A weekend of culture, history and lip-smacking food in Amritsar

Amritsar

Amritsar, as you may know, is the city of culture, history and incredibly amazing food. You will meet some very polite and fun-loving people, who will make sure you have a great time during your stay.

Amritsar is a good option to travel if you’re short on time, it’s a small city and one can easily cover it over a weekend. Amritsar is well connected by air, road and train. If you are traveling from Delhi, you can decide to drive down which takes about 8-9 hours to reach, there are also several trains that take about 6-9 hours to reach and then you have the flights that take about 50 minutes.

Photo of Amritsar, Punjab, India by Karishma Govil

Places of Interest:

1. Golden Temple: Also known as the Harmandir Sahib, is the central religious place built in 1577. The gurudwara is open 24x7 and also includes the world’s largest free kitchen, serving almost 300,000 people every day.

2. Jallianwala Bagh: Jallianwala Bagh is a historic garden with immense historical importance. It has been restored in the memory of those who were wounded and killed on Baisakhi, 13 April 1919 by the British troops. It houses a memorial, museum and a photo gallery depicting and describing the events that took place at this very site. [As on date of writing this article, Jallianwala Bagh is under renovation]

3. Wagah Border: Approximately 28 kilometers from the city of Amritsar, Wagah Border is famous for its retreat ceremony every evening. With the commentator raising slogans like “Bharat Mata Ki Jai”, “Vande Matram” and the like the atmosphere here gets very patriotic. [As on the date of writing this article, the ceremony is not open to general public due to COVID]

4. Partition Museum: Located in Town Hall, this museum houses stories, documents and articles from the post-partition riots that took place when India and Pakistan became two independent nations. Approximately 20 Million people were affected by this, making it the largest migration in human history.

Photo of A weekend of culture, history and lip-smacking food in Amritsar! by Karishma Govil

Places to Eat:

Amritsar in general serves extremely good food, anywhere you go, as the locals say “It has got to do something with the water, it’s Amrit”. When in Amritsar, always look for basic places to eat, they’ll serve some of the best food ever. But here’s a list of places that are highly recommended:

1. Kesar Da Dhaba: Founded in 1916, this place is very popular amongst the locals for its Dal Makhni, which is slow cooked for almost 10-12 hours.

2. Gurdasram Jalebiwala: Close to the Golden temple is this absolute gem selling jalebis. Crisp, juicy and straight out of the syrup, these jalebis are a must try.

3. Ahuja Lassi: When in Amritsar you have to have the lassi. Ahuja lassi is famous for its Lassi which is served with a generous dollop of malai. They also serve firni which is equally good.

4. Makhan Fish and Chicken Corner: For all the meat-lovers, this is the place for you. It serves delectable fish tikkas.

Places to Shop:

Amritsar is synonymous with phulkari and jutti and you cannot come back home without shopping for some. Hall Market, Katra Market and Lawrence Road are some of the best places to shop from. Apart from these places, you can also explore the Heritage Walk right next to the temple but this is usually very touristy and therefore expensive.

If you are a fan of aam papad and the likes, you should head to Ram Lubhaya Aam Papad Wala on Lawrence Road.

Being a small city, everything is close to the centre and most of the places are walking distance from each other. Amritsar, with so many things to offer, makes for a great place for a quick weekend getaway.

If you are still not convinced, here's a small video to make you change your minds.