Kartarpur: The village of eternal light

On the banks of the serene River Ravi, in the fertile plains of Punjab, lies a village whose name means “The Abode of the Creator” – Kartarpur.
It was here, more than five centuries ago, that Guru Nanak Dev Ji, the founder of Sikhism, settled after his long journeys across Asia. And it was here, among farmers and seekers, that he planted not only crops, but the seeds of a timeless philosophy – of truthful living, equality, service, and divine oneness.
Today, Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur stands as a beacon of that vision – a sacred site where history, faith, and humanity converge. It is both a place of pilgrimage and a powerful symbol of hope and reconciliation in a world still learning to embrace unity beyond borders.
The Guru’s Return
After traveling for over 25 years on his four great Udasis, spreading the message of Ik Onkar – the Oneness of all existence – Guru Nanak chose to spend the last 18 years of his life in Kartarpur (now in Pakistan’s Narowal district).
In the year 1522, he built a modest settlement on the Ravi’s banks. Unlike the hermits who sought solitude in mountains, Nanak chose the earth itself as his temple. He tilled the land, sowed seeds, and lived as a humble farmer – proving that spirituality and honest work (Kirat Karna) are not separate paths but one.
“Truth is high,” he said, “but higher still is truthful living.”
In this village, spirituality took on a practical form. The community ate together, prayed together, worked together – the earliest form of Sangat and Pangat (holy congregation and equality in service). Kartarpur became a living experiment in divine democracy, where no one was rich or poor, high or low.
The First Sikh Commune
Kartarpur was not merely a settlement; it was the first Sikh commune, a model of what society could be when guided by compassion instead of caste, by humility instead of hierarchy.
Here, the Langar (community kitchen) – a revolutionary idea introduced by Guru Nanak – became a daily practice. Men and women cooked and served together, transcending social barriers that had divided India for centuries.
The Guru composed hymns of universal truth, many of which would later form the heart of the Guru Granth Sahib. His close companion, Bhai Mardana, played the rabab as Nanak sang of the Creator’s presence in every leaf, every breath, every moment of existence.
The Passing of the Eternal Light
In 1539 CE, as the Guru’s earthly life came to an end, legend says that a debate arose between his Hindu and Muslim followers over his final rites. The Hindus wished to cremate him; the Muslims wanted to bury him.
When they lifted the sheet covering his body, they found only fresh flowers in place of his mortal form.
Each group took half – one buried, one cremated – symbolizing that Guru Nanak belonged to all humanity.
To this day, both a samadhi (Hindu memorial) and a maqbara (Muslim tomb) stand side by side at Kartarpur – silent witnesses to a truth that transcends religion.
The Gurdwara: A Living Memorial of Peace
Over the centuries, Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur became one of Sikhism’s holiest shrines. The white domes rise gracefully above green fields, the structure gleaming under the Punjab sun like a reflection of the divine light Nanak spoke of.
From its verandas, one can still see the River Ravi flowing – the same waters where the Guru once walked, prayed, and worked. Pilgrims describe the place as charged with peace, as if time itself pauses in Kartarpur, and the air still hums with the sound of Nanak’s hymns.
Kartarpur Corridor: Bridge Across Borders
For seven decades after the partition of India in 1947, this sacred site remained separated from millions of devotees by a line drawn through Punjab’s heart. Many Sikhs could only stand at the Indian border near Dera Baba Nanak and gaze across the fields, their eyes moist with longing for the shrine just 4 kilometers away.
Then, in November 2019, a miracle unfolded. On the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak, India and Pakistan inaugurated the Kartarpur Corridor – a visa-free passage allowing pilgrims from India to visit the shrine across the border.
It was an extraordinary moment in modern history – a corridor of faith beyond politics, built on the Guru’s own vision of peace and coexistence.
“Let no walls divide those who share the same divine light,” Guru Nanak had once said – and Kartarpur today stands as a living realization of those words.
A Symbol of Hope in a Divided World
The Kartarpur Corridor is more than a road; it is a pathway of reconciliation.
In an age where religion often divides, this narrow stretch of land reminds humanity of what we can build when we remember the teachings of those who saw no “other.”
Pilgrims of all backgrounds – Sikhs, Hindus, Muslims, even international travelers – walk barefoot on its marble floors, share meals in the Langar hall, and feel the same serenity. For many, the visit becomes a spiritual homecoming – not to a religion, but to a sense of oneness and belonging.
Echoes of Guru Nanak’s Vision
Kartarpur in the Modern Spirit
In recent years, the image of pilgrims walking across the corridor – some elderly, some in tears, many carrying soil from the shrine in small pouches – has become an emblem of faith uniting where politics divides.
International peace advocates often cite Kartarpur as a model for interfaith cooperation, a sacred geography where devotion transcends nationalism.
Scholars call it “a moral corridor” – an open invitation to rediscover Guru Nanak’s universal spirituality in our time of fragmentation.
The Village That Still Teaches the World
Standing at Kartarpur, one can still hear the echo of Guru Nanak’s eternal words:
“There is One Light in all creation; By that Light, all are born.”
The Ravi still flows gently by, reflecting both sun and moon – as if to say that duality is only illusion. The fields still bloom with the crops of service and humility. And the white domes of Darbar Sahib still gleam like lanterns of peace in the night.
Kartarpur is not just a place on a map – it is a metaphor for humanity’s highest calling.
It tells us that the boundaries that divide hearts can be crossed not with weapons or walls, but with faith, forgiveness, and love.
The Eternal Light Lives On
As pilgrims bow their heads at the shrine where Guru Nanak spent his final days, they do not just remember a saint – they experience a truth.
The same truth he lived, sang, and sowed in these fields: that God is One, humanity is one, and the light within us is eternal. Five centuries have passed, but in the quiet of Kartarpur, one still feels the presence of the man who once walked here – the farmer-saint, the poet of peace, the messenger of Oneness