Every year, in the city of Batala, the marriage anniversary of Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji and Mata Sulakhni Ji is celebrated with great enthusiasm, excitement, and devotion by the sangat. The tradition of celebrating the marriage anniversary (Babe Da Viah) is more than 100 years old. When the sixth Sikh Guru, Sri Guru Hargobind Sahib, came to get his son Baba Gurditta Ji married, he visited the ancestral home of Guru Nanak Sahib to witness the place where Guru Sahib's marriage took place, and even a platform was constructed there by him. Since then, the arrival of sangat for the darshan of this sacred place increased. Later on, during the Sikh Misls period, the importance of the wedding anniversary of Guru Sahib at the holy shrine increased among the sangat, including during the time of Maharaja Jassa Singh Ramgarhia, and Rani Sada Kaur. Even Maharaja Sher Singh got a beautiful Gurudwara Sri Dehra Sahib constructed during his reign and sangat started visiting this holy place to take the naam of Nanak. Since the time of Sikh Misls, the celebration of Guru Sahib's marriage anniversary was being done at Gurudwara Sri Dehra Sahib, where special Katha and Kirtan were held on the occasion of the anniversary. In 1917, sangat arrived in Batala city by train from Amritsar to celebrate the marriage anniversary. The head priest, Kesra Singh, and the sangat of Batala welcomed the arrival of the sangat with great enthusiasm. The procession was warmly welcomed near the Revelganj station and was escorted to the Darau-Ull-Isalam neighborhood outside the Baharwal Shivale by the sangat. The arrangements for the stay of the sangat were made in tents erected in the open space outside the railway station. Later, the head priest Kesra Singh, shouldering the Sri Guru Granth Sahib, led the sangat to Gurudwara Sri Dehra Sahib while reciting kirtan. The entire night was spent there with Gurbani kirtan continued to be performed. The following day in the morning, the Mahant Ji would place Sri Guru Granth Sahib on his head and recite prayers from Guru Granth Sahib around it. This tradition continued for many years. Until around 1952, there was no Gurdwara Sri Kandh Sahib in Amritsar, but the sangat would still bow in reverence to the makeshift Kandh. A town gradually started emerging from Amritsar, known as Keertan by road instead of rail, so it was named as 'Shabad Chaunki'. This 'Shabad Chaunki' would reach the city of Batala every year during wedding anniversaries celebrations, and the sangat would welcome it and celebrate the joy of the anniversary. Even now, this 'Shabad Chaunki' reaches Batala on wedding anniversary days. This modern form of wedding anniversary procession started nearly 2 decades ago. Around 2000, Bedi Huran from Sultanpur Lodhi started the tradition of a wedding procession where the Nagar Keertan would march from Sultanpur Lodhi to Batala on foot. With the support of Sukhmani Seva Society's Chief Advocate Rajinder Singh Padam, Giani Harbans Singh, and other sangat, a grand Nagar Keertan was organized from Sultanpur Lodhi to Batala in 2005. Since then, this Nagar Keertan for the wedding anniversary procession reaches Batala a day before the anniversary evening and concludes amid the Gurudwara Sri Sat Kartariaan. Wedding anniversary celebrations begin in Batala the next morning at 7:00 am with Nagar Keertan from Gurudwara Sri Dehra Sahib to different areas of Batala throughout the day, eventually ending at Gurudwara Sri Dehra Sahib in the evening. When the procession reaches the city of Batala, it is welcomed by the sangat with great enthusiasm at Gurudwara Sri Dehra Sahib. Following this, Shabad Kirtan and Lavan are recited. In the city of Batala, the event "Babe Da Viyah" is witnessing increasing fervor and excitement among the sangat every year, becoming the biggest nagar kirtan event at present. Sangat from all over India and abroad comes to pay their respects at Gurudwara Sri Dehra Sahib and Gurudwara Sri Kandh Sahib during the wedding anniversary celebrations and seek the blessings of the Guru. - Inderjit Singh Harpura, Batala, Punjab.
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