Amritsar: Vice President of India Jagdeep Dhankhar today offered prayers at the Golden Temple in Amritsar.
The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) President Harjinder Singh Dhami extended a warm welcome to the dignitaries on their arrival. The VP was accompanied by his wife Sudesh Dhankhar, daughter, and grandson.
Amid tight security, the VP undertook the circumambulation or parikrama of the Golden Temple along with his family and sat for a few minutes to listen to the Gurbani Kirtan. It was the VP’s maiden visit to Amritsar after becoming the 14th Vice President of India, recently.
The Vice President and his family partook the ‘langar’ (community kitchen) while sitting in the ‘pangat’ or queue and later, performed ‘sewa’ or service of cleaning the dishes at Sri Guru Ram Dass, Langar Hall.
In the visitors’ book, the Vice President wrote, “Blessed to have visited Darbar Sahib today. The peace, serenity, devotion, and sense of service here is an unforgettable experience. A glowing symbol of the sublime spiritual tradition of our great Gurus, Harmandir Sahib has been emanating the message of love, humanity, compassion, and brotherhood through eyes.”
The VP was honoured with a replica of the Golden Temple along with ‘siropa’ the symbolic shawl of Honour.
On the occasion, the SGPC President took the opportunity to submit a memorandum to the Vice President, urging him to use his good offices for the release of ‘Bandi Sikhs’ -Political Prisoners, languishing in various jails of the country despite completing their sentences.
Dhami said the issue was the most important, for the community and the center needs to look at it from the point of justice as each of the prisoners has completed their jail sentences and is legally eligible for release.
Despite attempts, last month by the SGPC to submit the memorandum of demands for the early release of political detainees to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, their request for a meeting on this, was declined by the union ministry.
The Vice President also visited the Jallianwala Bagh and paid homage to martyrs of Pre-Independence India that included all communities, including Kashmiri Muslims, who were gunned down on Bloody Baisakhi Day April 13 of the year 1919, by the Britisher Gen O’Dawyer and proved a turning point in India’s freedom struggle.
The Vice President also visited the Ram Tirath Temple- the historic abode where Sita Mata took shelter at the hermitage of Rishi Valmiki who wrote the Epic Ramayan and where the twin sons of Lord Ram and Sita – Luv and Kush, were born. The cities of Lahore and Kasur respectively, now in Pakistan, were named after the twin sons of Lord Ram.
The Vice President also visited the Durgiana Mandir – the Hindu Temple architecturally a replica of the Golden Temple; about 25 Kms from Ram Tirath – the Durgiana houses the historic mandir where Lord Hanuman was tied to a tree, by the teenage twins Luv and Kush- the sons of Lord Ram and Sita.
