Sikh pilgrims arrived in Pakistan this week from India to attend the annual Baisakhi Harvest Festival, the main event of the New Year celebrations and the important formation day of the Sikh religion, held in front of the Gurdwara Panja Sahib shrine.
Thousands of Sikhs will perform the ritual Ashnan or Ghusl in a ceremony in the city of Hassan Abdal.
The shrine is one of the holiest sites in Sikhism and it is believed that the handprints of Guru Nanak, the founder of the religion, are engraved on a stone.
The purpose of Vaisakhi mela is also to mark the day when the tenth and last prophet Gobind Singh instituted the discipline of Khalsa through which believers can desire the ultimate state of purity.
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Sikhs are a small minority in Pakistan with a Muslim majority, but after independence from Britain in 1947, following the partition of India, many holy sites in the country have disappeared.
Many Sikhs also see Pakistan as the place of origin of their religion: Guru Nanak, the founder of the Sikh religion, was born in 1469 in a small village near the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore.
“Every time we visit Pakistan, the land of our gurus, we feel very happy and peaceful… Again, this time we have come here with great love for the people of Pakistan,” said Sardar Arvinder Singh.
Speaking to the media at Wagah Crossing, he added that he thanked the Pakistani government for providing such a large number of visas.
Sardar Sukhbir Singh, chairman of the Delhi Gurdwara Management Committee, said Pakistan and India have "the same culture" and Sikhs "always feel comfortable" in Pakistan.
“The arrangements that the Pakistani government for the Baisakhi festival has made for us are impressive,” he added.
The Pakistan High Commission of New Delhi has issued visas this year to 2,200 visitors, of whom 2,044, including women, entered Pakistan via Wagah on Tuesday to attend the Baisakhi festival.
After lunch in Wagah, the pilgrims traveled in special buses to Hassan Abdal and were escorted by the Railway Police, District Police and other law enforcement agencies. They reached the city around noon.
A railway spokesman told media on Tuesday that "pilgrims on their way to Hassan Abdal were not allowed to get off the trains for safety reasons." Do not get off the train or other means of transport.
About 400 railway police officers are present to ensure the safety of the pilgrims.
Special ops and snipers were also deployed at each station, especially in Wagah, Lahore, Hassan Abdal and Nankana Sahib.
