Sikhs for developing Kathmandu as religious tourism centre

Sikh pilgrims, who visited Kathmandu recently to celebrate the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev, asked the government of Nepal to develop the country as a religious tourism centre.

Patiala: Sikh pilgrims, who visited Kathmandu recently to celebrate the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev, on Tuesday asked the government of Nepal to develop the country as a religious tourism centre.

They said it was their privilege to have participated in the celebrations at Nanak Math gurudwara in Kathmandu which was visited by Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism, over 500 years ago. They asked the Nepal government to evolve a mechanism in consultations with India to make the Himalayan country a pilgrim tourism centre. A number of Sikhs, including former Lt. Governor of Puducherry Iqbal Singh, participated in the celebrations after the Nepal government allowed services at the gurudwara. Gurcharan Singh, a pilgrim on his return, said he was indeed fortunate to see the place (in Nepal) visited by the first Sikh Guru over 500 years ago. Pritpal Singh, the president of Gurdwara Dukh Niwran Sahib, Ludhiana, and Jagjit Singh Gaba, the president of Gurudwara Guru Teg Bahadur Sahib, Jalandhar, also participated in the celebrations.