Podcast | Everything You Need to Know About the Kartarpur Corridor

(Photo: The Quint)

What is the Kartarpur Corridor, where is it being built, and who cares about its construction? From its history to the current politics around it, here's everything you need to know. Listen in.

The prayers of Sikh pilgrims seem to have been answered ahead of the 550th birth anniversary of Baba Guru Nanak! The Modi government approved the opening of the Kartarpur corridor which will run across the Line of Control between India and Pakistan.

The Kartarpur corridor is the big story of the day. What is it, where is it, why is it important, and who cares?

The corridor will pave the way for Indian pilgrims to visit the Darbar Sahib Kartarpur Gurudwara in Pakistan. The Gurudwara holds a lot of significance to Sikh devotees because it marks the final resting place of Guru Nanak.

The Gurdwara is located just 3 kilometres from the Indo-Pak border in Pakistan’s Punjab. On the Indian side, it’s just 4 kilometres away from the Dera Nawab Sahib railway station in Gurdaspur. Devotees can even see the gurdwara from the Indian side of the border. Now with the corridor becoming a reality, the road to the Darbar Sahib Gurudwara becomes that much easier for followers.

The corridor was inaugurated by Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh and Vice President Venkaiah Naidu.

Former prime minister Manmohan Singh welcomed the building of the corridor which will link India's border district of Gurdaspur with the historic Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur, Pakistan.

But why is the corridor so important to Sikhs and what is its significance?

Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur holds so much religious significance because Guru Nanak is said to have spent the last 18 years of his life there, till his death on 22 September, 1539.

According to legend, after Guru Nanak’s death, there was a conflict between his Hindu and Muslim devotees over the way he should be laid to rest. While the Muslim devotees wanted him buried, his Hindu followers wanted him cremated.

The legend goes on to say that Nanak miraculously appeared as an old man before his devotees and suggested they postpone the decision till morning. The next morning, his body had disappeared and a pile of flowers was found instead. The Hindus cremated half the flowers….and the Muslims buried the other half.

Sikh followers visit Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib to mark four important occasions every year – Guru Nanak's birth anniversary, Baisakhi, Guru Arjan Dev's martyrdom day and Maharaja Ranjit Singh's death anniversary.

The corridor returned to the spotlight after Punjab minister Navjot Sidhu recently visited Pakistan. Sidhu returned from Pakistan and said that Pak army chief Qamar singh Bajwa had assured him that the corridor was being built.

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan will inaugurate the ground-breaking ceremony of the Kartarpur Corridor on the Pakistani side on 28 November.

Earlier this month, Pakistan extended an invitation to External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, Punjab CM Capt Amarinder Singh and Navjot Singh Sidhu to attend the groundbreaking ceremony.

Swaraj responded to the invitation saying she would not be able to attend the ceremony due to “prior commitments”, she added that Union Ministers Harsimrat Kaur Badal and Hardeep Singh Puri would be the representatives for the Government of India.