The streets were scrubbed clean and banners fluttered, welcoming Sikh pilgrims on Wednesday to the Pakistani city where the founder of their faith was born 556 years ago, now brimming with devotion and hope.
Many have come from neighbouring India in the first major pilgrimage to cross into Pakistan since deadly clashes in May closed the land border between the nuclear-armed neighbours.
“We were worried about what the environment would be like on the Pakistan side and how people would treat us,” 46-year-old Inderjit Kaur told AFP.
“But it has been lovely. We were given a warm welcome.”
Officials say around 40,000 worshippers gathered at the shrine to the Sikhism founder Guru Nanak in Nankana Sahib to mark the anniversary of his birth in the city in 1469.
Inside the shrine complex, marigold flowers adorned the walls and the air was filled with religious hymns. Men and women prayed passionately, some performing ritual dips in a pond.
“There is no fear here,” said Harjinder Pal Singh, 66, a retired banker from India.
“The way we celebrate Guru Nanak’s birthday in Delhi, it is being celebrated with the same passion here.”
Tensions remain high between Islamabad and New Delhi after the worst fighting since 1999 took place in May, with scores losing their lives following India’s unprovoked attacks.
The four-day clashes between the arch-rivals broke out in May after New Delhi accused Islamabad of backing an attack targeting tourists in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) on April 22, claims Pakistan denied.
At the main gate, young Muslims and Hindus danced alongside Sikh pilgrims to the beat of the dhol drum.
“There is only a border that separates us, but there are no differences in our hearts,” Harjinder said.
‘Beyond words’
Outside the shrine, a 90-year-old Muslim man waited with his grandsons, scanning the crowds anxiously.
Muhammad Bashir was looking for someone he had never met: Sharda Singh, a Sikh whose family fled Pakistan during partition in 1947.
Both their fathers were close friends, and the two men had stayed in touch across the decades but never met again.
When Singh finally emerged from the crowd, the two men locked eyes, rushed toward each other and embraced, both breaking down in tears.
“I thought I would die without meeting you,” Bashir said, his voice shaking.
“But at last you are here. Now I can die in peace.”
Singh said he had dreamt of this moment for years.
“It feels as if we have reunited after ages,” he told AFP.
“The love we received here is beyond words. People care for each other deeply, but it is the governments that have differences.”
Petals and prayers
The devotees, many barefoot, waved saffron flags as they processed through the shrine, singing hymns and reciting poetry.
Women volunteers chopped vegetables in giant communal kitchens as men stirred massive cauldrons of rice, chickpeas, lentils and sweets.
The food is then served to everyone, regardless of their faith.
As the procession spilt into the city streets, Muslims came out onto rooftops, showering the pilgrims below with rose petals.
Above, an aircraft circled, releasing more petals that drifted down.
“We are in love with the sacred soil of Pakistan,” said Giani Kuldeep Singh, an Indian pilgrim. “This is the land of our Guru. Our message is one of peace and brotherhood.”
The festival continues through November, including events in the border town of Kartarpur, where Guru Nanak is buried.
A corridor opened there in 2019 remains closed from the Indian side since May.
