The inauguration comes only a few days before the 550th birthday of Guru Nanak on November 12.
Hundreds of Indian Sikhs made a historic pilgrimage to Pakistan, crossing a white door to reach one of the most sacred places of their religion, after a historic inauguration of the Kartarpur corridor on Saturday.
The cheerful Sikhs walked happily along the road from Dera Baba Nanak in India to the new immigration hall that would allow them to pass through a safe land corridor to Pakistan. Some parents ran, carrying their children on their shoulders.
Buses waited on the Pakistani side to take them down the hall to the sanctuary of the founder of Sikhism, Guru Nanak, which is located in Kartarpur, a small town just four kilometers (2.5 miles) inside Pakistan, where he is believed to have died.
“Generally people say that God is everywhere. But this hike seems like I'm going to look directly for the blessings of Guru Nanak, "said Surjit Singh Bajwa. AFP while walking down the hall, crying while talking.
Pilgrims on both sides of the border expected the corridor to announce a thaw in the tensions of South Asia.
Among the first pilgrims was former Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who told Pakistani state media that it was a "great moment."
Many believe that it has happened now because of the friendship between Prime Minister Imran Khan, a politician turned into a cricketer who won the World Cup, and the Indian Navjot Singh Sidhu, another cricketer turned politician.
Many were excited, some crying. Others posed for selfies before a giant kirpan of gold and silver color, the dagger that the Sikhs must carry with them at all times as an article of their faith.
"Life is short," said one of the Indian pilgrims, Davinder Singh Wadah. “Everyone has to leave… so why not enjoy life and make this world a paradise? And I think this initiative is the beginning of it. "
The inauguration comes a few days before the 550th birthday of Guru Nanak on November 12, an anniversary of great importance to the Sikh global community.
Places to sit with pillows are installed for Sikh pilgrims to attend an opening ceremony of the Baba Guru Nanak Dev Shrine in Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur, Pakistan, on Saturday. – AFPSikh pilgrims arrive by the corridor to visit the Baba Guru Nanak Dev Shrine in Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur on Saturday. – AFPSikh pilgrims arrive to visit the sanctuary of their spiritual leader Guru Nanak Dev, in Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur, Pakistan, on Saturday. – APSikh pilgrims queue to visit the Baba Guru Nanak Dev Shrine in Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur on Saturday. – AFPSikh pilgrims arrive to visit the Baba Guru Nanak Dev Shrine in Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur on Saturday. – AFPSikh devotees gather to offer prayers to the Baba Guru Nanak Dev Shrine in Gurdwara Darbar Sahib during the inauguration ceremony in Kartarpur on Saturday. – AFPSecurity personnel escort Indian politician and former cricket player Navjot Singh Sidhu (left) and Bollywood Indian actor Sunny Deol while visiting Baba Guru Nanak Dev Shrine in Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur. – AFPSikh pilgrims point at the inauguration site of the Baba Guru Nanak Dev Shrine in Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur on Saturday. – AFPAn Indian Sikh pilgrim offers prayers while visiting the Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur on Saturday. – ReutersSikh pilgrims participate in a religious ritual at the Baba Guru Nanak Dev Shrine in Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur on Saturday. – AFPSikh devotees offer prayers as they look towards the Baba Guru Nanak Dev Shrine in Gurdwara Darbar Sahib during the inauguration ceremony in Kartarpur on Saturday. – AFPAn Indian Sikh pilgrim holding a sword (as part of his religious order) sits while visiting the Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur on Saturday. – ReutersAn army helicopter patrols the Baba Guru Nanak Dev Shrine in Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur on Saturday. – AFPThe Indian cricketer turned politician Navjot Singh Sidhu addresses during the inauguration ceremony of Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur on Saturday. – APPrime Minister Imran Khan, center, applauds during the inauguration ceremony of Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur on Saturday. – APPrime Minister Imran Khan speaks under a flag that shows the Khanda (Sikh emblem) after inaugurating the ceremony in Kartarpur on Saturday. – AFPPrime Minister Imran Khan addresses the inauguration ceremony of Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur, Pakistan, on Saturday. – APForeign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi greets Navjot Singh Sidhu. – Ministry of Foreign AffairsForeign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi speaks with former Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Indian cricketer turned politician Navjot Singh Sidhu. – Ministry of Foreign AffairsIndian Sikh pilgrims enjoy the view while visiting the Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur on Saturday. – Reuters
Header image: Sikh pilgrims visit the Baba Guru Nanak Dev Shrine in Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur, Pakistan, on Saturday. – AFP
