Wagah
Wagah
| |
|---|---|
| Wahga | |
| The evening flag lowering ceremony at the Pakistan–India international border near Wagah The evening flag lowering ceremony at the Pakistan–India international border near Wagah | |
| Location of Wagah Location of Wagah | |
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| Coordinates: Lua error in Module:Coordinates at line 489: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). | |
| Country | File:Flag of Pakistan.svg Pakistan |
| District | Lahore |
| Zone | Wahga Zone |
| Union Council | 181 |
| Population | |
• Total | Cantonment village: 26,900 Municipal corporate council: 560,968 Border: 230,008 |
| Time zone | UTC+5 (PKT) |
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Wagah (/wɑːˈɡə/; Punjabi: واگھا [ʋäː˦ˈgä]; Urdu: واہگہ [ˈwɑːɦˌgɑː]), also spelled Wagha or Wahga, is a village and union council (UC 181) located in the Wahga Zone near Lahore City District, Pakistan.[1] The town is famous for the Wagah border ceremony and also serves as a goods transit terminal and a railway station between Pakistan and India.[2]
Wagah is situated 600 m (2,000 ft) west of the India-Pakistan border and lies on the historic Grand Trunk Road between Lahore and Amritsar in India. The border is located 24 km (15 mi) from Lahore and 32 km (20 mi) from Amritsar. It is also 3 km (1.9 mi) from the bordering village of Attari in India. The Wagah flag-lowering ceremony – by the border security personnel of Pakistan (Pakistan Rangers) and India (Border Security Force) has been taking place here every evening since 1959.[3]
Border ceremony
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Border crossing
[edit | edit source]The border crossing draws its name from Wahga village, near which the Radcliffe Line, the boundary demarcation line dividing India and Pakistan upon the Partition of British India, was drawn.[4] At the time of the independence in 1947, migrants from India entered Pakistan through this border crossing and vice versa. The Wagah railway station is 400 m (1,300 ft) to the south and 100 m (330 ft) from the border.
Border crossing ceremony
[edit | edit source]The Wagah-Attari border ceremony happens at the border gate, two hours before sunset each day.[4] The flag ceremony is conducted by the Pakistan Rangers and Indian Border Security Force (BSF), similar to the retreat ceremonies at Ganda Singh Wala/Hussainiwala border crossing and Mahavir/Sadqi International Parade Ground border crossing. A marching ceremony, known as the "Silly Walk ceremony", is conducted each evening along with the flag ceremony. The ceremony started in 1986 as an agreement of peace, although there was not a conflict at that time.
Gallery
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122m high Pakistani flag on Wagah Border
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Stadium-like seating at Pakistani side of the border
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The Pakistani gate at the border crossing
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Bab-e-Azadi (Gate of Independence) on Pakistani side of Wagah Border
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Indian BSF at Wagah
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Women personnel of Indian BSF at Wagah
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Punjab Rangers at Waga
See also
[edit | edit source]References
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External links
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File:Wikinews-logo.svg Flag-lowering ceremony at Wagah border becomes more peaceful at Wikinews
- Michael Palin at the India-Pakistan border ceremony on the Pakistani side (from Himalaya with Michael Palin). BBCWorldwide video on YouTube.
- Sanjeev Bhaskar at the India-Pakistan border ceremony on the Indian side. BBCWorldwide video on YouTube.
- Pictures of independence's 60th anniversary celebration at Wagah Border