Wagah Border in Amritsar - India Trip

Amritsar is a city in the northwestern Indian state of Punjab, 28 kilometers from the border with Pakistan. After we left the Golden Temple in early afternoon, on the street outside the temple, I heard many men offering a drive to the Wagah Border. Besides the Golden Temple, the other thing we planned to do in Amritsar was to witness the Wagah Border ceremony in the evening. It was surprisingly passionate and a lot of fun! I strongly recommend everyone comes to Amritsar to have this experience!

The Wagah Border ceremony marks the closing of the border between India and Pakistan each day. During the ceremony, the Indian and Pakistani border guards conduct a choreographed routine, flags are lowered and the gates are closed. The ceremony takes place every evening at sunset (5:27pm the day we visited) and lasts approximately 45 minutes. The photo above and blew are from the Internet.

After 1 hour rest in the hotel, our driver drove us to the Wagah border. It was 1 hours drive, and you must bring your passport with you. Remember to use the washroom before you leave the hotel. There is a washroom at the boarder, but since there were thousands of people there, I didn’t dare to use the washroom at all. As foreigners, we can use the VIP line to enter the Stadium quickly. Do not bring any bags! Bags of all sizes are not allowed in and there are no cloaking facilities. Cameras are ok, but leave the camera bag at home. I heard women are entered and seated separated, which is not true. On the Pakistan side, yes, the women are seated separately. You can tell why the women are seated separately in Pakistan side by the official name of Pakistan, which is the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. To witness the Wagah border ceremony is free, and no fee for camera and cell phone neither.

The lowering of the flags ceremony at the Wagah border is a daily military practice that the security forces of India (Border Security Force, BSF) and Pakistan (Pakistan Rangers) have jointly followed since 1959. The drill is characterized by elaborate and rapid dancelike maneuvers, which have been described as “colorful”. It is alternatively a symbol of the two countries’ rivalry, as well as brotherhood and cooperation between the two nations.

Before the ceremony officially started, there were a single legged man dancing on the Pakistan side. He was very good at balance even though he only has 1 leg. He was holding the Pakistan national flag with a pole in his hands, and doing endless turning. He was also wearing a men’s skirt to emphasize the rotation he was doing. On the Indian side, there was a cheer leader for the audience. You can find him dressed in white clothes in the picture below. He asked all the Indian ladies to come down and dance with loud Indian music. Obviously women on Pakistan side are not allowed or planned to do so. In this round, the Indian side won. At one moment, I even want to jump down the stadium and dance with them! The atmosphere was so cheerful and lively.

The ceremony starts with a blustering parade by the soldiers from both sides, and ends up in the perfectly coordinated lowering of the two nations' flags. It is called the Beating Retreat border ceremony on the international level. One infantryman stands at attention on each side of the gate. As the sun sets, the iron gates at the border are opened and the two flags are lowered simultaneously. The flags are folded and the ceremony ends with a retreat that involves a brusque handshake between soldiers from either side, followed by the closing of the gates again.

The spectacle of the ceremony attracts many visitors from both sides of the border, as well as international tourists. In October 2010, Major General Yaqub Ali Khan of the Pakistan Rangers decided that the aggressive aspect of the ceremonial theatrics should be toned down. The soldiers of this ceremony are specially appointed and trained for this auspicious ceremony. They also have a beard and moustache policy for which they are paid additionally.

Don’t miss this boarder ceremony out, this was the best part of my India trip.