DEHRA SAHIB, LAHORE (KP) - Large numbers of Sikhs from Pakistan, North America and various European countries congregated at the historical Gurdwara Dehra Sahib in Lahore, Pakistan on June 16th to observe the Shaheedee Purab (Martyrdom Day) of Guru Arjan Dev Sahib Ji, the fifth Guru of the Sikhs.
The Shaheedee of Guru Arjan Dev Ji occurred on this day in 1606 after his arrest and torture in the hands of the Mughal rulers.
Gurdwara Dehra Sahib was constructed where Guru Ji attained martyrdom near the banks of Ravi River. Adjacent to the Gurdwara Sahib is the Shahi Lahore Fort which was once the epicenter of the Sikh Raj during the reign of Mahraja Ranjit Singh.
The observation of the Shaheedee Purab on June 16th, was in accordance to the date specified in the original NanakShahi Calendar released by Sri Akal Takht Sahib in 2003.
Interestingly, the SGPC observed the Shaheedee Purab on May 25th instead - the date accorded by the new quasi-Bikrami calendar re-issued by the by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) in 2010.
The gathering of the Sikh diaspora at Gurdwara Dehra Sahib requested Sri Akal Takht Sahib to reinstate the original Nanakshahi calendar, as the current one issued by SGPC and the Sant-Samaj was causing confusion in regards to various Gurpurab and Shaheedee Purab dates. They contended that new SGPC calendar contains many inaccuracies, and was issued without seeking the consensus Sikh scholars and the worldwide Sikh community at large.
The SGPC had wanted to send Sikh devotees to Dehra Sahib, Lahore on May 25th, instead of June 16th. - The gurpurab date observed by the Pakistan Sikh
