Dera Baba Nanak

Dera Baba Nanak is a town and a municipal council in Gurdaspur district, in the state of Punjab, India. It is the sub-district headquarters of Dera Baba Nanak tehsil. It is 36 km away from Gurdaspur city, the capital of the district. Since November 2019, a corridor between India and Pakistan has been established at its shrine.

Demographics
India census, Dera Baba Nanak city had a population of 6,394. Of which the number of males were 3,331 and the number of females were 3,063. Dera Baba Nanak has an average literacy rate of 87.42%, higher than the state average of 75.84%: male literacy is 90.36%, and female literacy is 84.27%. In Dera Baba Nanak 9.34% of the population is under 6 years of age.

In 2011, the sex ratio of Dera Baba Nanak city was 920, compared to the state average of 895. The child sex ratio was around 843, compared to the state average of 846. The scheduled caste population comprises the 25.95% of the total population of the municipal council.

The table below shows the percentage of different religious groups in Dera Baba Nanak city, according to the 2011 census.

The table below shows the population of different religious groups in Dera Baba Nanak city and their gender ratio, as of 2011 census.

History
Dera Baba Nanak, one of the most sacred places of the Sikhs, is situated on the banks of river Ravi. Three famous Gurudwaras at Dera Baba Nanak are Sri Darbar Sahib, Sri Chola Sahib and Tahli Sahib (Gurudwara of BaBa Sri Chand ji) eldest son of Guru Nanak, the first Sikh Guru. Guru Nanak, the first Sikh Guru settled and is believed to have "mingled with the Almighty" near the village Pakhoke Mehmaran, opposite to the present town and named it Kartarpur - a town which lies over the border in Pakistan. The Bedis (Khatris), descendants of Guru Nanak built a new town and named it Dera Baba Nanak after their ancestor.

The town has a number of Gurdwaras. Pilgrims come to this holy town in large numbers. Dera Baba Nanak was made the headquarters of the newly created Tehsil of Dera Baba Nanak. Dera Baba Nanak is a historical town and has many lanes and houses that have been preserved since the time of Guru Nanak. Also from this town, pilgrims can see across the border into Pakistan and see the Gurdwara Darbar Sahib at Kartarpur.

Gurudwara Sri Darbar Sahib was built in commemoration of Guru Nanak. He came here after his first Udasi (tour) during December 1515 AD to see members of his family. His wife Mata Sulakkhani and his two sons Sri Chand and Lakhmi Chand had come to stay here in their maternal home at Pakho-Ke-Randhawa near Dera Baba Nanak, where Lala Mool Raj, father–in–law of Guru Nanak, was working as a Patwari.

Notable people

 * Sujan Singh, a Punjabi story writer