CHANDIGARH: Thousands of devotees flocked to gurdwaras throughout Punjab and Haryana on Thursday to celebrate Baisakhi, one of the most important festivals commemorating the tenth Sikh Guru, Gobind Singh's founding of the Khalsa Panth (Sikh order). It also symbolises the beginning of harvest season.

A large crowd gathered to the Golden Temple in Amritsar, one of Sikhism's holiest sanctuaries, to offer prayers. On Baisakhi, almost two lakh devotees attend the Golden Temple, according to gurdwara officials.

The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), which oversees gurdwaras in Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, and Chandigarh, has deployed task force personnel to deal with the throng. To minimise overpopulation, barricades have been placed on all roads leading to the Golden Temple.

The Takht Kesgarh Sahib in the holy city of Anandpur Sahib, where the Khalsa Panth was formed in 1699, too saw a sea of worshippers.  This week, a jatha of 1,949 Sikh pilgrims travelled for Pakistan's Gurdwara Sri Panja Sahib to take part in the religious ceremony commemorating Khalsa Sajna Diwas (Baisakhi).

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