LAHORE (The Thursday Times) — The Golden Temple in Amritsar was lit up on Saturday night on the eve of Diwali, the festival of lights, its gilded sanctum and the buildings around its sacred pool strung with thousands of lights that shimmered in the water as worshippers crowded the causeway.
For Sikhs the day is also Bandi Chhor Divas, which marks the release of Guru Hargobind, the sixth Sikh Guru, from imprisonment in Gwalior Fort, and his return to Amritsar, where the city lit lamps to welcome him. The shrine, known to Sikhs as Harmandir Sahib, has kept the tradition of illuminating its complex ever since. Diwali falls on Sunday this year.
In Pakistan, Hindus, most of whom live in Sindh, will mark the festival on Sunday with lamps, sweets and prayers at temples from Karachi to Tharparkar. Later this month Sikh pilgrims from India and elsewhere are expected at Nankana Sahib for the 557th birth anniversary of Baba Guru Nanak Dev Ji, for which preparations are under way.
