Religious congregation to mark Guru Nanak's anniversary

To mark the 550th Parkash Purb (birth anniversary) of Guru Nanak Dev, the Punjab government has set up an exhibition showcasing life and teachings of the first Sikh guru near Guru Nanak Darbar here, an event orgainsers said on Friday.

The exhibition, being organised by the Tourism and Cultural Affairs Department in collaboration with the Punjab Digital Library, will continue till November 15.

The exhibition comprises coins related to Sacha Sauda period and over 150-year-old utensils related to the period from Baba Banda Singh Bahadar to Maharaja Ranjit Singh, miniature paintings and photographs, etc., related to Guru Nanak Dev.

Punjab Digital Library Director Davinderpal Singh said coins made of gold, silver and copper have been displayed in the exhibition, besides commemorative coins issued in memory of Guru Nanak Dev.

Also, "Janam Sakhis" provided by Ludhiana-based Sikh scholar Anurag Singh have also been put on display in the exhibition. The miniature paintings have been provided by Navjot Singh Randhawa, a serving IAS officer in the Punjab government.

Tourism and Cultural Affairs Department Additional Director Lakhmir Singh said the exhibition has been well received by a large number of devotees, who learn about the life and teachings of Guru Nanak Dev.

A special exhibition bus has also become a centre of attraction.

The devotees with the help of free literature are being made aware of the history of Sultanpur Lodhi and other religious monuments.

The special bus has been loaded with pictures of main religious and historical monuments of Punjab which include Darbar Sahib of Amritsar, Ram Tirath Temple, Durgiana Temple along with an emotional photograph about Jallianwala Bagh incident.

For the visitors, the organisers are providing free bicycles for a day for visiting places of religious and historical importance in the town.

Four cycle stands have been set up and each stand has 25 bicycles.

An identification document is kept at the cycle stand as security and is returned when the cycle is handed back.

To impart world-class health services, special medical lounges have been set across the town.

A total of 7,852 visitors have been provided with the medical help along with the free of cost medicines, a government spokesperson told IANS.

Civil Surgeon Jasmeet Kaur said three medical lounges have been set up where a team comprising 1,000 paramedical staff and doctors is working round the clock and every day around 700 patients are being examined.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the Kartarpur Corridor on Saturday and dispatch the first lot of pilgrims to visit Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara in Pakistan's Punjab province on the occasion of the 550th birth anniversary celebrations of Guru Nanak Dev that falls on November 12.IANS