Crossing From Pakistan to India: Watching the Attari-Wagah Border Ceremony
Of all the international border crossings I’ve experienced during my travels, the Attari-Wagah crossing between India and Pakistan is certainly one of the most memorable, thanks to its unique border ceremony.
This ceremony, held on both sides of the border, features goose-stepping Indian and Pakistani soldiers, with each side trying to outmarch its eternal rival.
Even if you don’t plan to actually cross the border between India and Pakistan, it’s still well worth visiting the border villages of Attari or Wagah just to witness the ceremony.
The border between India and Pakistan
India and Pakistan share a border of roughly 3,000 kilometres, though the exact length varies depending on which country’s data you use, as the two sides dispute the actual border in Jammu and Kashmir.
It’s the Kashmir conflict – among others – why the border between the nuclear-armed nations of India and Pakistan is one of the most highly charged in the world.
Because of the rivalry between India and Pakistan, there are very few border crossings open between these two populous countries.
For ordinary Indian and Pakistani citizens, obtaining a visa to cross the border and visit their neighbouring country is actually very difficult, whereas for foreign tourists, travelling across is certainly much easier, provided they have a visa.
The Attari-Wagah border crossing, located in the Punjab region, roughly halfway between the cities of Amritsar in India and Lahore in Pakistan, is the main land border between the two countries.
There is a second border crossing that recently opened in Punjab: The Kartarpur Corridor, which connects Dera Baba Nanak in India with Kartarpur in Pakistan.
This border crossing is primarily used by local worshippers, as Sikh pilgrims with an Indian passport or OCI card can cross it visa-free to visit the Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur for the day, though they must return to India before nightfall.
A third crossing point between India and Pakistan is the railway border between Munabao and Khokhropar, used by the Thar Express train that connects Jodhpur with Karachi.
Although there are other border crossings between India and Pakistan apart from these three, they are all currently closed, to the best of my knowledge.
Crossing the Attari-Wagah border
When I travelled across Pakistan and India, I used the Attari-Wagah border to get from Lahore to Amritsar.
Wagah is the Pakistani border post, located approximately 25 kilometres (15.5 miles) east of downtown Lahore.
Although buses run between Lahore and Wagah, it is certainly much easier and more comfortable for a foreign tourist to take a taxi to the border.
Crossing the Attari-Wagah border between Pakistan and India was, in itself, a straightforward process and much more relaxed than I had anticipated.
Although there were luggage searches and the pages of my passport were rigorously inspected, the border guards from both countries were courteous.
Needless to say, you may face additional scrutiny if you hold an Indian or Pakistani passport or if your name suggests Indian or Pakistani origins.
After clearing Pakistani exit controls, you simply walk through the Wagah border gate along the road to the Attari border gate in India, where you will undergo Indian immigration procedures.
Once stamped into India, it’s an easy 30-kilometre bus or taxi ride from Attari to downtown Amritsar.
However, after crossing the border from Pakistan into India, or vice versa, it’s worth staying at the border until the daily closing ceremony begins, rather than heading straight to Amritsar or Lahore.
The Attari-Wagah border ceremony
The Attari-Wagah border crossing is open until 5pm during the winter season and 6pm in summer, with the border ceremony starting about 15 to 30 minutes after the closure of the border posts.
However, it is advisable to arrive at least an hour, or even two hours, before the border closes to ensure a good seat for watching the ceremony.
The border ceremony, which is free to attend, takes place at both Wagah in Pakistan and Attari in India.
This means that if you cross the border from Amritsar to Lahore and want to attend the border ceremony, you will watch it from the Pakistani side in Wagah.
If you cross from Pakistan to India, as I did, you will watch the ceremony from the Indian side in Attari.
I crossed the Pakistan-India border around 1 pm and spent a couple of hours at an outdoor café with some ice-cold Cobra beers — much welcomed after spending two weeks in dry Pakistan — until the border ceremony began.
Of course, you can also make a day trip from Amritsar to Attari or from Lahore to Wagah to watch the border ceremony without actually crossing the border, and many Indian and Pakistani people do so.
Both in Wagah and Attari, large stands have been built along the main road near the border gates, and each day they are packed with enthusiastic Pakistani and Indian nationals, eager to cheer on their army soldiers.
As a foreign tourist, you will likely be ushered to prime seats in the special VIP gallery, where you will have an excellent view of the parade and border closure ceremony.
Watching the ceremony
The Attari-Wagah border ceremony is a true spectacle, with the crowd enthusiastically participating in the celebrations.
Many of the Indians in attendance brought national flags, with some children even running along the border road in front of the stands, waving them to the loud cheers of the crowd.
Patriotic cries of “Hindustan Zindabad!” (Long live India) echoed through the loudspeakers hundreds of times, further amplified by the voices of the crowd.
Not to be outdone, similar flag-waving, loud singing, and cheering took place among the Pakistanis in the stands at Wagah, just a few feet away across the border from the Indian side in Attari.
After a while, the formal part of the border ceremony began, which involves parading of soldiers immaculately dressed in their ceremonial army uniforms.
The Indian soldiers were dressed in khaki uniforms with unusually large red-plumed hats, while the Pakistani soldiers wore striking black uniforms with matching black hats.
After the parading in front of their home crowd, a few soldiers from each side walk to the actual border line, located midway between the Indian stands in Attari and the Pakistani stands in Wagah.
These soldiers are pre-selected not only for their appearance (tall and muscular, and often with impressive beards in the case of Pakistan) but also for their marching skills.
At the actual border line, these soldiers face off against each other — not through combat, but by trying to outshout and outmarch their rivals, one by one.
During this part of the border ceremony, the Indian and Pakistani soldiers perform a series of perfectly choreographed high kicks, stomps, and other movements.
The Attari-Wagah border ceremony is as spectacular as it is amusing, and it actually reminded me quite a bit of Monty Python’s famous Ministry of Silly Walks sketch.
At the end of the ceremony, the rival soldiers shake hands with their counterparts before lowering and carefully folding their respective country’s flag.
Finally, the border gate is shut, and the soldiers march past the stands one last time before retreating to the barracks, marking the end of the ceremony and border operations for the day.
On to Amritsar
After watching the border ceremony, I had no trouble negotiating a reasonably priced taxi in Attari to take me to Amritsar.
Seated in the taxi, I couldn’t help but reflect on the intense nationalism displayed on both sides of the border during the ceremony.
Although now located in two different countries, the cities of Lahore and Amritsar actually used to have a lot in common.
Punjabi is the lingua franca in both cities, their cuisine and culture are similar, and for many centuries they were part of the same country, whether under British colonial rule or, prior to that, under the Sikh or Mughal empires.
Some Punjabis followed Islam, others were Hindus, and some were Sikhs, and they all lived together relatively peacefully.
After the end of British colonial rule and the partition of the Indian subcontinent, Punjab was divided between a Hindu-dominated India and the newly created Islamic state of Pakistan.
This led to a massive population exchange, with millions of Muslims fleeing India for Pakistan and an equally large number of Hindus moving in the opposite direction to India.
Indeed, during the border ceremony, it was clear how Indian patriotism is closely intertwined with Hindu nationalism these days, while in Pakistan, Islamic fervour is also certainly much stronger than it was when Mohammad Ali Jinnah founded the country.
The question of whether this is a good or bad thing can only be answered by the citizens of India and Pakistan — both of whom I found to be exceptionally friendly and welcoming during my travels.
In any case, I was heading to Amritsar, which is famous for being the holy city of a completely different religion: Sikhism. But that’s a travel story for another time!
Conclusion
The Attari-Wagah border crossing between India and Pakistan is one of the most unique borders in the world.
This is largely due to the historic conflicts between India and Pakistan and their intense rivalry, which is on display daily at the Attari-Wagah border ceremony.
The border ceremony, which takes place on both the Indian side in Attari and the Pakistani side in Wagah, is a blend of a military parade and a display of nationalism, with thousands of people packed into the stands along the border road.
Indian and Pakistani citizens cheer on their soldiers, who are dressed in immaculate ceremonial uniforms, as they compete to outmarch their opponents before lowering the flags and closing the border gate for the day.
If you plan to cross the border between India and Pakistan, it is an absolute must to linger around for a while after completing the border crossing formalities so you can witness this spectacular event.
However, even if you are just visiting Lahore or Amritsar and don’t plan to cross the border, you can still make an easy half-day trip to Wagah or Attari, respectively, to see the border ceremony.
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