First time after partition, 'Nagar Kirtan' carrying Guru Granth Sahib arrives from Pak to India

For the first time after Independence, the 'Nagar Kirtan', which was taken out from Nankana Sahib district of Pakistan's Punjab province, arrived here on Thursday to mark the 550th birth anniversary celebrations of the Sikhism founder, Guru Nanak Dev.

The 'Nagar Kirtan' (religious procession), carrying the holy Guru Granth Sahib, crossed over to India from Pakistan in the afternoon.

Around 500 Sikh devotees, who were part of the procession, reached here through the land transit route of the Attari border.

Several ministers of the Punjab Government, along with senior officials of the Amritsar district administration, received the Nagar Kirtan at the border. The top leadership of the opposition Shriomani Akali Dal was also present.

A large number of devotees from the Indian side stormed the roads when the 'Nagar Kirtan' arrived in a decorated palanquin.

An official of the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC), an apex religious body of the Sikhs, said a large cavalcade followed