Bihar gears up for 'Prakash Parv'

With less than a fortnight to go for the 350th birth anniversary celeberations of the 10th Sikh Guru Gobind Singh, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar took stock of the preparations here on Sunday.

He directed the officials to complete all work within a week for the 'Prakash utsava' as the celebrations are popularly called, officials said.

"Nitish Kumar visited venues, including Takht Sri Harmindir Saheb, the main shrine linked to the 'Utsav', to personally inspect the preparations," Patna District Magistrate Sanjay Kumar Agrawal said.

The Chief Minister has assigned top officials to monitor preparations for the mega event, and wants the work completed by December 25, Agrawal said.

Niitish Kumar also offered prayers at Takht Shri Harminder Saheb and met members of its management committee. He assured them that everything would be in place by the end of December.

According to district police officials, Nitish Kumar visited Kangan Ghat, Leela Gurudwara, Patna Saheb station, Patna Ghat railway station and inspected the ongoing work there.

Three tent cities are being constructed over 62 acres at the sprawling Gandhi Maidan, 12 acres at Kangaan Ghat, and over 65 acres at Malaichak Bypass here by the state.

The district officials estimated that more than 50,000 devotees would be provided accommodation in these tent cities.

The Guru Gobind Singh birth anniversary celebrations would start from the last week of December and would end on January 7, 2017.

The main function would be held on January 5, in which Prime Minister Narendra Modi would participate along with Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and several other Sikh dignitaries from India and abroad.

Earlier, Bihar had announced a three-day holiday during the 'Prakash-Parv' at Takht Harmandir Sahib, the birthplace of the 10th Sikh Guru.

The gurudwara management committee was also undertaking huge constructions on its campus.

An old guest house complex was demolished and a new structure was coming up in its place, which would include parking provisions to accommodate the expected massive rush in January.

Takht Sri Harmandirji Sahib, widely known as Patna Sahib, was about 10 km from Patna and was built in the 1950s over the remains of a structure erected by Maharaja Ranjit Singh.

Guru Gobind Singh was born in 1666 to Guru Tegh Bahadur, the ninth Sikh Guru and Mata Gujri. He was formally installed as the leader of the Sikhs at the age of nine, becoming the last of the living Sikh Gurus.

--IANS

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