Kartarpur Corridor Project

Q Why is it in News ?

A The government is considering reopening the Kartarpur Sahib Gurudwara corridor to Pakistan this week for Gurpurab or Prakash Parv.

Q What is Kartarpur Corridor ?

A 

• The Kartarpur corridor connects the Darbar Sahib Gurdwara in Narowal district of Pakistan with the Dera Baba Nanak shrine in Gurdaspur district in India’s Punjab province.
• The name Kartarpur means “Place of God”.
• The first guru of Sikhism, Guru Nanak, founded Kartarpur in 1504 AD on the right bank of the Ravi River.
• The Kartarpur Corridor was first proposed in early 1999 by then PMs Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Nawaz Sharif as part of the Delhi–Lahore Bus diplomacy.
• The project is now compared to the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, as it could help in easing tensions between the two countries.

Q What are Conditions for the pilgrimage from Indian side ?

A 

• Only Indians resident or overseas citizens can travel by corridor, Pakistanis cannot.
• Children or aged persons of all ages can register to apply.
• After 15 days of travel by corridor another registration can be done for second visit.
• Registration can only be done online at a mentioned website of Indian Government

Q What are some details about first Sikh Guru Nanak Dev Ji ?

A 

• Guru Nanak Dev (1469-1539) also referred to as Baba Nanak was the founder of Sikhism and is the first of the ten Sikh Gurus.
• He advocated the ‘Nirguna’ form of Bhakti. He rejected sacrifices, ritual baths, image worship, austerities and the scriptures of both Hindus and Muslims.
• He appointed one of his disciples, Angad, to succeed him as the preceptor (guru), and this practice was followed for nearly 200 years.
• The fifth preceptor, Guru Arjan, compiled his hymns along with those of his four successors and also other religious poets, like Baba Farid, Ravidas, and Kabir, in the Adi Granth Sahib.