Festival to mark 232nd anniversary of Khalsa rule

New Delhi, March 17 (IANS) The Delhi Sikh Gurudwara Management Committee (DSGMC) will host a two-day festival commemorating the 232nd anniversary of the establishment of Khalsa Panth rule, the committee said on Tuesday.

The Delhi Fateh Diwas festival is scheduled for March 21 and 22. DSGMC president Manjit Singh said the festival is aimed at highlighting the "golden historic moment" of the Khalsa Panth when Sikhs ruled the country from New Delhi.

The event marks the time when Sikh warrior Sardar Baghel Singh hoisted the Kesri Nishan Sahib of the Khalsa Panth at the Red Fort on March 11, 1783, after defeating then Mughal emperor Shah Alam and crowning Jassa Singh Ahluwalia as the new emperor in the Diwan-e-Aam.

Singh said that the event will be organised at a mega level to highlight this "historic event", which does not find significant mention in modern Indian history.

"This is second time that the Delhi Fateh Divas is being organised by DSGMC, in which around one lakh people of various religions will take part and efforts are being made to make it an annual event," Singh said.

"Five head priests will lead the Jarnaili march victory processions from ancient Hanuman Mandir to Red Fort on March 22," Singh said, adding that Sikh organisations from across the globe will be represented in the event.