Sikhs mark 400 years of holy book

Prime Minister Singh was given a ceremonial robe

Hundreds of thousands of Sikhs have gathered in the holy city of Amritsar in northern India, to commemorate the 400th year of the Sikh holy book.

They have been joined in prayers by Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the first Sikh to hold the post.

It was on this day in 1604 that the holy book, the Guru Granth Sahib, is said to have been installed in Amritsar's Golden temple.

The Guru Granth Sahib is the source of spiritual guidance to all Sikhs.

Message to France

"Let us all pledge on this great day that each one of us will try to spread the philosophy of the Guru Granth Sahib to every house in the world," Prime Minister Singh told a rally of pilgrims.

"Being here in Amritsar makes me immensely proud to be a Sikh."

Satnam Singh, Sikh cleric from Pakistan

In pictures

He also said the government would endeavour to relocate missing Sikh artefacts which are believed to have been taken from the Golden Temple when the army stormed the building to flush out separatists 20 years ago.

Mr Singh also urged France to permit Sikh school children to wear their headgear in state schools, saying it was a central part of their faith.

A law passed by the French parliament in March to ban conspicuous religious symbols from classrooms in state schools is due to come into effect on Thursday.

Mr Singh said he wanted to "impress upon President [Jacques] Chirac the significance of the turban to the Sikh faith".

Festive air

On Wednesday, tens of thousands of Sikh men and women marched in procession towards the Golden Temple, chanting "Wahe Guru" (Praise the Guru).

This is not just a book. This is my living guru Kuldeep Singh In pictures: Special day

The streets of Amritsar have been lined with gold and silver ribbons and flags in the Sikh colours of saffron and blue for the celebrations.

Early on Wednesday, the Indian prime minister and his wife walked to the gold-domed sanctum sanctorum of the temple, where the holy book is kept.

Later, Mr Singh and his wife Gursharan Karu were presented with a robe of honour by the temple's head priest.

Millions expected

Many devotees have travelled from overseas, including neighbouring Pakistan, where Sikhs took advantage of improved ties between Delhi and Islamabad to make the trip.

Others made their way from across India.

Sikh men marched through the streets of Amritsar

"This is not just a book. This is my living guru," said Kuldeep Singh from Delhi, as he joined crowds for a glimpse of the Guru Granth Sahib.

Amritsar has been gearing up for the celebrations, with the old party of the city freshly painted and roads and lanes leading to the Golden Temple covered in new carpets.

Organisers say they expect about four million devotees to take part in the five days of celebrations.

Special commemorative gold and silver coins are being issued.

The Golden Temple and the surrounding complex of buildings have been covered with decorative lighting and there are plans for a spectacular fireworks and laser display.

Thousands of policemen have been deployed as part of intensive security arrangements.

Sikhism is the world's fifth largest religion, with roughly 25 million adherents worldwide, the majority of whom live in India.

Sikh men refrain from cutting their hair and wear a turban as evidence of their faith.