Sikhs take out ‘nagar kirtan’ on eve of Guru Nanak’s birthday

Tribune News Service

Jammu, November 23

The Sikh community of Jammu and Kashmir took out a colourful “nagar kirtan” (religious procession) in the city for the first time ahead of the birthday of Guru Nanak Dev, founder of Sikhism.

The most important and major festival of the community, Prakash Utsav (birth anniversary) of Guru Nanak Dev will be celebrated on Wednesday.

Earlier, the community used to organise a “nagar kirtan” only ahead of the birth anniversary of Guru Gobind Singh, the 10th and last Sikh Guru and founder of Khalsa Panth, but for the first time Jammu has witnessed a “nagar kirtan” ahead of Guru Nanak Dev’s birthday.

The colourful “nagar kirtan”, which started from Bibi Chand Kour Gurdwara and passed through Samadian Road, Vinayak Chowk, Gumat crossing, Dogra Chowk, Hotel Asia, Green Belt, Gandhi Nagar Hospital road, Gole Market, Shivaji Chowk and Khalsa Chowk and concluded at Gurdwara Sri Singh Sabha, Nanak Nagar. The procession started at 10 am from Chand Nagar Gurdwara and concluded at Nanak Nagar Gurdwara at 5pm.

More than 2,000 devotees took part in the procession. “Palki Sahib” led the procession in which Guru Granth Sahib (revered scripture of the Sikhs) was carried on a beautifully decorated vehicle along with “Nishaan Sahibs” (religious flags).

The procession was marked by rendering of shabad kirtans (holy hymns) by different jathas of men, women and children.

Meanwhile, despite notifying traffic diversion in the city for the “nagar kirtan”, the traffic police failed to manage the traffic. Hundreds of vehicles remained stranded in the traffic jam.