Source: Times of India
Wire Service: IANS
As dawn broke Thursday, hundreds of Sikhs across India thronged Gurudwaras for morning prayers to mark the 539th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev, the founder of the world's youngest religion that also has followers among the vast Indian diaspora worldwide.
Taking the lead from the Golden Temple, the temporal seat of the Sikhs in Amritsar in Punjab, most Gurudwaras marked Gurupurab, as the day is observed with the singing of Asa-di-var and hymns from Guru Granth Sahib, the Sikh holy book.
This was followed by religious discourses, historical lectures, recitation of poems in praise of Guru Nanak and the distribution of "Karah Parshad (sweet pudding)" and "Langar (food cooked in a community kitchen)".
In many cities across the country, processions led by young children dressed as the Panj Pyaras, or five beloved disciples of the Guru, were taken out even as groups of youths staged martial arts displays.
This year's Gurupurab was particularly auspicious as the 300th anniversary of the writing of the Guru Granth Sahib has just been observed.