Historically Known as Ramadaspur and conversationally known as Amritsar, the home of Harmandir Sahib popularly known as Golden Temple is a place where you live a culture. You live a culture which adores its existence. The streets, the villages, the people tell their own story- a story that I would love to tell further.
I have visited Amritsar many times, but my recent visit helped me dive deeper into the culture, May be because I was not guided to travel with an itinerary made by some once else. This time I made my own itinerary.
I started my day by skipping Breakfast in the hotel to have mouth-watering street food. After walking into many streets and not adjusting with the taste buds, I finally ended up in a local dhaba which served me Kulchas with Tamarind/mango chutney and lassi. A must-have if you visit Amritsar. This food is easily available in the local market. You can stay in the hotel near by Golden Temple/ Jallianwala Bagh and can explore the local market easily. It is quite cheap as well.
Right from there with stuffed stomach and energy reloaded, I moved forward to visit Jallianwala Bagh in the town. With the sun on my head and spirits high I stepped in to a place where you can really feel the pain and screams of the people mass massacred. The mark of Bullet holes, the well in which hundreds of people jumped to escape bullets. The place where not even children were shown mercy. The experience gives you Goosebumps. You can spend around 1-2 hours at this place. This place is ticket free.
The second place in the list of my itinerary, was Wagah Border, situated near village Atari. (You will have to hire an auto or a cab to visit there- 32 Kilometre from Amritsar) I reached there around 2:30 pm and had to stand in the que for not less than 3 hours. (It is good to reach early as you will get to sit in the stands near the gate; best time to reach wagah border is 2 pm, so you will have to leave Amritsar city by 1 pm. Either you will have to enrol your-self to visit there or else like me stand in a que as you will get a chance to sit in the front row on first come first serve basis.) After a long wait of 3 hours, surrendering all my energy, I could enter the BSF premises. The time you enter the ceremony area you are inevitably filled up with energy. The way BSF conducts the flag lowering ceremony fills you with patriotism. The slogans, patriotic songs, march past, crowd, you should experience this ceremony once in your life. The ceremony ended up by 7 pm.
You will have to invest not less than 6 hours to enjoy the ceremony. I reached hotel by 8:30 pm.
My second Day started with roaming the streets and checking out the local stuff, I can pack and take along as memories. The local market is worth exploring, especially if you are a shopaholic.
I saved my time for the last destination as listed, and it was Golden Temple. I reached the temple premises at 2:30 pm. The time you enter the premises, you are hypnotised by one of the most beautiful views. The Temple is so beautifully engraved that you cannot take your eyes off it. I decided to go for darshans first and stood in the Que, which took me almost 45 minutes to enter the main temple. The soothing verses from holy book, the mouth-watering Karah prasada, it just soothes your mind and soul. After having darshan, I went to one of the largest kitchens, where almost 35000 people in a day are fed for free. The food is mouth-watering and the feeling to have it with such a huge crowd where it is prepared in such a huge amount, with almost zero wastage is phenomenal. After having Langar, I again went to the temple premises to sit there for a while. The chant of the verses is very peaceful, the sarovar, the fish, the sun rays, the temple with its reflection in the water is just beautiful.
Luckily, I could capture the Golden Temple in my camera at dawn. The lights, the reflection of temple in water were so beautiful that, I couldn’t stop myself from capturing it repeatedly. It is a place where you should visit for the peace of your inner soul.
Amritsar is a place that gives you the best of its delicacies. The culture is so beautiful that it welcomes you open heatedly to mix into it. The BSF with the proud in their heads is march pasting for the ongoing 58-year-old ceremony, the mouth-watering food, the soothing temple. (A must visit- Best visiting time-Oct-March)
Visiting and exploring different places give you life time experiences to take along and the visit to the one of the liveliest city India will remain of the most amazing experiences ever.
Shiwasni A Koul. (ZindagiJunction)