Amritsar - A Punjabi City with most beautiful & Sacred Gurudwara 'Golden Temple', Historic places like Jaliwala Bagh, One of the most strategic border in Wagah Boarder, Great food and lot more
Amritsar is one of the most visited tourist destination in Punjab state of India and not only indian tourists, but tourists from lot of countries visit Amritsar for diverse experiences it offers. Lot of people plan Amritsar with their plans to explore Himachal Pradesh, especially places like Dalhousie, Khajjiar & Dharmshala. In this blogpost, we will share about all experiences one can have in Amritsar and things to do in & around Amritsar city of Punjab.
Before talking about main things to do in Amritsar, let's understand how to reach Amritsar from different parts of the country and abroad.
So how to reach Amritsar?
By Air : Amritsar is a very well connected city of India with International Airport, which means that city is also connected to lot fo countries directly especially from countries like Canada, UK, Dubai & lot more where you find decent Punjabi population.
By Train : Amritsar is very well connected with cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Chandigarh, Agra and lot others through different kinds of trains.
By Road : Amritsar is connected to most of the major cities of North India through wonderful roads. Most of the roads connecting Amritsar with other parts of India are well maintained and go through NHAI tolls.
One can chose luxury buses for Amritsar. If you landing in Delhi airport, there are some very good options to book buses with good leg space, personal space, good air conditioning & hygiene. Apart from that, there are multiple other bus options in different budgets.
Walking around the streets and shopping in Old Markets of Amritsar :
Personally I love to wander in streets and old markets of Amritsar city. Being a very old city of India, it has it's own charm and with modernisation it offers both sides of the city. The part I love is that old markets of Amritsar still have their own charm. Although at times it's irritating to walk in these narrow lanes which are not very clean. Especially in summers we can't even think of going there. In North India, Amritsar is one of the worst city if we talk about weather. It's one of the coldest city of North India during winters and same situation in summers. Summers become intolerable because of added problems of pollution in old part of Amritsar.
Amritsar historically known as Ramdaspur and locally pronounced as Ambarsar. Amritsar is the administrative headquarters of the Amritsar district in the state of Punjab, India and it's often confused with Capital of Punjab State. Punjab's capital is Chandigarh, which is also a capital city of Haryana state of India. Amritsar city is well known as the spiritual center for the Sikh religion, because of it has one of the most important gurdwaras for Sikhs. Millions of Sikhs from different parts of the world visit Amritsar for coming to Golden Temple.
Don't miss the heritage in these narrow streets of Old Amritsar :
Old part of Amritsar is still alive and still able to present a wonderful view of old havelis. It looks almost similar to Old Delhi which is widely known for it's heritage. Still there are lot of families living in these Haveli and don't want to move out of these narrow streets of Old Amritsar. For outsiders, it looks very odd but for local folks, it's very obvious thing to happen. Most of the business families are staying in this region of the Amritsar. These Photographs are clicked near the famous Cloth Market of Old Amritsar. Katra Jaimal Singh market is basically full of Cloths and Saris. This market provide variety of cloths from synthetic silk to pure smooth silk or woolens. Apart fro cloths, market has more than enough for folks interested in handloom stuff like Phulkari, Artificial Jewellery or wooden articles.
Some of the popular markets in Amritsar are Hall Bazar, Guru Bazar, Katra Jaimal market & Kapda Bazar.
Don't miss to try out Street Food in Amritsar or should we talk about popular places to eat in Amritsar :
Amritsar City is known for its rich cuisine and culture as well.
1. Bhrawan da Dhaba on Hall Bazar Road :
2. Keema Kulcha of Friends Dhaba on Queens road of Amritsar :
3. Fruit Cream and Kulfa in Hall Market :
4. Surjit Food Plaza on Lawrence Road - An old food outlet which has turned into modern restaurant with good seating and air conditioning.
5. Kulcha Land : A Place in Amritsar for only Kulchas in authentic form as well as some modern versions to offer a little variety in Kulchas.
6. Have Delicious Lassi at Ahuja Milk Bhandar :
7. Don't miss Kesar da Dhaba which is near Golden Temple (Especially recommended to Vegetarians):
8. Pal da Dhaba of Hathi Bazar is the place for non-veg lovers :
9. Check our Beera Chicken House on Majitha road for unusual Tandoori Chicken :
10. Langar Prasaad at Golden Temple :
Amritsar is 220 kilometres from state capital Chandigarh and is 32 kilometres of Lahore, Pakistan and therefore, very close to India's western border with Pakistan.
It's almost impossible that someone visits Amritsar and doesn't come to Harmandir Saheb aka Golden Temple in Amritsar. This is most popular place in Amritsar and at times Amritsar is known by Golden Temple only. This place is quite peaceful even when lot of folks keep visiting the temple throughout the year. The best part is discipline and cleanness inside the Golden Temple Campus. Main Temple is situated in the middle of Sarovar and connected through one of the four sides of this campus. Most of the folks take a round around the lake which is considered as a religious process to get blessings of God. Golden Temple attracts more visitors than the Taj Mahal with more than one lac visitors on week days alone and is the most popular destination for Non-resident Indians (NRI) in the whole of India.
Here is an entrance for Langar in Golden Temple.
Golden Temple is one of the main places to visit in Amritsar City of Punjab, India. Langar at Golden Temple is considered as very tasty and auspicious food. I have been to Golden Temple thrice, but never had enough time to have some but surely next time I will try to make it.
Langar is the term used in the Sikh religion or in Punjab in general for common kitchen/canteen where food is served in a Gurdwara to all the visitors(without distinction of background) for free. At the langar, only vegetarian food is served, to ensure that all people, regardless of their dietary restrictions, can eat as equals. Langar is open to Sikhs and non-Sikhs alike.
When it comes to Langar, somehow Anandpur Saheb comes to my mind which is a place near Nangal, Punjab. I cross Anadadpur many times when I go to my hometown in Himachal and at times stopped at the place and had Langar & Chai(tea).
On first day of the year (1st Jan), whole campus of Golden Temple was full and there was a huge queue for main temple inside the lake. Here is a Photograph showing thousands of people inside Golden Temple Campus at Amritsar, Punjab, India.
There is enough space in Golden Temple Campus for folks to relax and spend some peaceful moments inside this religious place in Amritsar (Punjab, India). Such galleries are there in all four sides of Golden Temple Campus. Every gallery has suffiecient number of fans for summers and places are kept clean all the time. And most of the visitors serve for this cleanness activity, as almost no dedicated folks to do this. The word 'Seva' is used for serving at Golden Temple to keep this process running in best possible way. People offer their SEVA at different places inside the temple - Place where shoes are kept, Tea-Counters, Entry Gates, A huge piece of Bridge which connect main Temple with huge campus of Golden temple etc.
After entering into the campus of Golden Temple, we tempted to go near the lake which was surrounding actual Temple made up of Gold. Even the fish inside the lake was also Golden :)
Dukh Bhanjani Beri & Ath Sath Tirath...
All sides of Sarovar were full of people busy in their prayers for new year.
There are some regulations to get into the lake for holy bath and iron chains are there on the lake-side which help people in going inside the lake and be safe while having the holy bath.
The Golden Temple is surrounded by a large lake which is also known as Sarovar. Sarovar consists of Amrit ('holy water' or 'immortal nectar'). There are four entrances to Golden Temple, signifying the importance of acceptance and openness. Inside the temple complex there are many shrines to past Sikh gurus, saints and martyrs. There are three holy trees (bers), each signifying a historical event or Sikh saint. Inside the temple there are many memorial plaques that commemorate past Sikh historical events, saints, martyrs and includes commemorative inscriptions of all the Sikh soldiers who died fighting in World Wars I and II.
Sikh temples (Gurdwaras) like Harmandir Sahib are open to all persons regardless of their religion, colour, creed, or sex. The only restrictions on the Harmandir Sahib's visitors concern their behavior when entering and while visiting:
1. Maintaining the purity of the sacred space - Upon entering the premises, removing one's shoes (leaving them off for the duration of one's visit) and washing one's feet in the small pool of water provided.
2. Not drinking alcohol, eating meat, or smoking cigarettes or other drugs while in the shrine.
3. Dressing appropriately: Wearing a head covering (the temple provides head scarves for visitors who have not brought a suitable covering). Even there are lot of shops outside the Golden Temple where appropriate head-covers are available at reasonable cost.
The Entrance to the Harmandir Sahib as seen from outside of the complex...
Not wearing shoes... There is a particular place to collect your shoes and get back on return from Golden Temple. Services are free and convenient. A token is given to everyone for tracking purpose.
One must also sit on the ground while in the Darbar Sahib as a sign of inferiority to both the Guru Granth Sahib and God..
Many folks sit on Sarovar-side for peaceful prayers at Golden Temple, Amritsar. And it's a must thing to sit inside the Golden Temple once.
There are various other Gurudwaras inside the campus. (Nishaan Sahib)
The Harmandir Sahib which is also referred to as the Golden Temple, is a prominent Sikh gurdwara located in the city of Amritsar, Punjab, India. Construction of the gurdwara was begun by Guru Ram Das, the fourth Sikh Guru, and completed by his successor, Guru Arjan Dev.
During the eighteenth century, the Harmandir Sahib was the site of frequent fighting between the Sikhs on one side and either Mughal or Afghan forces on the other side and the gurdwara occasionally suffered damage. In the early nineteenth century, Maharaja Ranjit Singh secured the Punjab region from outside attack and covered the upper floors of the gurdwara with gold, which gives it its distinctive appearance and English name of 'Golden Temple'.
Some of the folks were telling some stories through songs and musical instruments. Various folks were calmly listening to these four Sardars with Blue Pagadi.
Sikhism is a monotheistic religion founded during the 15th century in the Punjab region, by Guru Nanak Dev and continued to progress with ten successive Sikh gurus (the last teaching being the holy scripture Gurū Granth Sāhib Ji). It is the fifth-largest organized religion in the world, with over 25 million Sikhs and one of the most steadily growing. This system of religious philosophy and expression has been traditionally known as the Gurmat (literally 'of the gurus'). Punjab of India is the only region in the world with a majority Sikh population.
Not sure if you were able to make out anything out of the photograph shown above. This Photograph shows bullet marks on walls of Jallianwala bagh in Amritsar City of Punjab, India. The board in front has some details about Jallianwala Kand in Amritsar where lots of people were killed in this ground by British Army lead by Mr. Dier.
Now Jallianwala Bagh has become one of the main places to visit in Amritsar. It's very close to Golden Temple and in fact comes on the way when we move towards the main parking area for Golden Temple. Jallianwala Bagh was not in good shape this time and not sure if it's because of bad maintenance or some other reason which spoiled the magical look of the place. First time when I visited this place 15 years ago, it was green and well maintained which was not the case this time.
There is only one entry into the Jallianwala Bagh and it's extremely narrow. Apart from two wheelers, no other vehicle can pass inside the Garden, although vehicles are not allowed inside. This place was not very maintained during the time we visited and not sure about it's situation otherwise.
Shahidi Kuan aka Martyr's Well is on one of the corners of Jallianwala Bagh which has a museum inside it. This Museum at Jallianwala Bagh has lot of photographs about freedom fighters with some details about their lives and things they did during their struggle for freedom of our nation.
Here a Photograph showing one of the visitor looking at photographs inside the Jallianwala Bagh Museum and reading some facts about Freedom Fighters of India.
There is a museum inside with some of the old Photographs of freedom fighters form Punjab and people who were present in Jallianwala bagh during The Jallianwala Bagh massacre... On side of each Photograph, there is a detailed note to describe the life of person and various achievements during their lifetime. The gentleman above is reading description for one of the photograph inside the museum.
Here is a path which leads to the Museum and Shahidi Kuan inside Jallianwala Bagh @ Amritsar, Punjab, India !!!
Jallianwala Bagh is a public garden in Amritsar in the Punjab province of India and houses a memorial of national importance, established in 1951 to commemorate the murder of peaceful celebrators on the occasion of the Punjabi New Year on April 13, 1919 in the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre.
Marks of bullets can be seen on the wall which surrounds Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar. Some of the marks are covered by a glass-wall to better protect them for future.
The Jallianwala Bagh massacre is also known as the Amritsar massacre which took place in the Jallianwala Bagh public garden in the northern Indian city of Amritsar and was ordered by Brigadier-General Reginald E.H. Dyer. On Sunday 13 April 1919 Mr. Dyer was convinced that a major insurrection was at hand. He banned all meetings and hearing a meeting of 15,000 to 20,000 people had assembled he marched his fifty riflemen to a raised bank and ordered them to shoot at the crowd which included men, women, and children. Dyer kept the firing up for about ten minutes. Official Government of India sources estimated the fatalities at 379, with 1100 wounded. The casualty number estimated by the Indian National Congress was more than 1500 with approximately 1000 killed.
Dyer was removed from duty and forced to retire but he became a celebrated hero in Britain among people with connections to the British Raj.
There is a small structure in the middle of this garden which looks like a temple. It seems Mr. Gandhi was protected in this area and many people surrounded him when force of Mr. Dyer was firing continuously in Jallianwala Bagh. We are not very sure about this fact, as this is told by the driver accompanying us. This structure inside Jallianwala Bagh also has various marks of Bullets.
The 6.5-acre garden site of the massacre is located in the vicinity of Golden Temple complex which is the holiest shrine of Sikhism. The memorial is managed by the Jallianwala Bagh National Memorial Trust, which was established as per the Jallianwala Bagh National Memorial Act passed by the Government of India in 1951.
A Walk around Cloth Market in Amritsar for pocket friendly & shopping of trendy cloths :
Amritsar is a most popular place in North India for Cloth Market. There are lot of cloth factories around the city and most of the cloth in North India is distributed form this place and some of the merchants only deal in export. It was an interesting walk and the lanes inside this market look more like Delhi's Chandni Chowk where lot of businessmen run business of millions in extremely small shops.
Somehow I have some interesting stories associated with these streets of Amritsar. Approximately 15 years ago I was in Amritsar during Holi time and was passing through these streets. By the time I reached my destination, I was completely drenched in colorful water. Children from high buildings were continuously bombarding balloons filled with colorful water :). And it was hard to figure out probable dangerous areas :).
Wagah Boarder Ceremony - A must visit place for an exceptional experience :
Wagah boarder is approx 30 km from Amritsar. and certainly this distance varies depending upon where in Amritsar you are staying. Border closing ceremony is a special thing on India Pakistan boarder and that takes place around sunset time every afternoon. Beating Retreat Ceremony involves display of goose-stepping guards from the Indian Border Security Force and the Pakistan Rangers saluting each other, lowering and folding their flags, and then closing the gates at the border. And these words don't explain it well. This action is very special and worth witnessing once in life. At times, you may feel that these soldiers may get into fight during this salute ceremony.
The experience gives tourists the chance to see the differences between Pakistan and India. And also similarities in many ways. On the Pakistan side, you'll see men and women sitting separately in stadium-style seating, which is certainly not the case on India side. These layouts may be different and everyone has same spirit for their forces & boarders.
It is no less than a patriotic party. Bollywood music blasts from speakers as women dance in the street, while those in the stands wave Indian flags. There is so much to observe during this ceremony and you would always remember these moments.
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Shri Durgiana Mandir - A Hindu Temple which looks quite similar to Harmandir Saheb:
Shri Durgiana Mandir of Amritsar is half gold, half marble facade and is a domed structure which looks almost identical to the famous Golden Temple. Shri Durgiana Mandir is also surrounded by sacred lake and that makes it resemble with Golden Temple even more.
The fundamental thing is that Durgiana Temple is a Hindu religious site whereas Golden Temple is a Sikh Temple. Having said that anyone from any religion if welcome in both the temples. Devotees come to Shri Durgiana Mandir to pay tribute to warrior goddess Durga, wealth goddess Laksmi, and Vishnu Ji, who is considered as protector of the universe. Over a period of time, this temple has also attracted tourists apart from thousands of devotees who come here because of religious reasons. There are so any temples in India cities, which are gaining popularity amongst tourists now. Akshardham, Iskon temple and many temples in south are popular amongst foreigner tourists visiting India.
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Shri Durgiana Temple has silver doors and you can observe them depicting holy figures from Hindu mythology. This temple is close to Hathi Gate of Amritsar.
Gobindgarh Fort - A great place to experience Punjab heritage and culture through some of the most interesting museums around Amritsar:
Gobindgarh Fort has become one of the most iconic symbols of Punjab over a period of time and supposedly it's 250 years+ old fort in Punjab. It's told that approximately 12000 soldiers used to be deployed in the fort to protect Amritsar from potential invaders.
Today Gobindgarh Fort has transformed into an educational attraction dedicated to the history and culture of Amritsar. The complex has 4 museums - a Warfare Museum showcasing rare weapons, a Turban Museum explaining headgear from the Punjab region and a Sikh Art Museum. All of them are great treasures to know about Punjab's history, culture and pride.
Partition Museum - A thought and emotion provoking place, so be prepared to learn about harsh visuals of 1947 partiton :
Anyone travelling to Amritsar can learn about this historical moment from 1947 at the Partition Museum, which is only institution in the world devoted entirely to Partition. India got it's independence in 1947 and the country was divided into 2 parts in same year. Partition Museum has a haunting as well as thought provoking collection of newspaper clippings, antique photographs and audio histories of the two countries and the resettling of refugees after the event. The experience will give you a deeper understanding of the source of rivalry between India and Pakistan. A visit to Partition Museum can also leave you with sad mood, but it's worth a visit to go little close to the reality and how these 2 countries are very different as of today.
Akal Takht in Amritsar :
Baba Atal Tower - An Architecture Marvel and one of the highest towers in Amritsar :
Baba Atal Tower is close to the most popular place of Amritsar - Golden Temple. Baba Atal Tower in Amritsar is an architectural marvel, which has nine octagonal stories stacked and 40 meters high. That makes Baba Atal Tower as one of the tallest structures in Amritsar city of Punjab.
Baba Atal Tower is dedicated to Atal Rai, the son of a Sikh guru. The sightseeing opportunities from the top of the tower are some of the best in all of Amritsar city. There are various legends about Atal Rai and the popular one being his commitment to save another life by compromising his own. That makes Atal Rai very special human being and that deserved a monument like this for him.
When in Amritsar you will certainly go to Golden Temple and Baba Atal Tower being near by makes it easy to plan a visit.
When you are on highway driving towards Amritsar or coming from Amritsar, you can see lot of folks selling jaggery on road-side, of course in appropriate time of the year. Sugar Cane is one of the main crop of Punjab and there is a huge demand of Sugar Cane for sugar production. Apart from Punjab, UP has also a big Sugar industry to fulfill Sugar needs of most of the northern region of India and other parts.
There were lot of such small Jaggery production units in Punjab and Jaggery is generally in good demand. There is a separate Photo Journey on the process of making Jaggery out of Sugar Cane and can be checked at- https://www.travellingcamera.com/2012/02/jaggery-production-unit-on-road-from.html
National Highway 1 is a National Highway in Northern India that links the National capital New Delhi to the town of Attari in Punjab near the India-Pakistan border. This was a part of Grand Trunk Road of Sher Shah Suri, that ran from Lahore to Bengal, built on earlier roads that existed from time immemorial. National highway authority of India divided it into two parts, north of Delhi, called NH 1 and south of it, called NH 2. The highway is maintained by National Highways Authority of India. This is one of the longest and oldest highways of India.
This whole stretch on National Highway, was beautiful. There were some natural caves made up of trees and green leaves hanging down... As usual there were lot of Toll Plazas on this highway as well. At times, distance between two tolls was too less and non-convincing to pay them tax.
While compiling this blogpost about Amritsar, I feel like planning another trip to Amritsar soon. With that wish you a good day and feel free to drop a comment below with your feedback/suggestions.
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