According to details available with the Express Tribune, Sikh pilgrims from all over the world, including India, will not be able to take part in the religious ceremonies to mark the important events on the Nanakshahi Calendar this month.
“Due to the Covid-19 virus, the Sikh community will mark the death anniversaries of Maharaja Ranjit Singh and Guru Arjan Dev in the most simple manner,” said Sardar Amir Singh, Secretary-General, Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee. The ceremony to mark the 414th anniversary of the Guru Arjan Dev’s martyrdom, Singh said, begins on June 14. Known as the Shaheedi Diwas of Guru Arjun Dev, the day has been commemorating the martyrdom of the fifth Guru and the first Sikh martyr every year since 1606.
Commemorations begin early in the morning with Shabad Kirtan or hymns and the sermons about the life of Guru Arjan Dev, who Sikhs believe, was killed during Mughal Emperor Jahangir’s reign in Lahore.
Pakistan is home to several important Sikh holy sites, including the final resting place of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the 19th-century ruler of the Sikh Empire. His death anniversary is also marked near the end of June.
Under a mutual agreement between India and Pakistan, Sikh pilgrims are allowed to attend these important anniversaries each year. Last year, more than 400 pilgrims attended a special dedication ceremony in Lahore, which marked the 180th anniversary of Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s death. A statue of the Sikh ruler was unveiled at the Lahore Fort.
Concerns over safety and the fear of spreading the coronavirus have temporarily resulted in the suspension of the Sikh community’s pilgrimage to one of their holiest sites in Pakistan. In April, citing an uptick in Covid-19 cases, the Indian government closed the visa-free passage, known as the Kartarpur corridor, that allows members of the Sikh community to visit the shrine of Sikhism’s founder Guru Nanak.
Members of the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee are hopeful that the government will reopen the corridor and allow the community to visit the holy sites.
“We hope that with SOPs, Sikh pilgrims are allowed to visit the holy sites once again,” said Sardar Amir Singh, Secretary-General, Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee.
Since the inauguration of the visa-free passage by Prime Minister Imran Khan, thousands of Sikhs from India have visited Kartarpur, many for the first time in their lives.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 11th, 2020.
COMMENTS (1)
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ