takht Sri Damdama Sahib in Bathinda, Punjab; Takht Sri Harimandir Ji in Patna, Bihar and Takht Sachkand Sri Hazoor Sahib in Maharashtra.

Because of the exalted status of these places, Gorpal added, Sikhs who visited or performed pilgrimage there would be respected within the community. He said Sikhs across the world hold these venues in high regard.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 19^th, 2015.