Pilgrims being given holy 'prasad' (sweetened flour snack) in the temple. They came from all corners of the country as well from across the causeway and over the seas to Malacca's only gurdwara to observe the 34th year of the death of their revered Sant Baba Sohan Singh Ji.

As had been their routine every year, in the third week of May, an endless stream of devotees and pilgrims make their way to the Sikh temple in Jalan Temenggong here, bringing along rice, capati flour, sugar, ghee, dhal, jelebee as well as other offerings and donations to the temple.

Sikhs and members of the public doing their bit at the blood donation campaign. They started to converge at the temple long before the festivity started on Thursday.

The gathering grew into thousands, as Sikhs from Singapore, Indonesia, India and as far as Australia and Canada joined their Malaysian brothers and sisters at the temple.

The celebration, which ends today with the Patha De Bhog (concluding devotional pray-ers) at 11.00am witnessed the attendance of 23 Sikh priests from Malaysia and Singapore and 11 others from India and Indonesia.

They recited the kirtan (holy verses in musical form), chants and the reading of scriptures and singing of hymns.

One of the many stalls dealing in clothing materials and children's attire enjoying good sales. Temple president Balbir Singh said worshippers take turns to render services (termed sewa) to God by way of helping to prepare and serve food and refreshments to all pilgrims, devotees and other visitors, including tourists.

"The co-operative spirit, similar to the gotong-royong concept, works wonders as worshippers carry out all of the in-house activities and arrangements for food and refreshments without any need to hire outside help.

"For the non-Sikhs, the celebrations provide an opportunity to taste authentic Punjabi vegetarian cuisine and a host of delicacies, some of which are seldom seen in the market on normal days," he said

While Sikh pilgrims, devotees and worshippers partook in the daily recitals of holy verses, reading of the scriptures and singing of religious hymns, the curious and uninitiated locals and tourists turned up to patronise the fifty over stalls selling a host of merchandise ranging from traditional foodstuffs to religious articles including audio and video cassettes at bargain prices.

Sant Baba Sohan Singh Ji who dedicated his life to the spread of Sikhism in Malaysia and Singapore. Born Bhai Udhai Singh in June, 1902 in a farming village of Chathewalla in the district of Bathinda in the state of Punjab, India, the would be Sant (His Holiness) first came to Malaya in 1926 and was based at the Seremban Sikh Temple.

Well versed in religious Punjabi poetry and teachings of the Gurus, he moved to Malacca in October, 1928.

He found the towns quaintness and historical background fascinating and made it his base while propagating the Sikh faith and teachings to other parts of the country as well as Singapore.

Soon his fame, built around extensive knowledge of the Guru Granth Sahib (Sikh Holy Scriptures), recitation of religious Punjabi poetry, written and spoken Hindi and Urdu and traditional medicine cures ,spread.

Subsequently he visited other parts of Malaya and Singapore.

He returned to Punjab in 1932 to seek further knowledge governing Sikh Scriptures and prior to his return to Malacca in 1934, was bestowed the title of Maha Giani or reverend.

His is now a household nane within Sikh communities in both Malaya, Singapore and the region.

He made two further trips back to Punjab between 1935 and 1947 for additional studies and pilgrimages to various Sikh shrines in India.

He returned to Malacca in 1952 with the title Sant (His Holiness) for having attained the ultimate in religious studies.

Following another visit to India in 1956, he returned to Malacca to begin a Malayan and Singaporean tour of duty. Apart from calling at smaller towns, Sant Baba Sohan Singh Ji also laid foundation stones for temples. He conducted religious seminars for Sikh temple priests on both sides of the causeway. In 1964 he made visits to all Sikh temples in the country, then numbering 73.

With poor health forcing him to slow down on missionary work from 1970 onwards. He sustained a slip disc following a fall and was operated on. Frequently hospitalized for some ailment or another Sant Baba Sohan Singh Ji died at the Ipoh General Hospital on May 24, 1972.

His body was brought back to Malacca for cremation and till today, a three-day celebration during the third week of May renders annual commemoration of the eminent priests passing and tribute of his dedication to the preservation and spread of Sikhism throughout Malaysia and Singapore.