Hazur Sahib, October 30
A 300-year-old handwritten Bir of Guru Gobind Singh’s time was taken in a golden palanquin from Gurdwara Nagina Ghat, situated on the banks of the Godavari to Takht Hazur Sahib in a procession to commemorate the century-old tradition of Gurta Gaddi.

The present building of Gurdwara Nagina Ghat is situated on a high plinth and comprises a square hall in which Guru Granth Sahib is seated on a canopied “palaki” of white marble, and a smaller square room topped by a dome on the first floor.

The devotees described the delay in the shobha yatra and rituals of Gurta Gaddi due to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit as the “most unfortunate”. They said the Takht management had failed to ensure the timely completion of Gurta Gaddi due to the visit.

Led by Panj Pyaras and Guru Granth Sahib, the short distance of a few yards between Gurdwara Nagina Ghat and Takht Hazur Sahib was covered in five hours. All arrangements made by the management went haywire due the Prime Minister’s visit.

Anmol, the offspring of Guru Gobind Singh’s horse, gatka parties and band parties added colour to the festivities. However, devotees faced a lot of inconvenience since the entire historic town was converted into a police cantonment. The three Jathedars from Punjab, Giani Gurbachan Singh, Giani Tarlochan Singh and Baldev Singh Nandgarh, were prevented from using the entry route to the Takht, which the Prime Minister’s was to use. However, they continued their march and entered the shrine through the same entry.

Devotees had to wait for the entry into the main shrine. Though the Takht Management Committee failed to meet the deadline in completing the buildings, including the main entry of Takht Hazur Sahib, these were covered with shining clothes.