Women throw flower petals as the Guru Granth Sahib is carried from the worship hall for the Vaisakhi procession
Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha. The Vaisakhi procession is a big event in Slough, and attracts large numbers of people both to participate and to watch it making its way around the north of the town. An ancient Indian festival marking the New Year, particularly in the Punjab, it first became a special day for Sikhs when the third Guru made it an annual national cultural gathering for Sikhs in 1567. But it gained in significance in 1699, when the tenth Guru founded the Khalsa by baptizing five brave Sikh men who had proved themselves willing to give their lives for their religion. That the original five, the Panj Piyare, came from different castes demonstrated the foundation of the Khalsa on social equality, and baptized Sikhs all took the names Singh (Lion) for men and Kaur (Princess) for women to show their equality. The tenth Guru was himself baptized by the five he had baptized, changing his name also, to Gobind Singh. He proclaimed the Sikh scriptures his eternal successor as the Guru Granth Sahib, so that no living person would henceforth have a superior status as Guru. Sikh congregations are democratic organizations that appoint Panj Piyare to take necessary decisions. Sikhs believe that people of all faiths have the same human rights and should be treated with equal dignity and respect, and Vaisakhi is a celebration of this belief in equality and social justice. The procession includes the Panj Piyare and the Guru Granth Sahib, carried on a throne and treated as always with deep respect. There are also drummers and displays of martial arts, recognizing that it is necessary to fight against tyranny when all other means fail. There were also a number of reminders of the many Sikh martyrs, and particularly the 1984 massacre of thousands of Sikhs following the assassination of Indira Ghandhi and the demands for an independent Sikh state of Khalistan.
Size: 5040px × 3354px
Location: Sheehy Way, Slough, Berkshire, England, UK
Photo credit: © Peter Marshall / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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