Imageine: Pure bliss in Anandpur Sahib

Archival images by eminent photographer Sondeep Shankar and The Tribune’s Karam Singh from Khalsa Panth’s tercentenary celebrations

Tribune News Service

Updated At : 05:31 AM Nov 23, 2025 IST

Photo by Sondeep Shankar

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In a throwback to 1999, when Anandpur Sahib was painted pristine white to mark 300 years of the founding of Khalsa Panth, this year, too, the town founded by Guru Tegh Bahadur is set to mark the 350th martyrdom anniversary of its founder by donning a fresh coat of the colour of peace.

Sikh religious procession at Anandpur Sahib to celebrate the tercentenary of the Khalsa Panth, November 22, 1998. Key elements included a procession with participants on elephants and martial art demonstrations by Nihang Sikhs. Photo by Sondeep Shankar

Philanthropists have donated over 20,000 litres of white paint, and residents have stepped forward to beautify the pilgrimage centre for this week’s commemorations. Back then, journalists and photographers from across the globe had converged upon Anandpur Sahib to cover the celebrations marking the birth of one of the world’s youngest religions.

Photo by Karam Singh. From The Tribune Archives

Here, eminent lensman Sondeep Shankar shares images he clicked in November 1998 in the run-up to the Khalsa tercentenary celebrations. Alongside are photographs by Karam Singh of The Tribune, clicked in April 1999.

The Tribune, now published from Chandigarh, started publication on February 2, 1881, in Lahore (now in Pakistan). It was started by Sardar Dyal Singh Majithia, a public-spirited philanthropist, and is run by a trust comprising five eminent persons as trustees.

The Tribune, the largest selling English daily in North India, publishes news and views without any bias or prejudice of any kind. Restraint and moderation, rather than agitational language and partisanship, are the hallmarks of the newspaper. It is an independent newspaper in the real sense of the term.

The Tribune has two sister publications, Punjabi Tribune (in Punjabi) and Dainik Tribune (in Hindi).

Remembering Sardar Dyal Singh Majithia

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