Devotees offer prayers at Golden temple in Amritsar on Guru Gobind Singh Jayanti

Thousands of devotees offered prayers at the Golden Temple in Amritsar on the occasion of Guru Gobind Singh Jayanti. His 356th birth anniversary is being celebrated on Thursday, December 29.

Thousands of devotees offered prayers at the Golden Temple in Amritsar on the occasion of Guru Gobind Singh Jayanti. His 356th birth anniversary is being celebrated on Thursday, December 29. Guru Govind Singh, the 10th and the last Guru of the Sikhs is an inspiration to millions of people all over the world, was declared the Sikh Guru at the mere age of nine years after his father was beheaded on the orders of Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb.

Every year, Sikhs across the globe observe this day to offer prayers to the Sikh Guru at the Gurudwaras and Bhajans and Kirtans are also organised in his honour. Earlier, on Monday, December 26, Veer Baal Diwas was observed across the country for the first time to commemorate the sacrifice of Sahibzada Zorawar Singh and Sahibzada Fateh Singh, the younger sons of Guru Govind Singh, who made the supreme sacrifice at the tender age of nine and six years respectively to defend the dignity and honour of Sikhism.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi while addressing the celebrations at Major Dhyan Chand Stadium in New Delhi said, "Veer Baal Diwas stands for the 'Shaurya' and 'Sikh balidan' and will also empower Indians to take pride in their identity, in the world. The day will help us celebrate the past and would inspire us to build the future." PM Modi further said that the 'Panch Pyare' of Guru Gobind Singh were from all parts of the country, signifying the unity in diversity of India, hence the Sikh Guru tradition is also an inspiration for the idea of 'Ek Bharat-Shreshtha Bharat'.

"India has a rich history. We bow towards Nachiketa, who won the battle against death. We respect the valour of Shri Ram, and we are inspired by Bhagwan Mahavir," he said. 

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