Rituals marking Guru Nanak’s death anniversary end in Kartarpur

Islamabad, Sep 23 (IANS) Three-day rituals of the 480th death anniversary of Baba Guru Nanak Dev Ji, the founder of Sikhism and the first of the 10 Sikh Gurus, concluded at Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan's Kartarpur town.

Devotees from the around the world, including 145 pilgrims from Canada and different European countries, flocked to the gurdwara for the rituals that ended on Sunday, The Express Tribune reported.

The event was jointly organised by the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) and Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (PSGPC).

Sikh devotees from Lahore, Peshawar, Rawalpindi and Nankana Sahib, among other Pakistani cities also congregated at the gurdwara.

The pilgrims were also taken for a tour of the Kartarpur Corridor, which is close to its completion before its official opening in the first week of November for the 550th birthday celebrations of Baba Guru Nanak.

The festivities will start from November 7 and continue till November 15.

PSGPC chief Sardar Satwant Singh, speaking on the occasion, said the border would be opened for Indian pilgrims on November 8.

"We have been waiting for this moment for the last 72 years and it's finally here," he said, adding that the corridor will bring peace, reports The Express Tribune.

The corridor, once operational, will provide visa-free access to Sikhs from India to their holiest Shrine located inside Pakistan. This will also be the first visa-free corridor between the two neighbours since 1947.

Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib, considered the holiest place in Sikh religion because it wass the last resting place of Baba Guru Nanak. It is located in Narowal, only 4 km away from the Indian border.

The shrine is visible from the Indian side of the border and every day a larger number of Sikh devotees gather to perform Darshan or sacred viewings of the site.