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इतिहास
The history, origin and significance of Vaisakhi — where it comes from, what it means, and how it changed over time.
Vaisakhi 2026: 14 April 20261 dayवैसाखी
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Vaisakhi, usually written Baisakhi, is both Punjab's harvest festival and the day the Khalsa was founded. It falls on 13 or 14 April each year, fixed in the Nanakshahi calendar. In 2026 it falls on 14 April.
The harvest side is straightforward: Vaisakhi marks the wheat harvest in Punjab, and traditionally it was the day the farmer collected the season's earnings and settled accounts. Baisakhi fairs, bhangra and gidda are all harvest celebrations.
The religious side is more significant. On Vaisakhi in 1699, Guru Gobind Singh initiated the Khalsa at Anandpur Sahib, the founding event of the Sikh community as it is organised today. The day is therefore also called Khalsa Sirjana Divas, and it is the single most important date in the Sikh calendar — the Sikh new year.
The observance is centred on the gurdwara. The Nishan Sahib is replaced, the Guru Granth Sahib is read, kirtan is performed, and langar is served to everyone. Nagar kirtan processions — led by the Panj Pyare, the five beloved ones — go through the streets in Punjab and in Sikh communities worldwide. The largest gathering is at Anandpur Sahib and at the Golden Temple in Amritsar; the Vaisakhi procession in Toronto and Southall are among the largest outside India.
Almost every large Indian festival means something different in different states. That is not a contradiction — it is the history.
The centre. Anandpur Sahib hosts the largest Vaisakhi gathering, and the Golden Temple in Amritsar sees continuous kirtan and langar. Nagar kirtans are held in almost every town, and Baisakhi fairs run through the harvest season.
Large nagar kirtans in Delhi, particularly from Sis Ganj Sahib, and significant observances in Haryana and Chandigarh.
Observed widely in Jammu, with nagar kirtan processions through the city and a public holiday.
Vaisakhi is the largest Sikh festival abroad, with the Toronto and Vancouver nagar kirtans and the Southall and Birmingham processions among the biggest outside India. In Canada it is an officially recognised festival.
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