City
Epaper

Festivities in Punjab mark Guru Nanak's birth anniversary

By IANS | Updated: November 10, 2019 18:10 IST

Nov 10 A sea of humanity was witnessed on Sunday here at this border town of Punjab from where Prime Minister Narendra Modi a day earlier had opened the Kartarpur Corridor.

Open in App

Modi had also flagged off the first lot of pilgrims to visit Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara in Pakistan's Punjab province.

With the Dera Baba Nanak Utsav event here to mark the 550th birth anniversary celebrations of Sikhism founder Guru Nanak Dev entering its penultimate day, the festivities have picked up the pace.

These witnessed an added attractive feature in the form of a 'Cavalcade of Universal Oneness' that travelled from Dera Baba Nanak to the international border with Pakistan from where the Kartarpur Corridor has been constructed connecting this historic town with Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib in Pakistan's Narowal district.

An official spokesperson told that the cavalcade presented a picture of communal harmony and the participating children of various schools seemed to have been imbued with the spirit of unity in diversity.

Punjab Jails Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa welcomed the cavalcade on its way back and interacted with students dressed in colourful costumes. He called them the cultural ambassadors of Punjab.

The highlight of the cavalcade was the 'Malwai Giddha' dance performance which added to the colourful atmosphere.

The Minister on the occasion expressed confidence that the corridor would spell economic boom for the region and would be instrumental in generating job avenues for the youth.

He also reiterated the need to create more infrastructure in the region as it would be necessary to tap the potential of the area.

Guru Nanak Dev's 550th birth anniversary falls on November 12.

To accommodate the rush of pilgrims, many from distant places and even abroad, 30 acres have land been transformed into a well-equipped tented city at Dera Baba Nanak in Gurdaspur district.

The town is welcoming the pilgrims in a manner befitting the historic celebrations with its 544 European style tents, 100 Swiss cottages and 20 Darbar style accommodations.

The main 'pandal' has a capacity to accomodate 30,000 pilgrims expected to converge here on each day of the Dera Baba Nanak Utsav till November 11.

The 'langar' or community kitchen hall is designed to serve 1,500 people at a time, with a kitchen equipped with modern facilities.

The tented city project was developed at an outlay of Rs 4.2 crore for accommodating of 3,544 people.

Other features of the tent city include a registration room, a 'joda ghar', a cloakroom, a VIP Lounge and a fire station.

Booking and registration is free and can be done both online and offline.

Last month, India and Pakistan signed an agreement to operationalise the 4.2 km Kartarpur Corridor to allow Indian pilgrims a visa-free visit to the holy gurdwara, believed to have been built on the site where Guru Nanak died in the 16th century, and located some 4 km inside Pakistan.

Though the ticklish issue of a $20 service fee imposed by Islamabad remained unresolved, India signed the deal in the interest of the pilgrims.

( With inputs from IANS )

Tags: NanakpakistanGuru Nanak DevNanak Dev
Open in App

Related Stories

NationalChandigarh BJP Office Blast: Two Suspects Arrested for Grenade Blast; Drone Used to Smuggle Chinese Hand Grenade From Pakistan

InternationalUS State Department Announces Permanent Closure of Peshawar Consulate in Pakistan

InternationalSaudi Arabia Destroys 21 Drones, 3 Ballistic Missiles in First Week of Middle East War

InternationalMiddle East Crisis: Saudi Arabia-Pakistan to Take Joint Military Action Against Iran Attacks in KSA?

CricketPakistan Player Misbehaved With Hotel Staff During T20 World Cup 2026

National Realted Stories

NationalMP: Several feared trapped after four-storey building collapses in Anuppur

NationalKullu: Four killed,18 rescued as vehicle falls into gorge near Sojha

NationalBJP's strong pro-incumbency wave in Assam: Party National VP Baijayant Panda

NationalManipur CM takes NH-37 to Jiribam in first visit since 2023 ethnic violence

National'BJP is only atmanirbhar when EC supports them,' says Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal