I Recommend - Amritsar, the land of God, History and Food

This post is a little long, so please bear with me. : )

Sitting on the suitcase at the Railway Station, I wondered if it was the right time for the trip. All I could think about was the date sheet and whether I'd be able to complete my syllabus before the 8th of next month. I was happy too that my exams would finish on the 11th of May, well in time for my sister's wedding. I pushed aside the thought of exams. If life had this to offer, I'd better take it as a blessing. After all, how many people get a chance to visit Amritsar, I thought and smiled.

Finally, the train came, three and a half hours later, panting its way onto the platform. Commotion. After much negotiations regarding exchange of seats, we made ourselves comfortable, me on the window seat in the Chair car of the 'Express' train.

As soon as the train pulled out of the station, amma and appa dozed off and I sat wondering what to wonder about. I looked outside the window, the rows of commercial enterprises slowly gave way to lush green farmlands, with the sunset forming a beautiful background. Some little kids ran behind the train, waving. I waved back only to realize they couldn't see me from the outside. I waved nevertheless.

Soon it was time for the cutles, saandeech and cheeps vendors to get into action. I bought myself a packet of chips (or cheeps, is it?) and looked out of the window again, staring at the darkness, observing those little blinking lights far away.

It was almost midnight when we reached Amritsar. As we drove to the guest house, a gentle cool breeze gave us company and I knew I would like this city. On reaching, we had a very light dinner and then, just crashed!

Durgiana Temple, Amritsar

After a good night's sleep and a heavy breakfast of aloo paranthas, we started our journey and the first stop was the Durgiana temple. On entering the gateway, we realized that it was almost a partial replica of the Golden Temple. The golden exterior shimmered in the sunlight as the blue waters of the surrounding lake formed gentle ripples. We were told by the priests that it was a very old temple, almost dating back to the 16th century and is believed to have great powers. A warm place, I thought.

The Holi atmosphere was evident with colours strewn across the floor and multi hued people praying!

After taking Godji's blessings, we drove to our next destination which was a short drive from the temple. As I got off from the car, I could feel something in the air. I knew what it was yet it was new to me. Jallianwala Bagh, the silver alphabets shone.

Jallianwala Bagh

It all came rushing back. Now, it was no longer a chapter in History that I had to learn, it was a reality, there in front of my eyes. That history survives to tell the world its tale.


As we walked in, a narrow pathway leading to the memorial, there was a board on the wall that read:

"Brigadier General Reginald Edward Harry Dyer entered through this pathway"

I felt numb. To think I was walking on the same path as that man. That man who ruthlessly opened fire on unarmed people without warning. Those thirty minutes and 1650 rounds of 0.303 Mark VI Ammunition killed hundreds of people, wounding many many more. Now that name meant a lot more.

At the end of that path, there was another notice:

"This place is hallowed by the mingled blood of about two thousand Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims who were shot at by British bullets on 13th April, 1919.....Jallianwala Bagh is thus an everlasting symbol of non-violent and peaceful struggle for freedom of Indian people."

That feeling is something I cannot really put in words. It's something that has to be experienced by oneself. We paid a very heavy price for this freedom, and I wonder if we are careless about it now. Are we really doing justice to the sacrifice of those thousands? I don't know.

Martyrs' Well, Jallianwala Bagh

We walked further down towards the Martyrs' Well, the same well into which those helpless people jumped on that fateful day and from which many many bodies were recovered later.

In the silence of that well, you could hear the shrieks and loud cries of men, women and innocent children who must have jumped in the well praying for security.

The Well

Next we walked towards the Bullet Marks section, retained in their original form. Walls full of bullet marks, each mark outlined with white paint.

The Bullet Marks section, Jallianwala Bagh

A closer view

The wounds are fresh. Not just on the walls.

Jallianwala Bagh Memorial

May their souls rest in peace.

We came out of Jallianwala Bagh, remembering those heroes and headed towards The Harmandar Sahib or the Golden Temple as it is known. Peace was what I needed. And no better place, I thought.

The delicious smell of the kada prashad filled the air.

Golden Temple, built between 1589 and 1601 is the spiritual centre of the Sikh community. The Islamic and Hindu styles of architecture are combined beautifully.

The Harmandar Sahib is at a walking distance from Jallianwala Bagh. Being Holi, the gurdwara attracted huge crowds. We left our shoes in the car, and were warned by the driver to be careful with our bags.

I took my chunni (dupatta) and covered my head. All people entering a gurdwara must have their heads covered. It felt good somehow.

When you enter a gurdwara, you first wash your feet in a little pool of water at the gateway [people who know, please help, I am unable to frame it properly : ( ] I think that is so beautiful, everyone washes their feet in the same water, irrespective of religion, nationality, caste or any other so called 'differences'. It's almost like cleansing yourself off your sins before entering, leaving the differences behind.

On walking towards the gurdwara, I gasped at the sight in front of me.

The ornately decorated gateway welcomed us. With two splendid silver doors, and sacred verses carved on its marble walls, it was definitely a sight to behold. A real beauty, it provided us the first glimpse of the holy shrine.

The main gateway

There stood the Hari Mandir (the holiest site), majestically looking over the pilgrims, a royalty that's hard to miss. The calm Amrit Sarovar around the main shrine only adds to its beauty. The reflection of the golden shrine on the clear waters of the Sarovar is a breathtaking view.

There is a certain serenity in that royalty, something that makes one calm, and at ease with oneself. Something that makes you feel God resides there.

The Hari Mandir

Another view

We bought the kada prashad and stood in the long line of devotees on the causeway. It is a 60m long causeway that leads to the temple across the Amrit Sarovar. As I stood there, with the chants going on in the background, surrounded by the pure waters of the Amrit Sarovar, and the beautiful glistening temple in front, it was magical. It was hot at 11 in the morning, it felt like God was looking over us and smiling, divinity seeping in slowly with the heat.

It was humbling to say the least. Overpowering. An experience beyond words, really.

The Causeway

Turn by turn, they let a group of devotees in and we reached the main shrine. Inside the temple, it was magnificent. Not just how lavishly it was decorated, it was almost like a splash of cold water on your face on a hot summer afternoon, that sort of a refreshing feeling. There's definitely something about that place that makes you fall in love with it instantly.

The main shrine is a three-storeyed temple.

The ground floor houses the Guru Granth Sahib covered by a jeweled canopy, the Holy Book that lies in the Durbar Sahib.

The view of the Guru Granth Sahib from the first floor.

What a magnificent sight! Photography is prohibited

inside the Holy Shrine but I could not help
not click a picture! Sorry babaji! : )

The first floor is something straight out of a fairytale. There are very intricate decorations on the marble walls, beautifully done and it is a place where devotees can sit and pray. The golden windows overlook the Sarovar.

The second floor, also called the Sheesh Mahal is the hall of mirrors designed marvellously. Its floors are swept with a special broom made of peacock feathers!

After taking babaji's blessings, we moved outside towards the Amrit Sarovar and dipped our feet in its holy water. I thought of all the people who may have touched the sacred waters of this pool and felt happy. So many films have been shot here, Rang de Basanti for instance. (You know what I mean, don't you? : )

Another devotee

One of the many sights you get to see at the Temple.
It just reinforces my belief in the power of the spirit.

Beautiful.

Then, we moved towards the Dukh Bhanjani Ber, a tree shrine. It is believed to have great miraculous powers for healing diseases.

On the way, we met an old Sikh couple who spoke to us at length about their culture and the significance of different shrines. When you go to such a religious place, it's important to go with an open mind, ready to learn. And people are more than willing to help you out and let you know more about their religion.

No visit is considered truly complete without a meal at the Guru ka Langar, a free kitchen where all the visitors are fed a simple meal. It is a beautiful concept, a symbol of a caste-free egalitarian society the Sikh gurus envisioned. Everyone sits together and eats the same simple food. They say you need luck to have langar at a gurdwara. And we sure, were lucky.

Run by volunteers, this kitchen can feed 10,000 people a day.Its vast hall can seat up to 3,000 people at one time.

The notion of kar seva (voluntary manual labour for a cause) is an important part of the Sikh order. Tasks such as sweeping the temple premises, looking after pilgrims' shoes, cooking at the langar or washing the dishes are enthusiastically performed by the volunteers.

Enthusiastic volunteers washing dishes,

doing kar seva

After the simple meal, we headed back towards the Guest House. On the way, we stopped at Ahuja Lassi. Having seen it on a travel show on TV, we were really keen to check it out. And what a lassi! Ecstasy malai maarke! Frothy, creamy and buttery, it melts in your mouth and no wonder it was spoken about so highly on the show! A must try!

Two hours of rest later, we hit the road again, this time to the Wagah Border. The drive to Wagah is a beautiful one, lined with green farms on both sides (although the road is bumpy in places).

Wagah is the last check post on the Indian border, about 28 km from Amritsar. Each evening as buglers sound the last post, two splendidly uniformed guards on either side of the border goose step across to the flagpoles to lower their respective national flags.

Their steps are matched so perfectly that it is like watching a mirror image of the same exercise. It is a poignant reminder of the Partition of 1947.

The ceremony, called 'The Beating Retreat' or 'Lowering of the National Flag' attracts huge crowds on both sides. There are two huge gateways, one of them being the Indian one. Half an hour of gushing patriotic hormones really! : )

The Indian gate

The perfect symmetry

Guarding

Lowering the National Flag

In process

Strong arms guarding

The National Flag goes back

Protecting the country

The Ashoka emblem

We, the Indians.

Vande Mataram! (at the Jallianwala Bagh)

A visit to the Wagah Border is a MUST! To remind ourselves we are Indian. To remind ourselves we are human.

On the way back from the Wagah Border, we also stopped at the Attari station, which lies on the rail route of the Samjhauta Express.


By the time we returned to Amritsar, it was late evening and we were hungry. We stopped at the very famous Bharawan da Dhaba (literally translates to "the dhaba of brothers") for dinner. Ask anyone in Amritsar and they'd guide you to this place. It has been making delicious food and feeding hungry people since 1912! I rarely recommend an eating joint, I am very critical about food. That too recommending just after one visit is nearly impossible.

But I highly recommend this place, it's the place to be. The food's great, the ambience is nice, and place is neat. Affordable and delicious are two words that don't often go together, but this dhaba is an exception. And I don't say this because they have paid me anything! ; )

A great meal later, it was time to board our train back home. And I fell in love with the city, not wanting to leave.

A visit to Amritsar is a must. Discover the city and rediscover yourself.

Really, life offers only good things. All we have to do, is look for the goodness.

What our driver said summed up the spirit of the city
"Yahaan pe har tyohaar ko do baar manaate hain ji!" (Here, each festival is celebrated twice)

Tara's rating-Highly Recommended! Must try!

PS- All photos courtesy appa's 2 MP beauty! : )