at Gurdwara Takht Sri Keshgarh Sahib
Accompanied by Badal, Harper’s delegation pays obeisance at temporal seat
8 Nov 2012 - ANANDPUR SAHIB: Legend has it that in 1569, Emperor Akbar came to Punjab and wanted to see Guru Amar Das, the third Sikh master. While some Sikhs believed special arrangements should be made, the Guru refused to see the Mughal king until the latter partook of langar (shared community meal) with the commoners.
Takht Kesgarh Sahib in Anandpur Sahib on Wednesday. ......GURPREET SINGH/HT Punjab
Times have indeed changed. Special arrangements for Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s Wednesday visit to Gurdwara Takht Kesgarh Sahib, one of the five temporal seats of the Sikhs, meant that the common people had to make way for the visiting dignitary, who was accompanied by Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal and welcomed by the clergy singing hymns.
A handful of devotees sitting in front of the holy book, Sri Guru Granth Sahib, were asked to either move out or sit near the walls, to make seating space for the guests from Canada and the leaders who escorted them.
Other than the few already inside, ‘common’ devotees were barred from entering the Takht premises for over an hour.
Dressed in gray or black suits, led by Harper and accompanied by Badal and others from the state’s political elite, the ‘special’ guests gently bowed before the holy book and were handed ‘siropas’ (religious robes of honour) by Takht Jathedar Tirlochan Singh.
The priests later briefed the Canadian PM about the weapons of Guru Gobind Singh, with hordes of photographers including Canadians capturing the occasion.
The women foreign delegates seemed particularly confused whether to sit on the floor or walk out of the sanctum sanctorum, and took the latter option after being handed the ‘siropas’.
The show took 20 minutes, at which the ‘commoners’ got the green signal to move in.
The next stop for the Canadian PM was the Khalsa Heritage Complex, which was formally closed down for the public on Wednesday. “It has been a great experience,” Harper said, when asked how he felt.
The visit made Harper the first Canadian PM to have visited Takht Kesgarh Sahib, as he had paid obeisance at the Golden temple in Amritsar during his earlier visit.
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