Amritsar, Jan 1 : Tens of thousands of devotees thronged the Harmandir Sahib, also popularly known as the Golden Temple, here on Friday to offer prayers on the first day of the New Year. Former Deputy Chief Minister and Shiromani Akali Dal President Sukhbir Badal paid obeisance in the Golden Temple before the dawn and prayed for ways to combat the coronavirus pandemic and wished the farmers a success in their 'fight' against the three contentious farm laws. Temple officials said the rush of devotees started on Thursday evening with the shrine complex getting jam-packed by midnight itself. With the dawn of the first day of the New Year, thousands could be seen queued up to offer prayers at Harmandir Sahib -- the sanctum sanctorum and the holiest of the Sikh shrines. The shrine complex was illuminated for the occasion. /IANS