Wagah - The Gate Ceremony

Location:
Pakistan

ceremony

By Peter Anderson

Wagah perhaps has the most serious yet comical “changing of the guard” type ceremony on this planet. It is actually a “closing of the gate” ceremony, but it is definitely worth seeing if you are in Lahore. The border at Wagah is a ceremonial border where each evening, guards from the Pakistan and Indian armies ceremoniously close the gates and lower the flags.

Wagah is the only road border crossing between India and Pakistan, and lies on the Grand Trunk Road between the cities of Lahore in Pakistan and Amritsar in India. A bus service between Amritsar and Lahore was started in 2004, as relations between the two countries improved.

Wagah itself is a village where the controversial Radcliffe Line was drawn. The Radcliffe Line, named after the Chairman of the Border Commissions, became the border between Pakistan and India on 17 August 1947 after the Partition of India. The line was decided by the Border Commissions who was to evenly divide 175,000 square miles of territory with 88 million people. The village of Wagah was unified before India was partitioned. Today, the western half of the village remains in Pakistan whilst the other half is in India.

When you check at your hotel you may be told that Wagah is a restricted area and that foreigners cannot go there. This is not true, be persistent and organise a taxi to take you there. A word of advice, do not pay the taxi driver when you arrive, otherwise you won’t have a ride back. Tell the driver you want to the ceremony at Wagah and for him to wait and take you back. It will cost less than US$10 for the three hours.

The taxi will drive alongside the canal that leads out of Lahore and it will take 45 minutes to cover the 25 kilometres to Wagah on the Pakistan/Indian border. The changing of the guard takes place at 1830hrs every day so it is advisable to leave at about 1630hrs. This will give you time to get organised when you arrive. The taxi will drop you at a series of small sundry shops.

It appears that you are in the middle of nowhere, but rest assured that you can guarantee that one of the locals will come and offer to be your guide. The sundry shops are about one kilometre from the gates. Be friendly, but you don’t need a guide, ask where the gates on the Pakistan/India border are and wander on. Most likely you will be stopped by soldiers about 500 metres from the gates. The Army won’t let people gather at the gates until just before the ceremony starts. However, being a foreigner and telling the Pakistani soldiers what a lovely time you’ve had in Pakistan and so on, the chances are that they will allow you to walk the last 500 metres to the gates. Do not be concerned that the road ahead is deserted and completely silent. Perhaps an eerie feeling might overcome you, there will be nothing, not a sound; the excited jabbering from the crowd will have disappeared as you walk further into ‘no man's land’. It may even evoke feelings of the Cold War, when the Russian and Americans exchanged their spies at the Berlin Wall. The silence can be unnerving and you may be uncertain whether you should be taking photographs. Just relax and enjoy.

The Pakistani Rangers patrol the border and the ceremony begins with a Ranger marching towards the border, in a fast, high, goose-stepping like-march. He then stares at the Indian side with a look of contempt and disdain, which brings a round of applause from the Pakistani onlookers. The Indians respond in a similar manner, and the whole process is repeated. The border gates are opened with such impetuosity that they almost fall off their hinges. The Pakistani and Indian soldiers then lower their respective flags, which is followed by more crashing of the gates before the 20-minute ceremony concludes. The Pakistani and Indian nationals are then allowed to come up to, but not cross the white line that indicates the border. They cordially greet each other and a select few are invited to see the international marker post that denotes the exact border.

If here are only about four foreigners at the ceremony, you might be invited to high tea with the Commanding Officer and his family who will explain the ceremony in greater detail. This of course would be an added bonus and not one that can be guaranteed.

By the time you get back to the shops darkness will have fallen, perhaps you half expected the taxi driver to have gone, he will still be there as you haven’t paid him.

Perhaps it does not have the pomp of the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace but many have found it more entertaining and interesting.

Further Information

Other helpful information: Before leaving Lahore ensure that the taxi fare is agreed upon and the driver will wait. Do not pay the taxi driver until you get back to your hotel.

Must see/do at this place: Be very friendly with the locals when you arrive and with the soldiers, you might get lucky and be allowed access to photograph in normally prohibited areas. Also i was lucky enough to get invited to afternoon tea with the Commanding Officer after the ceremony.