Satnaam Sri Waheguru!
Amritsar, lush green fields, the Golden Temple, extreme Patriotism, Wagah border, Martyrdom, are all synonymous. A land of legends and people with a golden heart.
As kids, we always drew sceneries with hues of green all over to depict farmlands. Amritsar helped us live all those memories. A tiny path in the fields and people meandering their way through was a treat to the eyes.
Amritsar has something for everyone and you definitely won’t go back empty handed.
- For foodies like me you have lip smacking Chole bhature, Parathas, and huge glasses of Lassi.
- For nature, a beautiful sunset with a golden orange backdrop that stands out in the green panorama.
- If colours are your thing, the vibrant clothing that you can get stitched in 2-3 hours is treat for all those hard-pressed for time.
The Golden Temple of course was on top of our agenda. And so the journey began from Amritsar.
Being connected with all major airports directly and indirectly, its also a major railway junction. So, depending on your proximity to the city and the time you have for vacation, you can choose how to get here.
We had two days with us, so we took a flight.
Wagah Border
We landed at Amritsar in the afternoon, so the first thing we decided to do is get to the Attari Wagah border for the flag lowering ceremony.
Wagah border is about an hour’s drive from the city center. We recommend you reach here by 5 PM and get a seat at the top floor balcony for a great view. Later it gets too crowded and moving around is a hassle. Parking is available near the ground so you don’t have to walk too far. It just a 15 min walk to the premises.
Important:
Bags, purses, and so on are not allowed inside. You can carry water bottles, wallets, and phone in hand. You can buy water, ice-cream and other munchies inside so don’t worry too much.
Much before the ceremony starts here’s what happens. How’s the JOSH? Electrifying and VERY HIGH SIR! 😊. This is a place where your patriotism gets to an inexplicable level. Everything in you feels overwhelmed, proud, and privileged to be an Indian and a part of such a vibrant and beautiful country.
No one wants to let the Pakistanis win even when it comes to screaming at the top of your lungs for your country 😊. Everyone on our side was singing, and dancing to the patriotic songs. And even we screamed ‘Vande Mataram’ and ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ at the top of our voices. It’s something to experience cause words will always fall short.
The entire ceremony lasts for about an hour.
Gobindgarh fort
Next morning we headed to Gobindgarh fort that belonged to Maharaja Ranjit Singh. The place opens at 11:00 AM, and since it was off season there were not many visitors.
At the ticket counter we were told that there are different packages. If you plan to visit this place in the morning, we recommend that you take the basic package. In the evening, this place turns into a fun fair with folk dances, and light shows, where a higher package can be useful.
The sprawling area gives us a glimpse of the glorious past.
We took the basic package since we had other places to cover. It includes a visit to the following places:
- War museum – It has different types of swords, spears, and the artillery used for warfare.
- Toshakhana (or the Treasury museum) – It has different types of coins that were minted during that era. Some real some replicas.
- Sher-e-Punjab (7D movie hall) – It plays you a small movie on the life of Maharaj Ranjit Singh with 7D effects, which were not so 7D after all. But kids will enjoy it.
- Art Gallery – It shows you how the dressing styles have evolved over time especially the different types of turbans worn. Indeed a symbol of pride.
This place is extravagant and majestic so you will need around 1.5 hours even for a quick look of the fort.
If you have some time you can also visit the Durgiana temple that’s a few minutes away from the Gobindgarh fort. It has a structure like the Golden temple, only smaller, but it’s not a Gurudwara. It’s a Lakshmi Narayan temple.
Partition Museum, Jalian wala bagh, and Maharaja Ranjit Singh Statue
Partition museum
A minimal entry fees of INR 10/- per person is charged to visit this museum.
This place has audio transcripts that you can listen to, narrating the events around the partition. It also exhibits the newspaper clippings, photographs, hand written notes, and other artefacts from the era including garments, ornaments, stationery, and so on.
It is very disturbing and sends chills down your spine just imagining the pain and anguish the families must have gone through. Stories of families torn apart brings you to tears.
Taking pictures here is strictly prohibited.
Maharaja Ranjit Singh statue
The statue of Maharaja Ranjit Singh stands tall on Majitha road, on your way to Jallianwala Bagh and Harmandir Sahib from the Partition museum.
There are also a few statues on the side-walk that add to the vibrant atmosphere of the place.
Jallianwala Bagh
Jallianwala Baug was our next stop. It’s at a 15 min walk from the Partition museum. The roads are narrow so cars are not allowed to halt or go through those lanes. Since the places are nearby we recommend that you take a walk.
Jallianwala Bagh was under renovation so we didn’t get to see much. We only saw the main memorial stone.
The Jallianwala Bagh memorial, was built in the memory of the innocent martyrs who fell to the ruthless fire opened at the orders of General Dyer. The Jallianwala Bagh massacre continues to be remain as a disturbing sad page in our history. Don’t forget to pay respect when you visit this place.
Har Mandir Sahib / Golden Temple
The Golden Temple is a place filled with peace and tranquillity. Its aura is surreal, makes you soak in its positivity. You feel that time stands still here.
We finished our darshan within an hour but sometimes depending on the number of devotees it may take upto a few hours. We sat for sometime listening to bhajans and just didn’t realise when minutes turned into hours. In the evening, the golden rays of the sun just add to the grandeur of the temple. It gets beautifully lit up at night. We recommend that you visit the temple during daytime and at night.
The place is always welcoming and runs a langar (the communal free kitchen) that is always open. We didn’t have food at the langar but if you visit the temple you definitely must have langarwali daal and khana (overall food).
If you want to shop for souvenirs and kadas, you can do so within the temple premises as there are lots of shops to choose from. Everything is cost effective.
HopOn HopOff
Amritsar also has has HopOn-HopOff buses provided by the Govt. of Punjab. A concept that is quite popular in the west; just buy the ticket for the day and get on any of the HopOn-HopOff bus and also you can get off at their multiple stops multiple times.
Shopping
If you want to put your bargaining skills and quality eye to test, do visit the wholesale bazaar in the lane that’s just ahead of the Partition museum.
Other than shopping this lane has one more attraction. Gian di lassi 😃.
It a small shop in this lanes and can be easily missed if you don’t look around properly. There are two shops Gian di lassi and Giani Punjabi Lassi side by side and both are equally famous. The quantity is filling and the taste of the sweet lassi is irresistible. Not to mention a generous dollop of makkhan (unsalted butter) and malai (full cream) that this fellow happily adds to the lassi. He charges INR 45/- per glass but every drop of the lassi is worth it!
We were so stuffed after having the lassi that there was hardly any room for dinner 😃.
But being die hard foodies we also wanted to eat a sumptuous punjabi meal. So we decided to visit Bharwaan da Dhaba for lunch next day 😊. One outlet of the Dhaba is right across the partition museum, however, owing to car parking issues in the lane, the next day we visited their other outlet for lunch.
Boondi raita, Garlic Naan, Butter Roti, salted Lassi, and Makhhanwali Veg bhaji. Even after we hogged on this delicious feast we were disappointed cause they didn’t have Gulab Jamun that day 😊.
And so we left with a happy belly to our hotel to prepare for the next destination – DHARAMSHALA.
Life of road trips 