On Guru Teghbahadar’s 350th Martyrdom Day, Panjab Declares Holy Cities

On 24 Nov, a special session of the Panjab Legislative Assembly was convened at Sri Anandpur Sahib, Rupnagar. Panjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria summoned the Assembly to meet at the Bhai Jaita Ji Memorial Park. The rare off-site session aligned with the state’s three-day commemorative events from 23–25 Nov, marking the 350^th martyrdom anniversary of the ninth Sikh Sovereign, Guru Teghbahadar. In the session, Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann passed a resolution to accord the status of 'holy cities' on Anandpur Sahib, Talwandi Sabo, and the Galiara (gallery) around the Golden Temple in Amritsar. The resolution was passed unanimously but controversy broke out over the inclusion of only the Galiara in Amritsar. Later Panjab Assembly speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan clarified that not just the Galiara but the entire walled city of Amritsar which would be considered holy. By declaring them holy, the government intends to ban sale and use of meat, liquor, tobacco, and other intoxicants to fulfil the long-pending demand of the devotees in these cities. However, according to the Sikh Rahit Maryada (code of conduct) all these demands except meat are consensual. While earlier centenary events from Sikh history have also initiated long term infrastructure projects, this time the focus was on tokenism through light and sound shows and night sky drone events. in Srinagar, more than 400 Kashmiri Pandits families joined in the commemoration ceremony of Guru Teghbahadar and a three-day congregation also began at the Red Fort complex in Delhi to mark the event. In Hyderabad, the Prabandhak Committee, Gurudwara Saheb, Sitafalmandi, in coordination with Gurudwaras across Telangana, organized a mass Kirtan Darbar (devotional-singing at the Court) at the Municipal Grounds, Chilkalguda. Uttar Pradesh (UP) is also honoring Sikh history by advancing the integrated tourism development of Guru Ka Tal Gurdwara in Agra. The UP government has allocated USD 224K for the site’s development, a move that reinforces the sacred connection between Guru Teghbahadar and Agra—the city where he was earlier arrested for not following Mughal imperial orders (earlier coverage).