The golden memories from Amritsar
The epicentre of Sikkhism brings forth some special feeling that surpasses spiritualism. I went to find out the most decorated place in Punjab.
Oct 2021 — Decorated? Indeed. But behind all the layers, Amritsar and its people had endured a lot of pain. 13th April 1919 was that black day which ended with lots of bloodshed. The beautification of the entrance area drew a lot of attention and critisism. The laser shows, the artefacts and the information in the museum do relive the horrific history. A recent movie by the name of “Sardar Udham” brought the history into the silver screen.
The hostel I stayed for 3 days, was 800 meters from the Golden temple. So, invariably I was attracted towards it every day and night. Not only due to the divine atmosphere but also the fact that you get Langar all time.
Langar is free food by community run kitchen. In the Golden temple, it is open 24 hours.
I was told that 90% of the people lending a hand are volunteers. The massive efforts and the energy put into cooking and serving 1 lac of people everyday are insane.
The Golden temple premise consist of different places of interest. Harmandir Sahib is the centre piece floating in the middle of the pool where the sanctum of Guru Nanak lies. There is a Beri (tree) inside the temple premise which is believed to be the place where Baba Buddha supervised the construction of the holy pool.
During my stay I thoroughly explored the nearby places. The market shops follow a uniform colour scheme and sign board. From punjabi Lassi to small souvenirs, from fancy shoes to fragrance store — every options available.
Almost all tourist coming to Amritsar visit the Wagah Border at least once. I was not exceptional too.
The roaring atmosphere does bring goosebumps. The commanding officer in the border was upping the game a notch higher — asking the audience to cheer louder as the popular bollywood songs on nationalism were playing on speakers. Shared autos are easily available from the temple market for Rs. 150 per head.
The partition museum, recently built inside the Town Hall had elaborate information on different aspects. I specifically liked the video testimony of different freedom fighters explaining their experience.
People keep on asking me how do you travel alone. But to my luck, I always find people to tag around. This time around also, I found a group of folks from Hyderabad and a solo traveller from Bangalore. We went to the temple, had langar.
We spent some amazing time — playing UNO, foosball, chatting. My last day in Amritsar was the most memorable part.
