NAROWAL: Sikh pilgrims celebrated the 322nd Baisakhi Mela at Gurdwara Darbar Sahib, Kartarpur, on Monday.
Up to 818 Sikhs from India came to border town Kartarpur through the corridor in a procession. They will leave for India after an overnight stay at the holy place.
Other than India, pilgrims from Pakistan, Dubai, the US and Canada were also at the Baisakhi festival.
Those entering Pakistan through the corridor were received by the Kartarpur administration, officials and the members of Pakistan Waqf Property Board. The staff showered rose petals on them and wore them garlands.
Sikh pilgrims from all over the world come to Kartarpur to visit Baba Guru Nanak’s Gurdwara. They bow and lay flowers at Baba Guru Nanak’s Samadhi and tomb. Sikh Sangats perform religious rites.
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If Pakistan can ever develop its potential for religious tourism and attract global pilgrims to its archaeological holy sites, the district of Rawalpindi will certainly lead the initiative. Dating back to the Stone, Bronze and Iron Ages, it was once the learning capital of Buddhism. A series of Buddhist sacred sites (monastic, stupas and universities) are scattered across the district. From Alexander the Great to the Mughals to Baba Guru Nanak, everyone has contributed to the revered heritage of the area.
The area, falling on the invading route to the subcontinent, has given birth to new cities through the millennia. If Bhir mound, dating back to the 6th century BC, is considered the earliest urban dwelling in the subcontinent, Islamabad is the latest addition. In the 1960s, Rawalpindi donated 906 square kilometres (out of its 6,192 square kilometres) to create the new capital for Pakistan.
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Around 1,000 Indian Sikh Pilgrims Arrive In Pakistan
Visiting pilgrims will take part in Baisakhi festival beginning of spring harvest and new Sikh calendar year. Around a thousand Sikh pilgrims arrived in Pakistan on Monday to participate in the annual Baisakhi celebrations, officials said.
The pilgrims entered northeastern Lahore city through the Wagah border crossing, where they were welcomed by Pakistani officials and local Sikh community leaders, said a statement from the Evacuee Trust Property Board, a state-run body which administers the minorities worship sites.
The 10-day celebrations starting will last until April 22 in Hasan Abdal town of northeastern Punjab province.