Amritsar (Punjab) [India], April 18 (HBTV): Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini offered prayers at Anandpur Sahib Gurudwara on Sunday on the occasion of Baisakhi.

Baisakhi is a harvest festival that also marks the beginning of the New Year in some regions of India. Celebrated with great enthusiasm and traditional joy, the festival symbolises prosperity, success, and communal harmony through rituals and celebrations.

This year, Baisakhi was celebrated on April 13. Also known as Vaisakhi, the festival marks the beginning of the Punjabi and Sikh New Year and is primarily celebrated in North India, especially in Punjab. It also signifies the onset of the harvest season.

Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended greetings to the nation on the occasion of Baisakhi.

In a post on X, Prime Minister Modi wrote, ‘Wishing everyone a joyous Baisakhi! May this festival bring new hope, happiness and abundance into your life. May we always celebrate the spirit of togetherness, gratitude and renewal.’

Devotees marked the occasion by offering prayers and taking a holy dip at the sacred Har Ki Pauri ghat in Haridwar, Uttarakhand. Aarti was also performed at the Mahakaleshwar Temple in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh.

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann also extended his greetings. In a post on X, he said, ‘The tenth Sikh Guru, Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji, endowed us with a distinct identity from the entire world by creating the Khalsa, free from caste and color discrimination, on the holy land of Sri Anandpur Sahib. Congratulations to all the devotees who are bowing down at the feet of the Guru today on the occasion of Khalsa Sajna Diwas and Baisakhi.’

On Saturday, President Droupadi Murmu also conveyed her greetings on the eve of Vaisakhi, Vishu, Bohag Bihu, Poila Boishakh, Meshadi, Vaishakhadi, and Puthandu Pirapu, which were celebrated on April 13, 14, and 15, according to an official statement issued by the President’s Secretariat.

(ANI)