Bhajan singer from the Golden Temple Lakhvinder Singh performs at a gurudwara in Bhubaneswar during celebration of Guru Nanak’s birth anniversary. Picture by Sanjib Mukherjee

Bhubaneswar, Nov. 10: Hundreds of Sikh devotees from the city and elsewhere thronged the gurudwara at Kharavela Nagar to pay homage to the founder of their religion, Guru Nanak Devji, on his 543rd birth anniversary today.

The celebration of Prakash Utsav, as the anniversary is popularly called, began three days earlier. Considered by Sikhs to be the most auspicious day of the year, devotees celebrated the occasion by listening to chants from the Guru Granth Sahib for a continuous 48 hours. After Akhand Path, devotees sang Gurubani, bhanjans and kirtans that spoke of tales of the birth and beliefs of Guru Nanak Devji.

Prakash Utsav, which usually coincides with Kartik Purnima, saw the devout in colourful turbans and dupattas queuing up in front of the Guru Granth Sahib to pay their respects to their Guru. Around 10 students from Guru Nanak Public School also participated in the ceremonial function. The students sang bhajans and kirtans. The devotees sang sermons and teachings from the Guru Granth Sahib.

Lakhvinder Singh, a visually impaired singer, and his disciples from the Golden Temple, Amritsar, were specially invited to sing devotional songs for the satsang. His kirtans — Tan Nanak Teri Vadi Kamayi and Jithe baba poer tore — were spellbinding.

“Guru Nanak Devji’s teachings spread the message of love, peace, harmony and integrity among every religion and people. He never saw any difference between men and women. This is why women in our community participate in the celebration with just as much enthusiasm and vigour as men,” said a member of the governing committee of the gurudwara, Satpal Singh.

The preparation of the afternoon langar was a lavish affair. A large number of devotees — from six to 60 — were seen preparing the victuals with love and humility. Like every year, this year too saw an amalgamation of around 4,000 devotees from every religion and community. On this special day, the langar had a sumptuous menu of chapatti, rice, dal, channa, salad, jalebi and gulab jamun.

The evening saw the gurudwara illuminated with colourful lights and decorations. Fireworks and crackers were entertained children.