Pakistan to establish ‘Darshan Resort’ close to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur

Lahore, December 18

The government of Pakistan’s Punjab province has planned to establish a “Darshan Resort” close to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur to provide a view of the holy site to the Sikh pilgrims staying there.

Inaugurated in 2019, the Kartarpur corridor links Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan — where Sikhism founder Guru Nanak Dev lived and died at the start of the 16th century — to Dera Baba Nanak shrine in Punjab’s Gurdaspur district. The 4-km corridor provides visa-free access to Indian pilgrims to visit Gurdwara Darbar Sahib.

“The construction of a five-storey Darshan Resort will start next month with an estimated cost of 300 million PKR ,” Punjab Tourism Secretary Raja Jahangir Anwar said on Monday.

Anwar said the project has been envisaged to facilitate Sikhs coming from across the globe. About the project, he said it would be built just 500 meters away from Gurdwara Darbar Sahib. “The groundbreaking of the project will be held next month. By the end of 2024, the resort will be completed,” Anwar said, adding that the Punjab Government would fund the entire project.

The provincial secretary added that Darshan Resort would have at least 10 suite rooms on the top floor, a mini-theatre and a gym.

He said the resort would also offer a perfect aerial view of Kartarpur Sahib. “Caretaker Punjab Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi has already accorded approval to establish the 50-room Darshan Resort by the Tourism Department,” Anwar said.

Kartarpur has a special significance in the Sikh religion, as Guru Nanak Dev had spent his last years in Kartarpur. — PTI 

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