Vaisakhi

Traditional fervour and gaiety mark the celebrations of Baisakhi, which stands for the dawn of a new year in north India.

Baisakhi falls on the first day of Vaisaka and is the beginning of the traditional Indian New Year. It coincides with 'Rongali Bihu' in Assam, 'Naba Barsha' in Bengal, Puthandu in Tamil Nadu and 'Pooram Vishu' in Kerala.

On this auspicious day in 1699, Guru Govind Rai, the Tenth Guru of Sikhs founded the Khalsa Panth (Community of the Pure) at Keshgarh Sahib near Anandpur.

For Sikhs, this seasonal festival also has great importance as the founding of the Akal Khalsa (Soldiers of the Timeless One) at Anandpur Sahib, the famous Golden Temple of Amritsar - India. The Akal Khalsa played an important role in resistance against Mughal rule. This act of total surrender of one's life to the service of the AKAL, the Timeless One, and at the feet of Guru Gobind Sahib created the Sikh religion. For many centuries after that, the first male child of all families of Hindus in Punjab was ordained as a Sikh.

To mark the celebrations, devotees, irrespective of their religion, throng gurdwaras - the Sikh place of worship - and temples in different parts of the area. The celebrations start early as devotees, with flowers and offerings in their hands, proceed towards the gurdwaras and temples before dawn.