Wn i talk abt Amritsar, 1thing dt will immediately strike ur mind & dt is d Golden temple; bt wn u'll visit d city dn u will realize dt it's not only limited to d temple. Although my journey to the city ws not dt easy as it looks in d photographs & d reason behind is d air connectivity issue b/w Indore-Amritsar. For going to Amritsar from Indore, either u can book direct flight from Bpl or u can catch d flight from Indore-Delhi, in short u can't avoid d Bus journey in any of the two options. Since direct trains to Amritsar are also in limited count from Indore, so if u wanna travel by Train dn u must plan ur trip atleast 2-3months before the date of journey.
After overnight Bus journey from Delhi i've reached Amritsar in early morning. In the Bus most of the passengers were Sikhs. During the journey, v'd enquired many things abt Amritsar to our co-passenger. Next morning wn v stepped down in Amritsar, d guy helped us to book the auto with a comparatively cheap fare as v all know dt Auto/Taxi drivers in such tourist places charge at higher rates especially with outsiders. This was my 1st impression of a local person belonging to Amritsar who helped us just for the sake of hardly 10min conversation held b/w us earlier. This incident had assured me that v r in a safe tourist place.
For accomodation, there r a no of private Hotels available in d city along with 12 nos Niwas asthans (Sarai) maintained by Sri Harmandir Sahib authorities. After being freshen up in our room, v headed towards d key attraction of our journey i.e. d Harmandir Sahib popularly known as d Golden temple. The temple was easily visible frm app. half kilometers away & as soon as v'd entered in d holy campus, a tall young guy standing out there wearing a long Blue gown & a dignified turban holding d javelin instructed us to cover our heads with anything like Dupatta/Handkerchief. Covering the heads in honour of the almighty god is almost same in every religion bt here it's a compulsion.
Nw v'd crossed d main entrance & reached to d side of d holy pool and i jst phonated 1word "OMG". Yes, dt ws my 1st reaction after watching out ds amazing golden structure situated in middile of d pool. I had been continuously staring d temple & my eyes just refused to see anything else at dt moment, dey were just trying to capture it's imprint forevr. There r several other buildings too in d campus like Darshani deori & Akal takht etc beautified with marble & mesmerized me with their Indo-Islamic architecture. Then v moved forward to tk d sweet & delicious Karah/Kada prasad dt holds a lot of importance in Sikh faith.
There ws a long queue for Darshan as dere ws no alternative of VIP Darshan pass/ticket as v usually see in many of d Hindu temples. Also, dere were no shopkeepers selling Coconut-Agarbatti-Garlands at d rate of 100Rs to 1000Rs & almost forcing us to buy deze items by saying "भगवान के मंदिर में ख़ाली हाथ नहीं जाते". As being a true Indian, it ws seeming very tough to be in dt long queue bt fortunately alongside by d queue dere were sm guyz wearing traditional Sikh attire (If i m not wrong dey belonged to d Khalsa panth) who were singing d Sikh prayers praising Sri Guru Nanak Dev ji & playing with d contemporary instruments like Ektara. This melodious sound along with continuous chants of Gurbani was enhancing d divinity of dt place & finally v'd availed darshan labh in d temple. Dn v entered in d world famous community kitchen (Guru ka Langar) & had d lunch.
Despite of millions of devotees arriving here not only from d country bt frm d abroad as well, i felt a deep silence at ds place with d holy sound of musical prayers. Such devotion, cleanliness, good free food, soothing music, peace, equality.. divinity of ds place can only be experienced & not described.
After coming out of ds heaven-like place, nw it ws time to explore d local market in d evening along with a visit to d Jalianwala Bagh bt unfortunately, Bagh ws closed due to d renovation work running out dere. Dn v walked through d busy heritage street covering an old wall protected area of app. 1km & saw bright lampposts, statues, fountains & sitting chairs. It was looking like an European destination like Rome or Paris. For d couples roaming here, ds Heritage walk can easily turn out in a Romantic walk.
Since i work in Electricity dept., hence i've noticed dt overhead wires r missing & dey hv been channeled through underground tunnels. All d buildings located on d street dt include d marketplace, Shops & Restaurants r painted with same color & their signboards hv also been kept identical, smwhat like d markets of Jaipur. There is an eye catching towering statue of Maharaja Ranjit Singh at Fowara chawk, whr LED panels show live kirtan frm Darbar sahib.
Amritsar is very rich in terms of Culture, Fashion & Food. In d market, various no of fashionable accessories like Ear rings & Amritsari juttiya were attracting me & as being a shopping addict woman i cudn't resist myself and bought couple of ear rings along with a Patiyala soot with Phulkari dupatta. For the men travelling here with the ladies, it cud be harmful for their pockets.
After d shopping, it was time to hv sm delicious dinner & several restaurants r available dere dt offer u tasty food in ur budget. So, i'd ordered for aaloo kulcha with a full big glass of Lassi & 1thing i must say dt Amritsari Kulcha is capable enough to stand out in front of South Indian Dosa; it must be promoted more across pan India.
Next day our destination ws d famous Beating retreat ceremony at Wagha-Attari border & i didn't expect dt ds gonna be my 2nd lifetime memorable experience. (1st one is my KBC Shoot with Big B). India's largest national flag on d tallest flag post is mounted here wch is high enough to be spotted frm far away wch is another attraction pt of Attari-Wagha international border. After sm security checks done by BSF, v'd entered into d stadium and d inside view ws beyond my expectations. There ws a huge crowd in d stadium & many more people were continuously coming in. I Was watching Pakistan through the fencing & d whole atmosphere ws electric wch i'd nvr seen before. Before d actual ceremony begins at 5:00PM, BSF tries to engage d enthusiastic crowd in different activities. For dt, all d ladies were allowed to run one-by-one holding d national flag on d historical GT road just few meters away frm d border closing gate b/w d two rival nations. After dt, women were invited by BSF to dance on d patriotic songs playing dere on powerful speakers. D Ceremony begins with d parade by BSF soldiers & as soon as d gates were opened, d excitement of people went to another level; d whole stadium was packed with approx. 30000 people at a glance & dey were non-stop cheering our soldiers with patriotic slogans. Whereas on d other side of d border, dere were very less no of people as compared to us. Although dey were trying hard to match with d decibels of our cheering sound, bt jst like in Battlefield & Cricket field v defeated dm here too with our roars. I Think dt every Indian must watch ds ceremony to feel a sense of nationalism dt makes us proud of wt v r as a nation.
For me, Amritsar is a city of joy & a complete travel package whr one can feel d divinity of supreme power at d Golden temple, one can do shopping in d local market with full of variety in fashion, one can eat anywhr d finger licking food, one can do service at d world famous Langar or one can arouse utmost level of patriotism within self at d Attari border.
After overnight Bus journey from Delhi i've reached Amritsar in early morning. In the Bus most of the passengers were Sikhs. During the journey, v'd enquired many things abt Amritsar to our co-passenger. Next morning wn v stepped down in Amritsar, d guy helped us to book the auto with a comparatively cheap fare as v all know dt Auto/Taxi drivers in such tourist places charge at higher rates especially with outsiders. This was my 1st impression of a local person belonging to Amritsar who helped us just for the sake of hardly 10min conversation held b/w us earlier. This incident had assured me that v r in a safe tourist place.
For accomodation, there r a no of private Hotels available in d city along with 12 nos Niwas asthans (Sarai) maintained by Sri Harmandir Sahib authorities. After being freshen up in our room, v headed towards d key attraction of our journey i.e. d Harmandir Sahib popularly known as d Golden temple. The temple was easily visible frm app. half kilometers away & as soon as v'd entered in d holy campus, a tall young guy standing out there wearing a long Blue gown & a dignified turban holding d javelin instructed us to cover our heads with anything like Dupatta/Handkerchief. Covering the heads in honour of the almighty god is almost same in every religion bt here it's a compulsion.
Nw v'd crossed d main entrance & reached to d side of d holy pool and i jst phonated 1word "OMG". Yes, dt ws my 1st reaction after watching out ds amazing golden structure situated in middile of d pool. I had been continuously staring d temple & my eyes just refused to see anything else at dt moment, dey were just trying to capture it's imprint forevr. There r several other buildings too in d campus like Darshani deori & Akal takht etc beautified with marble & mesmerized me with their Indo-Islamic architecture. Then v moved forward to tk d sweet & delicious Karah/Kada prasad dt holds a lot of importance in Sikh faith.
There ws a long queue for Darshan as dere ws no alternative of VIP Darshan pass/ticket as v usually see in many of d Hindu temples. Also, dere were no shopkeepers selling Coconut-Agarbatti-Garlands at d rate of 100Rs to 1000Rs & almost forcing us to buy deze items by saying "भगवान के मंदिर में ख़ाली हाथ नहीं जाते". As being a true Indian, it ws seeming very tough to be in dt long queue bt fortunately alongside by d queue dere were sm guyz wearing traditional Sikh attire (If i m not wrong dey belonged to d Khalsa panth) who were singing d Sikh prayers praising Sri Guru Nanak Dev ji & playing with d contemporary instruments like Ektara. This melodious sound along with continuous chants of Gurbani was enhancing d divinity of dt place & finally v'd availed darshan labh in d temple. Dn v entered in d world famous community kitchen (Guru ka Langar) & had d lunch.
Despite of millions of devotees arriving here not only from d country bt frm d abroad as well, i felt a deep silence at ds place with d holy sound of musical prayers. Such devotion, cleanliness, good free food, soothing music, peace, equality.. divinity of ds place can only be experienced & not described.
After coming out of ds heaven-like place, nw it ws time to explore d local market in d evening along with a visit to d Jalianwala Bagh bt unfortunately, Bagh ws closed due to d renovation work running out dere. Dn v walked through d busy heritage street covering an old wall protected area of app. 1km & saw bright lampposts, statues, fountains & sitting chairs. It was looking like an European destination like Rome or Paris. For d couples roaming here, ds Heritage walk can easily turn out in a Romantic walk.
Since i work in Electricity dept., hence i've noticed dt overhead wires r missing & dey hv been channeled through underground tunnels. All d buildings located on d street dt include d marketplace, Shops & Restaurants r painted with same color & their signboards hv also been kept identical, smwhat like d markets of Jaipur. There is an eye catching towering statue of Maharaja Ranjit Singh at Fowara chawk, whr LED panels show live kirtan frm Darbar sahib.
Amritsar is very rich in terms of Culture, Fashion & Food. In d market, various no of fashionable accessories like Ear rings & Amritsari juttiya were attracting me & as being a shopping addict woman i cudn't resist myself and bought couple of ear rings along with a Patiyala soot with Phulkari dupatta. For the men travelling here with the ladies, it cud be harmful for their pockets.
After d shopping, it was time to hv sm delicious dinner & several restaurants r available dere dt offer u tasty food in ur budget. So, i'd ordered for aaloo kulcha with a full big glass of Lassi & 1thing i must say dt Amritsari Kulcha is capable enough to stand out in front of South Indian Dosa; it must be promoted more across pan India.
Next day our destination ws d famous Beating retreat ceremony at Wagha-Attari border & i didn't expect dt ds gonna be my 2nd lifetime memorable experience. (1st one is my KBC Shoot with Big B). India's largest national flag on d tallest flag post is mounted here wch is high enough to be spotted frm far away wch is another attraction pt of Attari-Wagha international border. After sm security checks done by BSF, v'd entered into d stadium and d inside view ws beyond my expectations. There ws a huge crowd in d stadium & many more people were continuously coming in. I Was watching Pakistan through the fencing & d whole atmosphere ws electric wch i'd nvr seen before. Before d actual ceremony begins at 5:00PM, BSF tries to engage d enthusiastic crowd in different activities. For dt, all d ladies were allowed to run one-by-one holding d national flag on d historical GT road just few meters away frm d border closing gate b/w d two rival nations. After dt, women were invited by BSF to dance on d patriotic songs playing dere on powerful speakers. D Ceremony begins with d parade by BSF soldiers & as soon as d gates were opened, d excitement of people went to another level; d whole stadium was packed with approx. 30000 people at a glance & dey were non-stop cheering our soldiers with patriotic slogans. Whereas on d other side of d border, dere were very less no of people as compared to us. Although dey were trying hard to match with d decibels of our cheering sound, bt jst like in Battlefield & Cricket field v defeated dm here too with our roars. I Think dt every Indian must watch ds ceremony to feel a sense of nationalism dt makes us proud of wt v r as a nation.
For me, Amritsar is a city of joy & a complete travel package whr one can feel d divinity of supreme power at d Golden temple, one can do shopping in d local market with full of variety in fashion, one can eat anywhr d finger licking food, one can do service at d world famous Langar or one can arouse utmost level of patriotism within self at d Attari border.
Beautifully described Amritsar,when I will go there it will definitely gonna help me out.
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DeleteWell written..
DeleteThanks Abhishek.
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