Wagah

Wagah ਵਾਹਗਾ / वाघा / واہگہ Wahga
Village
The evening flag lowering ceremony at the India–Pakistan international border near Wagah
OSM map showing Wagah and Attari, their railway stations, and the Wagah border crossing. In the upper corner is shown the position of the villages between the cities of Lahore and Amritsar (click to expand)
Wagah Location in Pakistan
Coordinates: 31°36′17″N 74°34′23″E / 31.60472°N 74.57306°ECoordinates: 31°36′17″N 74°34′23″E / 31.60472°N 74.57306°E
Country	Pakistan  India
Province	Punjab
District	Lahore
Tehsil	Wagah Town
Time zone	PST (UTC+5)
• Summer (DST)	+6 (UTC)

Wagah (Punjabi (Gurmukhi): ਵਾਹਗਾ, Hindi: वाघा, Urdu: واہگہ‎) is a village situated near a road border crossing, goods transit terminal and a railway station between Pakistan and India,^[1] and lies on the Grand Trunk Road between the cities of Amritsar, Punjab, India, and Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan.

The border is located 24 kilometres (15 mi) from Lahore and 32 kilometres (20 mi) from Amritsar. It is also 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) from the bordering village of Attari.

Overview

Wagah, named Wahga in Pakistan, is a village near which the accepted Radcliffe Line, the boundary demarcation line dividing India and Pakistan upon the Partition of India, was drawn.^[2] The village lies 600 meters west of the Border line. At the time of independence in 1947, the migrants from the Indian parts of the subcontinent entered the present day Pakistan through this border crossing. The Wahga railway station lies 400 meters to the south and only 100 meters from the Border line itself. In Pakistan the Border crossing is known as Wahga Border whereas in India it is called Atari Border crossing, named after the Indian village Atari, which lies 500 meters east of the border line within Indian territory.

Wagah border ceremony

It is particularly known for the elaborate Wagah border ceremony that happens at the border gate, two hours before sunset each day.^[2] The flag ceremony is conducted by Indian Border Security Force (BSF) and Pakistan Rangers (PR).

Gallery

• 
  The Pakistani gate of the border crossing
• 
  The Pakistani building of the border crossing, with a picture of Muhammad Ali Jinnah in the top
• 
  Indian BSF at Wagah
• 
  Women personnel of Indian BSF at Wagah
• 
  Punjab Rangers at Waga
• 
  Milestone near Wagah Border

See also

• Wagah railway station
• 2014 Wagah border suicide attack
• Operation Zarb-e-Azb
• Khyber Pass

References

1. "Mixed feelings on India-Pakistan border". BBC News. 14 August 2007.
2. Frank Jacobs (3 July 2012). "Peacocks at Sunset". Opinionator: Borderlines. The New York Times. Retrieved 15 July 2012.

External links

News related to Flag-lowering ceremony at Wagah border becomes more peaceful at Wikinews

• Michael Palin at the India-Pakistan border ceremony on the Pakistani side (from Himalaya with Michael Palin). BBCWorldwide video on YouTube.
• Sanjeev Bhaskar at the India-Pakistan border ceremony on the Indian side. BBCWorldwide video on YouTube.
• Pictures of independence's 60th anniversary celebration at Wagah Border