A child prays at the Shri Guru Singh Sabha Gurdwara in Motihari on the occasion of Baisakhi. Picture by Ajit Kumar Verma

Motihari, April 14: The festival of Baisakhi was celebrated with much fanfare in the district.

Baisakhi, the harvest celebrations, is also observed as a mark of communal harmony.

Sources said though the festival had become popular in the district only after the migration and settlement of Punjabis here, after the Partition in 1947, Champaran has an older connection with Sikhism.

In the 16th century, Guru Nanak, the founder of the religion, visited Champaran during his desh bhraman (country tour), said Satpal Singh Chhabra, president, Gurdwara Shri Guru Singh Sabha. Chhabra also said that Guru Nanak came here after visiting the Pashupatinath Temple, now in Nepal, some time around AD 1505.

Chhabra told The Telegraph: “It was because of the communal harmony observed by the people here that the Sikhs in the district were protected during the riots that broke out after the assassination of former Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1984.

“Similarly, the members of the Sikh community were been able to mitigate communal tension between Hindus and Muslims,” he added.

A sarva dharma sabha (meet of all religions) is organised in the district on the occasion of Baisakhi.

According to the tradition, a number of prominent citizens of the district as well as religious heads take part in the sabha that is organised at the gurdwara every year, said Ashok Grover, an office bearer of the gurdwara administration.

Chhabra said Guru Nanak resided at Kabir-Panthi Math in Mehsi during his visit to the state.

The Sikh community in the district is small and close-knit. Chhabra said apart from the 20 Sikh families that live in Motihari, there are around 60 more in other parts of the district. Most of them are residents of Birganj, a city near the Nepal border.

Chhabra said the residents of the Punjabi colony have become a native of the district now. They are a happy lot, their only grievance being the presence of slaughterhouses in the area. Despite numerous requests to the district administration, the butcheries have not been shifted.

Former district magistrate Narmadeshwar Lal had initiated the shifting last year but after his transfer the move was stalled.