Baisakhi, marking the beginning of the Sikh New Year, was on Friday celebrated with religious fervour and gaiety in the Kashmir valley, with the devotees thronging different gurudwaras to offer prayers.
The main function was held at Gurudwara Chati Patshahi in the Rainawari area of the city, which was attended by a huge number of Sikh devotees.
The celebrations by the members of the Sikh community were also held in various districts of the valley.
The festival of Baisakhi, which is mainly celebrated in the north Indian states of Punjab and Haryana, marks the beginning of the Sikh new year. It is also a commemoration of the formation of the Khalsa Panth of warriors under Guru Gobind Singh in 1699.
Cutting across faiths and religious lines, the Army personnel stationed across Kashmir also celebrated Baisakhi. “I feel very good and lucky to be here on this day as officially Mughal gardens are thrown open for tourists and today I am here…I am very excited and enjoying this trip,” a tourist, Deepti, from Mumbai, told PTI.
“I am feeling very nice to be here and today these Mughal gardens are open on occasion of Baisakhi. We are enjoying,” another tourist, Ravinder Kumar from Meerut, said.
A foreign tourist from Bangladesh Nasser-u-din was impressed by the beauty of the garden. “I am very much happy to visit this garden, I am very happy to know that on first day of Baisakhi, Mughal gardens are open for tourists. I am very much impressed,” he said.
“It is a very very beautiful, colourful and a historical place also. We all are enjoying very much,” Ethal Mukhodapayi from Bangladesh said. PTI