Top 6 Places to Visit in Punjab

Wagah Border

A short trip from Amritsar to Wagah Border would take one to the international border of India and Pakistan. Located at a distance of just 28 km from the main city of Amritsar, it is easily accessible by good motorable roads in cars and buses.Every evening, as it nears the sundown, hundreds of tourists flock this historical place to see the majestic changing of guards accompanied by the hoisting and retreat of the respective national flags. The border security forces of India and Pakistan undergoes the elaborate process jointly through an interesting ceremony.

Wagah frontier is the only open border accessible legally by India and Pakistan. There are special buses that arrange trips everyday to this site from Amritsar to Wagah Border.Soldiers from both the countries of India and Pakistan march amidst the rising nationalistic feeling in the 'Beating the Retreat' ceremony. The highly skillful ceremony is impressive and one of its kind in India.Wagah being an important army outpost has Amritsar and Lahore as the major cities in its nearest proximity on either side of the international border.

A white line that came along with the partition in 1947 by the Britishers demarcates the border between the neighboring countries about a yard apart.The soldiers drill with pounding long strides on the grounds as the two iron gates are shut with a final handshake. The ceremony invokes nostalgia among the visitors and offers something that one cannot afford to miss as a short excursion from Amritsar.

Timings: Depending upon the time of sunset, the flag down ceremony normally starts around 4:30 pm in winters and 5:30 pm in summers.