CHANDIGARH: To mark the first centenary (100 years) of Saka (massacre) of Gurdwara Sri Panja Sahib (now in Pakistan) that took place on October 30, 1922, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) has decided to take a special jatha (group) of pilgrims to Pakistan besides organising a special Gurmat Samagam (religious congregation) at Gurdwara Manji Sahib Diwan Hall in Sri Darbar Sahib complex.
Laying the plan for marking this historical occasion, in the meeting of the Centenary Committee presided over by SGPC President Harjinder Singh Dhami at the sub-office in Chandigarh on Friday, approval has been given to organise different Gurmat Samagams in India and Pakistan, prepare and distribute booklets/literature in different languages on the martyrs of Saka Sri Panja Sahib and conduct religious competitions dedicated to this centenary in the schools and colleges.
Dhami said that the 100-year centenary of Saka Panja Sahib will be marked with Panthic grandeur on October 30, 2022, and the SGPC has started preparations for the same.
“A special jatha of pilgrims on behalf of SGPC would participate in the centenary congregations to be held in Pakistan. For discussion on the congregations to be organised in Pakistan, a delegation would also be sent there to hold meetings with the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee and concerned Department of the Government there”, said the SGPC chief.
He said the visa fees, etc. expenses of the pilgrims going on this occasion to Pakistan, would be borne by SGPC’s Dharam Prachar Committee.
He said that a two-day large Gurmat Samagam will also be dedicated to Saka Panja Sahib and organised at Manji Sahib Diwan Hall, Sri Amritsar on October 29 and 30, in which prominent personalities of the Panth will participate. A similar Samagam will also be held at Sri Anandpur Sahib on October 22.
The SGPC President said that the first centenary of Guru Ka Bagh Morcha will also be marked on a large scale with a Samagam at Gurdwara Guru Ka Bagh, Ghukewali, Amritsar on August 30, 2022.
He said that special historical booklets/literature relating to these two centenaries will be prepared and distributed in different languages and dedicated religious competitions will also be organised in the schools and colleges managed by the SGPC.
He said a historical painting exhibition dedicated to the centenary will also be specially prepared, in which the contemporary events will be depicted through paintings. He added that documentaries will also be produced on the history of Gurdwara Guru Ka Bagh and Saka Panja Sahib.
