Devotees throng Golden Temple on Makar Sankranti

Devotees from all over the globe offered prayers on the auspicious occasion of ‘Maghi’ or ‘Makar Sankranti’ at the Golden Temple here on Tuesday.

Advertisement

Even the chilly weather conditions could not stop them from taking a holy dip in the holy sarovar, offering ‘karah parshad’ and seeking the blessings of the Almighty.

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, who was in Amritsar today to attend a Surjit Patar memorial-related programme at GNDU, also extended his wishes praying that this occasion brings health and happiness for all.

The Golden Temple’s community kitchen also served ‘roh di kheer’ (the sugarcane pudding) and ‘roh’ (sugarcane juice) to the visitors.

The special ‘kheer’, prepared on the last day of the month of Poh, i.e. “Lohri”, is eaten on the first day of the “Magh” month that falls today. It is slowly cooked with rice in the sugarcane juice mixed with nuts, lightly toasted peanuts.

Amritsar-based ex-serviceman Surinder Singh performed the sewa of providing this delicacy to devotees.

He said he has been offering the special delicacy at Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee Langar Hall for the past seven years continuously with the assistance of his family members and residents of his native village Harsha Chhina.

“This was my way of little contribution to the Guru Ghar. I have involved not only my children and grandchildren, but youngsters of my village who also perform sewa with me. We started it on January 9 and will close this langar sewa today to mark the maghi’s arrival,” he said with a message to the youth to adopt and get spiritual merit and never to fall for social vices and drug menace.

Golden Temple deputy manager Gurpinder Pal Singh said close to one lakh devotees partook of langar.

He said over 100 quintals of ‘roh di kheer’ and ‘roh’ were served to devotees. “It is offered specially to give farewell to the ‘poh’ month and welcome the advent of ‘magh’ month as per Punjabi traditions.

“The sweet is a delicacy from Punjab where sugarcane is grown in abundance. Though traditionally it is prepared over a coal stove or Mitti di Angithi or Chulha to maintain various aromatics that enhance the sweet earthiness of the kheer with sugarcane juice and rice, yet in modern era it is generally made on a gas stove, on a low flame. It is cooked on the last day of Punjabi calendar month ‘Poh’ and relished on the first day of the month ‘Magh’, the next day,” he said.