Sikh devotees gather in Kartarpur for 480th death anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev

Sikh devotees from around the world worshipped at Gurudwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan's Kartarpur to mark the end of the three-day rituals of the 480th death anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev, the founder of the Sikh faith, according to a media report.

The pilgrims were also taken for a tour of Kartarpur Corridor, which will connect Darbar Sahib in Pakistan's Kartarpur with Dera Baba Nanak shrine in Gurdaspur district, The Express Tribune reported.

Sikh devotees from across the globe, including 145 pilgrims from Canada and different European countries, and from several places in Pakistan congregated at the gurdwara on Sunday.

The Kartarpur corridor will be opened in November to mark the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev. The festivities will start from November 7 and continue till November 15, the news report said.

Project Director Atif Majid last week said that so far 86 per cent of the work on the corridor has been completed and it will be opened on November 9.

The pilgrims were also apprised on the transportation facilities for the corridor.

PSGPC chief Sardar Satwant Singh said, We have been waiting for this moment for the last 72 years and its finally here, he said.

He said that the corridor would bring peace and Sikhs will always be grateful to the Pakistani government for facilitating pilgrims.

In a major initiative last November, both India and Pakistan agreed to set up the Kartarpur corridor to link the Gurdwara Darbar Sahib, the final resting place of Guru Nanak Dev, to Dera Baba Nanak in Gurdaspur.

The corridor will facilitate visa-free movement of Indian Sikh pilgrims, who will have to just obtain a permit to visit Kartarpur Sahib, which was established in 1522 by Guru Nanak Dev.

Kartarpur Sahib is located in Pakistan's Narowal district across the Ravi River, about four kilometres from the Dera Baba Nanak shrine.