Exotic flowers embellish Golden Temple complex

Amritsar, August 26

To mark the first Parkash Utsav of Guru Granth Sahib, the Golden Temple is being decked up with aromatic flowers from India and abroad.

Hundreds of quintals of different kinds of flowers worth Rs 4-5 crore, especially imported from the Netherlands, Thailand and Singapore, besides Kolkata, New Delhi were being used to embellish the walls of the sanctum sanctorum, Darshani Deori, Akal Takht and the entire circumference of the shrine.

Manas Mandal, who has come to supervise the flower decoration, said around 10 truck loads of flowers have been arranged for decorating the shrine complex. Some of these flowers have a shelf life of 15 days to six months.

Around 180 artists from Calcutta, Mathura, New Delhi and UP have come to design the flower arrangement. Hundreds of quintals of at least 25 varieties of flowers, including hydrangea macrophylla, black orchid, cymbidum, daizy and penelope poppy, were being used for the purpose.

“We feel fortunate and blessed to perform this sewa at Darbar Sahib. I have already done flower decoration here on eight occasions and every time we try to come up with new theme and designing. The local devotees, too, volunteer as helping hand. We aim to get it completed by Saturday evening,” he said.

Some outstation devotees have taken the sewa to bedeck the holiest shrine, said Jagtar Singh Shoora, Golden Temple’s environment wing manager.

The event falls on August 28. A nagar kirtan would also be organised from historic Ramsar Sahib Gurdwara where Guru Granth Sahib was edited.