PM to attend Gita Mahotsav, Guru Tegh Bahadur’s martyrdom anniv event in Kurukshetra on Nov 25

Chandigarh: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Kurukshetra on November 25 to attend the International Gita Mahotsav and a state-level commemorative event marking the 350th martyrdom anniversary of Guru Tegh Bahadur, Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini announced on Monday.

Addressing a press conference here, Saini said, “The Prime Minister will visit Kurukshetra on November 25 to participate in the festival and commemorate the event.” He added that the state is observing the 350th martyrdom anniversary of Guru Tegh Bahadur with devotion and reverence, with several programmes being organised from November 1 to 25 to mark the occasion.

The 10th edition of the International Gita Mahotsav will take place in Kurukshetra from November 15 to December 5, with the main events scheduled between November 24 and December 1. The festival aims to connect the world with India’s timeless spiritual and philosophical traditions through cultural performances, seminars, and exhibitions featuring scholars and ambassadors from various countries.

Saini said the idea of celebrating the Gita Mahotsav at an international level was initiated in 2016 under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi. Since then, global editions of the event have been organised in Mauritius, Britain, Canada, Sri Lanka, Australia, and Indonesia. “When I visited Japan recently, a Gita Jayanti programme was held there too,” he added.

Saini said Madhya Pradesh will be the partner state and will set up a cultural pavilion at Purushottampura Bagh near Brahma Sarovar. A three-day International Gita Seminar will begin at Kurukshetra University on November 24, with 25 scholars from 16 countries attending. A ‘Maha Aarti’ will also be held at Brahma Sarovar from November 15 to December 5.

“A Gita Yagna, recitation and Bhagavad Katha will take place at Jyotisar Tirth on December 1,” Saini said, adding that 18,000 students will participate in a global recitation of the Bhagavad Gita. A Gita Book Fair will be organised at Brahma Sarovar from November 24 to December 1, while celebrations will be held in 51 countries through the Ministry of External Affairs and broadcast live. Gita Mahotsav celebrations will also be held across all district headquarters in Haryana from November 28, culminating with a Gita Shobha Yatra in every district on December 1.

Meanwhile, an all-party meeting was held on Monday to plan the commemorative event marking the 350th martyrdom anniversary of Guru Tegh Bahadur. The meeting was attended by Chief Minister Saini, Leader of the Opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Cabinet minister Anil Vij, state BJP president Mohan Lal Kaushik, state Congress president Rao Narendra Singh, Bahujan Samaj Party leader Krishna Jamalpur, INLD representative Gurvinder Dhamija, state JJP president Braj Sharma, state AAP president Sushil Gupta, and others.