1,303 Indian Sikh pilgrims leave for Kartarpur Sahib in Pakistan

A total 1,303 Indian Sikh pilgrims on Tuesday left for Pakistan via Attari border to participate in celebrations to commemorate the 550th birth anniversary celebrations of Guru Nanak Dev.

The pilgrimage, organised by the Shriomani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), the body that manages Sikh shrines in India, will conclude on November 14.

The devotees will visit Sikh shrines, including Nankana Sahib -- the birth place of Guru Nanak Dev in Punjab province -- Panja Sahib in Hasanabdal city and Kartarpur Sahib.

The Kartarpur Gurdwara, located some 4 km from the border with India, is believed to have been built on the site where Guru Nanak died in the 16th century. It is going to be linked with the 4.2 km-long Kartarpur Sahib Corridor.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the Kartarpur Corridor on November 9 and dispatch the first lot of pilgrims to visit Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara in Pakistan's Punjab province on the occasion of the 550th birth anniversary celebrations of Guru Nanak Dev that falls on November 12.