Thousands of Sikh yatrees converge at Panja Sahib for Baisakhi celebrations

• Over 2,800 visas issued by Pakistan for Indian pilgrims to attend annual festival

• Baisakhi marks 327th Khalsa birth anniversary founded by Guru Gobind Singh in 1699

• Devotees from across world gather at Panja Sahib and Nankana Sahib shrines

 HASAN ABDAL: Thousands of Sikh yatrees from India, Pakistan, and other parts of the world gathered at Gurdwara Panja Sahib on Tuesday to mark the 327th birth anniversary of the Khalsa, also known as Baisakhi — the spring harvest festival and one of the most significant religious occasions in Sikhism.

The historic gurdwara, regarded as one of Sikhism’s most sacred sites, witnessed large congregations of devotees participating in religious rituals and prayers throughout the day.

Pakistan’s High Commission in New Delhi said last week that Islamabad issued over 2,800 visas to Sikh pilgrims from India to attend the annual Baisakhi celebrations this month.

Baisakhi, observed annually in mid-April, commemorates the founding of the Khalsa by Guru Gobind Singh in 1699. The Khalsa refers to the community of Sikhs formally initiated into the faith under a distinct religious code.

Every year, thousands of devotees from across the world travel to Pakistan to visit revered Sikh shrines, including Gurdwara Panja Sahib in Hasan Abdal and Gurdwara Nankana Sahib — the birthplace of Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism.

“We prayed to our Guru, and it brought us a deep sense of peace,” said Simran Singh, a 52-year-old Sikh pilgrim from India. “The arrangements here are excellent.”

Another Indian pilgrim, Paramjeet Singh, 47, said he had been warned that visiting Pakistan could affect his ability to obtain visas for other countries.

“But I gave them all the same answer: my Guru, Guru Nanak, has made Punjab like Canada and America for me, and I have no desire to move anywhere else,” he said. “If God has given me life, he will guide me to visit all sacred places. My Guru is blessing me, and I am able to visit these places.”

Harliv Singh, 46, appreciated the hospitality of Pakistanis but said security restrictions had limited pilgrims’ movement outside the gurdwara.

“As a result, we have been staying here for the past two days,” he said. “We would like to explore the area, but we can’t.”

Pavitar Singh, 62, said stronger Sikh-Muslim brotherhood could emerge if people from both countries were allowed freer movement across the border.

“We pray to Guru Baba Nanak that peace prevails between the two nations so that we can travel back and forth,” he said. “Guru Nanak has blessed us; this is my first visit here, and I have long yearned to come.”