Visiting Kartarpur From India - All that you need to know

 Visiting Kartarpur From India - All that you need to know

Kartarpur Sahib is the largest gurudwara in the world. It is the second holiest place for Sikhs after Golden temple in Amritsar. It is also the only place that an Indian can travel in Pakistan without having a VISA. You travel by going through a Landport (just like an airport but for land borders). There is a 4km corridor build on Pakistan side, barbed wires on both sides but a highway in between for tourists to travel via a bus, operated by govt. of Pakistan. 

There are just too many cool things associated with Kartarpur. Whether you travel for spiritual reasons or for fun or just to place your foot in another country, that too Pakistan, it makes a great travel story. But you have to work for it. In this post, I will share a step by step guide on how to plan your visit to Kartarpur Sahib, what to expect and dos and donts. 

Step 1 - Application

Govt. of India has a website where you have to submit an application to visit the Gurudwara.  There is an upper limit of 5000 people who can travel in a day. You need to know your travel date in advance. Yes, dates are not flexible and you have to return the same day, you can not stay overnight. Filling application is easy and takes max 20 mins. You will need your passport handy. Kanishka and I submitted our applications independently. At the end, we got an application number that is needed for all tracking purposes. We applied about 8 weeks before our travel date. 

Step 2 - Police verification

The next step after submitting application is police verification. The form asks details of your local police station. For us, it was Bandepalya Police station. The station inspector was surprised to receive such a request. We were asked a lot of questions - why did we want to travel, how come VISA is not needed, can you escape into Pakistan? For me, my birthplace is in Kochi Kerala, so I had to explain why a Mallu wants to go to Gurudwara :) 

We had to visit the station twice - first to meet an inspector where we were asked to write a letter requesting to approve the background verification. Second time, the station chief wanted to meet with us, asking the same questions again. Very likely it was the first case of this kind for them, it was a mix of curiosity and surprise for them. 

Step 3 - Waiting

Next step is on Pakistan where they have to approve each request. While the police inspector confirmed that they have verified us and approved our request, we did not hear back for a long time. The website also did not share any updates. Turns out, the actual confirmation comes 4-5 days before the travel date. It came via SMS, almost parallel for both of us. So, there will be a period of uncertainty but that is expected, part of the plan and faith - agar likha hai toh hoga 

Step 4 - Preparation & getting there. 

A visit to Kartarpur needs passport, copy of the confirmation slip and a negative RT-PCR report. Yes, they still need one. We missed it and got it from the nearby govt hospital. 

The nearest border town on the Indian side is called Dera Baba Nanak , about 50 kms from Amritsar. The landport opens at 8 am and you have to be back by 5 pm. Our taxi picked us up from the airport and charged us around INR 2000. The driver waited while we visited the Gurudwara at the landport. It takes about 1.5 hrs to get there from Amritsar, one way. 

Step 5 - What to expect there

Just like at an airport, one goes through a rigorous security check at Dera Baba Nanak landport as well. There are couple of more steps - they count your money, including coins. One can only take INR 9000 per person across the border. Kindle is not allowed.

At the landport, you need to collect dollars - $20 per person to be paid at the Pakistan side. This is the entry charge. They also gave us polio drops, apparently polio is common on that side. 

After that, you go through immigration where they affix a stamp, not on your passport but on the confirmation slip. Once through immigration, a golf cart takes you to the border gate. 

Once you cross the border on foot, a bus awaits on the other side that takes you to the Pakistan embassy. Here you pay the entry fees, and then go through immigration on their side. They again affix a stamp, not on the passport but on a slip that has to be returned to them when you are back. Keep this slip handy. You go through another security check, this time a lenient one. Once through another bus will take you to the gurudwara. 

There is a canteen at the landport but it is not accessible once you are inside. The only food next is langar at the gurudwara. Our golf cart driver was a Sikh shared that eat langar first before you go to Gurudwara, there is a Sikh saying - pehle Pangat phir Sangat.   One can only meditate once you are full stomach. Langar at Gurudwara was nice Chole Pudi, roti and halwa. 

Once you reach the Gurudwara, there will be a welcome and some instructions shared. Listen carefully. You can take photos and videos at the Gurudwara (videos are not allowed for Pakistan folks for some reason). Behind the gurudwara, there is also a market where you can buy some artifacts and clothes. Indian currency to Pakistan currency ration is 1:2.7 and market is cheaper on the other side. There is a Pakistan bank there where you can exchange notes. You can not bring back a single Pakistan currency note or coin back. Indian govt is very strict about it and you will be in jail if you do so. 

They speak hindi and you can bargain to some degree. 

Gurudwara itself is lovely. Its huge, with not many travellers. So, it is very peaceful. We went inside and heard gurbani for about an hr before heading back. 

The story of how Indians were allowed to travel VISA-free is interesting. Apparently, it is because of cricket and politics - When Imrank Khan became PM, he invited Sidhu who attended and this gesture of an Indian visiting Pakistan, a friendship has led to this. 

There may be enmity between nations but not among people. We were greeted warmly by everyone there. We had to wait for a bus for about 20 mins, the person in-charge apologized for us to wait. There was no need for him to do so. Inside Gurudwara, it is like any Sikh gurudwara, you get the feeling that people are doing sewa. Folks in market also spoke kindly. Their voice / language definitely has a touch of royalty and izzat, tehzeeb to it, something that is missing on our side now. 

The 4km corridor though has barbed wire running on both sides, it is actually in the middle of farmlands and it was covered with green wheat fields this time of the year. Weather was hot. Pakistan as a country looks less developed than ours, their landport much underwhelming, it was as if we were in a rural village, not a historic temple-town. 

It is a visit just for the bragging rights but the Gurudwara itself is a treat to visit. It wins your heart. It is majestic. A land less explored, preserved through centuries. It made me wish the radcliffe line was 4 kms on that side but then maybe, it will not be as special as it is now. Things with effort are savored more!