700 quintal flowers to adorn shrine in Sultanpur Lodhi
Gurdwara Ber Sahib will be adorned with over 700 quintal of flowers imported from Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Kenya and some other countries during the 550th birth anniversary celebrations of Guru Nanak that will be held between November 1 and 12 at Sultanpur Lodhi.
Besides, flowers from Kolkata, Bengaluru and Himachal Pradesh will be also brought for decoration of walls of sanctum santorum, newly constructed sarshani deorhi, langar hall and main stage for the function, said SGPC chief secretary Roop Singh.
He said that a Mumbai-based and Ludhiana-based sangat and SGPC are spending money on flowers for decoration of the shrine and other important places. “Seasonal flowers from some foreign countries will also be used for decoration,” he said.
Around 100 types of flowers, including ratchaphruek, bougainvillea, pagoda, lotus, frangipani, jasmine, rose, Daylilies and others will be used for decoration, said a Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) spokesperson said.
He said that around 500 decorators from different parts of the country, especially Mumbai, and local Sikh devotees will be involved in beautification of the gurdwara premises.
When asked about the cost of flowers, he said it is difficult to estimate a cost as sangat is importing flowers on its own. “Hundreds of quintals of flowers will be used for decorating the gurdwara and SGPC had not asked about the money to be incurred,” said Roop Singh.
Manager of Ber Sahib gurdwara, Satnam Singh, said that all arrangements have been made for the celebrations, including construction of a new darshani deorhi at an estimated cost of ₹20 crore, double-storey langer hall with a capacity of 10, 000 people, at ₹10 crore.
He said that construction work of entry gate of administration complex has also been completed. Beautification work of main gurdwara building is under progress while a new complex ‘Bebe Nanaki Niwas’, with 156 rooms and 23 halls constructed by Baba Jagtar Singh Kar Sewawale, for pilgrims has been inaugurated.