The name Wagah refers to a village in Pakistan, through which the controversial Radcliff line which discriminates the border of India from Pakistan was drawn during the partition at the time of Indian independence in 1947. The eastern half of the village remains in India while the western half is in Pakistan. The place lies on the Grand Trunk road and was the only link between the two countries before the opening of the Aman Setu in Kashmir in 1999.
The place is a must visit as one needs to witness the famous Wagah Border Ceremony or the Beating retreat ceremony. The ceremony takes place every evening before the sunset, starting with a parade by the soldiers from both the sides and ends with a well coordinated lowering of the flags of the two nations. One soldier stands at attention on either sides of the gate and as the sun sets the gates to both the countries are opened and the flags are lowered in perfect harmony, followed by the folding of the flags and soldiers from both sides shake hands followed by the closing of the gates again. The parade is a major attraction for the people of both the countries as well as the foreign tourists.
Leave a Reply