A golden palki (palanquin) carrying Sikhism's holy text Guru Grantha Sahib was Wednesday brought to the birth place of first Sikh Guru Nanak in Nankana Sahib and the gold plate of two of its pillars presented at the sanctum sanctorum of the shrine at the end of a procession, the first to cross borders since partition.
Since the palanquin, made of 15 kg of gold by the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee, could not be taken out of the decorated bus, two of its pillars were removed and presented at the sanctum sanctorum of Gurdwara Janamstanth by Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh and his counterpart from Pakistan's Punjab province Pervaiz Elahi.
Both chief ministers paid obesience inside the gurudwara before presenting the pillars.
The Guru Granth Sahib would remain under the historic marble palki whereas the gold palki will be dismantled and reassembled at the shrine in the next two days.
Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Prabhandak Committee president Mastan Singh said that a sarbat khalsa (congregation of Sikhs) would be organised soon and a decision would be taken as per the wishes of the people.
The event, considered to be historic by the Sikhs, has not been without controversy as several Sikh organisations had opposed the "installation" of the golden palki in Pakistan.
DSGMC president Paramjit Singh Sarna, who spearheaded the Nagar Kirtan that commenced from New Delhi's Bangla Sahib gurudwara on Sunday, said they have handed over the palanquin to the PSGPC and it was upto them where they wanted to place it.
"We have brought the palki from Delhi in the form of a religious procession with great reverence," he said.
