Delhi: Ahead of inaugurating the historic Kartarpur Corridor, a first in seven decades between India and Pakistan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday paid obeisance at a highly revered Sikh shrine here.
Wearing a scarf, Modi spent time at the Gurdwara Ber Sahib located along the banks of the holy ‘Bein’, which is connected with many events in the life of the founder of Sikhism Guru Nanak Dev, whose 550th ‘Prakash Purb’ (birth anniversary) falls on November 12.
Modi was received by Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh and Union minister Harsimrat Badal.
The Shriomani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), which has control over Sikh religious affairs, manages gurdwaras (Sikh temples) in Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh, including the holiest of Sikh shrines Harmandir Sahib, popularly known as Golden Temple in Amritsar, presented a ‘siropa’ (robe of honour) to Modi.
One of the main wishes of the pilgrims arriving in the historical Sultanpur Lodhi have been to take a dip in the ‘Bein’.
To fulfil the wish, the Punjab government has spent Rs 4.96 crore on the development of the Bein and made arrangements for the pilgrims to take a dip without any hassle.
The pilgrims take a dip in the Bein before paying obeisance at the Gurdwara Ber Sahib.