The donations offered by devotees at Anandpur Sahib gurdwaras during the Hola Mohalla festival dipped further for the second consecutive year as there was a less footfall due to the Covid-19 outbreak this time also.
The total donations received this time at Takht Kesgarh Sahib, Kiratpur Sahib and 43 other historic gurdwaras managed by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) around the historic town founded by ninth Sikh master Guru Tegh Bahadur are ₹58 lakh less than the previous year.
It was here that his successor Guru Gobind Singh founded the order of Khalsa.
The festival celebrations are held for 7 days.
Malkeet Singh, manager of Takht Kesgarh Sahib and other historic gurdwaras run by the SGPC, said the heavy rush of devotees was witnessed for only 3 days this time. “Devotees donated ₹2.66 crore this time against the last year’s ₹3.25 crore. Even the last year’s donations were ₹70 lakh less than the preceding year due to the panic created by the pandemic,” he added.
“This time, other factors also led to the less footfall. First, the Rupnagar district administration issued a statement that it will be mandatory for the devotees to carry a Covid-19 negative report for participating in the festival. Though the decision was modified later saying it will be applicable only for foreigners, it created confusion among people. Besides, the administration had announced that booths will be set up to conduct on-the-spot Covid-19 tests but nothing was done,” he claimed.
{{/usCountry}}“This time, other factors also led to the less footfall. First, the Rupnagar district administration issued a statement that it will be mandatory for the devotees to carry a Covid-19 negative report for participating in the festival. Though the decision was modified later saying it will be applicable only for foreigners, it created confusion among people. Besides, the administration had announced that booths will be set up to conduct on-the-spot Covid-19 tests but nothing was done,” he claimed.
{{/usCountry}}The shutdown call given by the farmer unions on March 26 also contributed to a less footfall as many devotees could not come to Anandpur Sahib to participate in the festival which concluded on March 29, Malkeet Singh said.