Long gone are the days when paying a visit to Kartarpur Sahib was a lengthy process with multiple visits to government offices and passports and visas involved. With the opening of the Kartarpur Corridor, visiting the revered pilgrimage site for Sikhs which is in current-day Pakistan has gotten much easier. Proposed first by the then Prime Minister of India, Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 1999, the Kartarpur Corridor project was finally launched for the citizens on 12th November 2019.
What is Kartarpur Corridor?
A visa-free border crossing between India and Pakistan, Kartarpur Corridor connects the Kartarpur Sahib, near Lahore in Pakistan to Dera Baba Nanak in Gurdaspur, India. Connecting two important sites in Sikhism, the Kartarpur Corridor is also a great milestone in peace talks and Indo-Pak diplomacy.
Open to all Indian citizens, visiting the corridor requires prior registration on a dedicated portal. The registration must be done at least 10 days prior to the suggested date of visit, and the pilgrims are informed of whether permission was granted or not 4 days before the date of visit. Merely 5 km from the Indian border, Gurudwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur can be visited via this corridor by Indian pilgrims, Pakistani Sikh pilgrims interested in visiting the Dera Baba Nanak Gurudwara however have to apply prior for an Indian visa.
History and significance of Kartarpur Gurudwara
One of the most significant sites in Sikhism, the Gurudwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur is said to have been built where Guru Nanak Dev, the founder of the Sikh religion died. He is also said to have founded the town of Kartarpur near the river Ravi when he settled into the life of a farmer after his missionary visits and work. He is said to have also established a community and langar, making Kartarpur Gurudwara one of the most important pilgrimage centres in the religion, apart from the Golden Temple in Amritsar, and Nankana Sahib, again in Pakistan.
The shrine is also said to house the last copies of the original Guru Granth Sahib, making it even more important.
Procedure to visit Kartarpur Sahib
Before the establishment of Kartarpur Corridor, pilgrims had to take a bus from Amritsar to Lahore, and then one to Kartarpur. Not only was this more time-consuming but also had enough red tape hassle that pilgrims would think twice before planning a Kartarpur Gurudwara visit. With the opening of the Kartarpur Corridor, Indian pilgrims can visit the Kartarpur Sahib Gurudwara from Dera Baba Nanak Gurudwara in Gurdaspur. The 4.7 km long corridor connects the two shrines. Pilgrims can visit Kartarpur Sahib but they are not allowed to step outside the shrine in Pakistan. It is a day long pass for which one can apply at the concerned government portal atleast 10 days prior to the planned date of visit. In less than a week, they’ll be informed if they have been approved for their Kartarpur Gurudwara visit. Visa applications for Indian citizens are not required. If Pakistani pilgrims want to visit the Dera Baba Nanak however, they’d need to apply for a visa prior to the visit.