Patna: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday urged Indians living abroad to visit Takhat Sri Harimandir Ji Patna Sahib whenever they travel to India, drawing attention to the ‘Jode Sahib’ — a pair of sacred relics comprising Guru Gobind Singh Ji’s right shoe and Mata Sahib Kaur Ji’s left shoe — that was ceremonially installed at the shrine in Nov 2025.Addressing the Indian diaspora in Auckland, New Zealand, Modi recounted the relics’ extraordinary 300-year journey before they found a home at the birthplace of the tenth Sikh Guru in Patna. His remarks drew a warm response from the Takhat management committee, which described the PM’s mention of Patna Sahib on an international platform as a matter of pride for Sikhs across the world.Modi said the ancestors of Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri, who were devoted sevadars of Guru Gobind Singh Ji, had preserved the sacred footwear in their private custody for three centuries.“My colleague in the govt, Hardeep Singh Puri ji’s ancestors were devoted servants of Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji. Hardeep Puri ji told me that his family has cherished and preserved the ‘Jode Sahib’ of Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji and Mata Sahib Kaur Ji for 300 years. During the Partition, Puri Sahib’s family, his ancestors, brought them safely to Delhi,” the PM said.According to Modi, the family later decided to hand over the relics to the Sikh Sangat. A committee of experts on Sikh traditions was constituted, which recommended that the Jode Sahib be taken to Patna Sahib, where Guru Gobind Singh Ji was born.The relics reached Patna after the nine-day, 1,500-km Charan Suhawa-Guru Charan Yatra from New Delhi and were installed at the shrine in Nov 2025.Takhat Sri Harimandir Ji Patna Sahib management committee president Jagjot Singh Sohi said Modi’s remarks would help spread awareness about the sacred relics and inspire devotees from India and abroad to visit the shrine.(With agency inputs)
