Located
near Lahore, in Tehsil Shakargarh, Narowal District, Punjab Pakistan is one of
the most beautiful religious places for the Sikh community all over the world
known as Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur. The last days of the founder of
Sikhism Guru Nanak Dev ji were spent here and where he was laid to rest. This is
a 4.7 km long corridor and allows some 5000 pilgrims from across the world
including a huge number from India itself. This is a visa free corridor and
people come here every year to pay their respects to Guru Nanak. This was first
opened for people across the border in 2019, the first time since the two
countries got independent. After the Covid-19 pandemic, the corridor was opened
in November 2021. The entry ticket over here for people across the border is
dollar twenty. It is a very lovely place and the Gurdwara itself is made very
artistically. It has been converted into a complex in 2019. I had also had the opportunity
to visit it in 2017 where it was just looking so neglected and it was only the
Gurdwara. The difference today is real! It has immigration counters and
immigration doesn’t take much time. People are brought to the Gurdwara in buses
from across the border and passengers are made to get down when the board of ‘Welcome
to Pakistan’ comes. From there they’re made to walk a little distance until
they reach the point of immigration where they’re given visitor passes and made
to go through the walk-through gates. You have to return the visitor passes
when you leave the premises of the Gurdwara or otherwise they’ll not let you
out. Upon entering the Gurdwara you’ll find head scarves for women and pieces
of cloth which men tie on their heads to cover their hair. After that you’ll be
made to walk through water and make sure you don’t have your socks on. The
water is sacred to the Sikh community, and it’s said it purifies you, after
that you might like to take a visit to the Gurdwara, and they’ll also show you
the place where Guru Nanak was buried. The holy book of the Sikh community Guru
Granth Sahib is also placed in the main room. In that room when you enter you
first bow down to the book and then they read it for you. Two people other than
the reader hold very soft feathers in their hands and wave them near the book
it order to take care of the book and they’ll keep moving it until the book is
finally closed. On sunset the book is taken to the room upstairs where it is put
on the bed inside the quilt until the next morning for someone to read it. It
is a wonderful experience if you’re interested in knowing what the practices of
other religions are other than your own. It gives you a lot of knowledge and
makes you appreciate the diversity of the world and teaches you to live in
harmony and respect everyone’s faith and beliefs. If you’re visiting Pakistan,
Kartarpur Corridor is a must!
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