How sikh are important to india and the world they will be knowing soon.
USA president Barack Obama will be the Golden holy shrine of Sikhs during his first visit to India this November. He will visit the Golden Temple and offer prayers at Harmandar Sahib, the sanctum sanctorum.
"Obama will visit the Golden Temple. US embassy officials and security officers have been coming here at regular intervals for weeks. We are cooperating with them," SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar told IANS.
"We have started preparations (ahead of the visit). Security has been beefed up in Amritsar district," Amritsar's Deputy Commissioner K.S. Pannu told IANS.
"Obama will visit Darbar Sahib (Golden Temple) and Khalsa College. But there could be last minute changes. The final plan is yet to be sorted out," said Pannu.
What is worrying security agencies is that Obama is arriving on a Sunday, which attracts the highest number of devotees. The rush could be even more this time as Diwali falls Nov 5, making it a long weekend holiday till Nov 7.
"So far it has not been decided in which hotel President Obama will have his lunch," the official added.
Unprecedented security arrangements are being put in place by the US Secret Service along with officials of Indian security agencies, including the Punjab Police and the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC), which manages the shrine.
"Since the area around the Darbar Sahib is very crowded, we could direct the shopkeepers and other traders to close their premises for some time. We can also ask people to remain away from certain areas during Obama's visit," Pannu added.
The Harmandar Sahib is a two-storeyed marble building that has plates of pure gold on the outer and inner walls, on the roof and dome of the building.
Every visitor to the shrine has to cover his or her head with a cloth and remove shoes before entering the premises.
"It is good such a big leader is visiting the shrine. This shows that Sikhs have an important role to play even at the international level," Balbir Singh, a shopowner near the shrine, told IANS.
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