Dera Baba Nanak, on the banks of the Ravi River near the Pakistan border, is one of the most significant Sikh pilgrimage sites in the Gurdaspur district. This is where Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism, spent his final years and is believed to have died in 1539. The town sits virtually on the India–Pakistan border, and across the river lies the town of Kartarpur in Pakistan, where the Kartarpur Corridor — opened in 2019 — allows pilgrims to cross without a visa to visit the shrine where Nanak spent most of his later life.
The main shrine at Dera Baba Nanak, Gurdwara Darbar Sahib, marks the spot associated with Nanak's death. The building is a substantial white structure with the characteristic domed architecture of important Sikh shrines. The site draws Sikh pilgrims from across Punjab and the diaspora, particularly during the anniversary of Nanak's birth (Gurpurab), which falls in October or November.
The Kartarpur Corridor allows Indian citizens and those of Indian origin to cross to the Pakistani Kartarpur Sahib shrine — one of the most extraordinary interfaith gestures on the subcontinent, given the tensions between the two countries. The crossing requires advance registration.