Google
 

Friday, May 25, 2012

City of the Golden Temple- Amritsar



Think of Amritsar and what comes to mind is the Golden Temple. My wife and I visited Amritsar for a couple of days in April 2012(16th and 17th).

The temple is extremely clean and volunteers ensure that it is kept that way by regularly washing the marble floors. People stand in queue to gain entry to the “Harmandir sahib”(the sanctum sanctorum) but there is hardly any jostling for position. Chanting of prayers by the priests goes on the whole day but the noise level is minimal.  I am not a very religious person but no temple has evoked so much of inner peace and tranquility in me as the Golden temple. There is orderliness in every activity inside the temple.
Majestic temple-180 kgm gold used.


Clean temple











After landing in the Airport, we got into a free bus pick up to the Golden temple. The moment one approaches near the temple complex, one can see the difference in attitude. People are friendly and very helpful. We were taken to the baggage room and left our luggage in the locker. Everything is free inside the temple, be it the baggage locker room, the shoe-stand, water or the food they serve (called “Langar”). A lot of planning by the temple management has gone into ensuring tourist friendly arrangements. Every detail like baggage trolley and wheel chairs for the physically challenged are provided free right at the point where the bus delivers the visitors. Small things like a foot rest to unlace ones shoes are provided.


Wheel chairs and baggage trolley
Lakshmi using the foot rest.















We were so impressed that we visited the temple on both the days of our stay and had “Langar” there. The food was simple but tasty with chapatti, daal and kheer. The free food is served 24x7 and caters to 20000 people a day.
Lakshmi partaking in the "Langar".



People waiting for the free lunch to be served












Chalk marks showing the bullet marks.

Jallianwala Bagh- the site of the massacre by Brigadier Dyer on April 13,1919, the Punjabi new year day- is situated very near the temple. 389 innocent citizens died and more than 2000 wounded during the indiscriminate firing. The scenes from the movie "Gandhi" showing this incident flashed through my mind and i felt so terrible standing where the firing took place. People were shot when they were trying to escape by climbing the wall and there were others who jumped into the well and lost their lives. The chalk marks in the walls capture the bullet marks.  




View of the crowd in the Wagha border ceremony.
The much hyped Attari-Wagha border was our next visit. This is about 23 kms from Amritsar and is the border between india-Pakistan. Every day evening they conduct a flag lowering ceremony with March past by the Border security forces (BSF). Similar function happens simultaneously on the Pakistan side by their army. This function is more of grandstanding and dramatization by the military and i did not feel any patriotic fervor by this exercise.Also, they have separate enclosure for men and women and when the gates were opened for entry to the venue, people rush in pushing others almost causing a stampede. We also visited the Attari Railway station which is the last station in the Indian side before the Pakistan border.   




The nest visit was the Rambagh museum. This houses the paintings on Maharaja Ranjith Singh who was called the Lion of Punjab.
Ista hotel with Alpha one mall.


We stayed in Hotel Ista (http://www.istahotels.com/hotels-amritsar.aspx)  which is a business hotel right next to the Alpha one city center Mall in the main G.T Road.The hotel is famous for its spa and Ayurveda massage. This is the only hotel where they offer a "pillow menu" where in one can choose from a variety of pillows to suit ones preference. I had one of the most wonderful sleeps with the cozy pillow. A console box is kept near the bedside table from where one can control all the electrical functions of the room. No wonder they pride themselves in calling a hi-tech hotel. However, a major drawback was in not providing a health faucet in the toilet.




As a city, Amritsar is quite dirty. The approach road to the temple is so narrow and it was a miracle how our bus maneuvered through these. These streets also form the shopping center and one can imagine how crowded the narrow streets would be. However, it really was fun to go through shopping among the crowds. Amritsar is famous for its Phulkari dress material and Patiala salwars. But, the thing that captured Lakshmi's taste buds was the "Kulfi" she had in a road side shop. It was probably one of the best kulfi we have had.


Delicious kulfi with rose syrup.


Lakshmi in a cycle rickshaw.
We tried all forms of transportation during this visit. We came by flight from Delhi and then boarded the bus to go to the temple. After the temple visit, we took a car to the Wagha border and back to the hotel. The next day we took an Auto rickshaw to the temple and wound up taking a cycle rickshaw to go to the museum and our shopping visits. That is vehicular variety at its best.




A wonderful trip and would surely like to come back another time to visit the temple and of course to try the kulfi.





                                                                       











12 comments:

Unknown said...

Nice travellogue dad... especially liked the last paragraph where you have described the modes of transport you took ... nice... :)

- arch

Anonymous said...

KpyVtu [url=http://chaneljponline.org/]シャネル 財布[/url] HucCcv http://chaneljponline.org/ VzfKca [url=http://www.coachjpsales.net/]コーチ バッグ アウトレット[/url] NcsXwr http://www.coachjpsales.net/ EdoPhh [url=http://pradasjapan.net/]プラダ バッグ 新作 2012 秋冬[/url] CwmAxn http://pradasjapan.net/ DykCli [url=http://coachonsales.org/]コーチ アウトレット[/url] LosZtm http://coachonsales.org/

Anonymous said...

Этого я не говорил. [url=http://www.kackad.kz/user/Hursikma/]Копейкина[/url] [url=http://www.kackad.kz/user/Hursikma/]Иулия[/url] [url=http://www.super-play.info/forum_new/index.php/topic,197781.new.html#new]. Вам интересны новинки, которыми изобилует ярмарка, или вы хотите испытывать что-то новость о товарах и услугах, уже исстари заслуживших уверенность потребителей?О достоинствах и недостатках современного рынка товаров и услуг расскажут специалисты, рекомендации которых вы узнаете, прочтя статьи нашего сайта.[/url]

Discovery Journeys India said...

A beautiful post! I've lived and traveled in so many places, but have never been to India, so it is fascinating to see the country through the eyes of people who live or travel there.

Thanks,

Zanskar Trans Himalaya Trek | Assam Kaziranga National Park

Anonymous said...

Я думаю вы непомерно хорошо написали, многим пригодится сей испытание, причем данную тему описывали нераз однако без такого подробного изложения [url=http://profvesti.ru/o-dachnom-stroitelstve/110-zemelnyy-uchastok-dlya-dachnogo-stroitelstva.html]строительный портал пенза[/url]

Anonymous said...

nexium 40 mg vial
[url=http://www.jnf.nl/swf/log/1/actos-30-mg-price.html]actos 30 mg price[/url]
robaxin 500 mg used
ciprofloxacin 500mg rx710
adalat 10 mg nebenwirkungen
http://www.jnf.nl/swf/log/31/side-effects-in-children-from-singulair.html

Anonymous said...

Thanks for another great post. Where else could anyone get that kind of information in such a perfect method of
writing? I've a presentation subsequent week, and I am on the search for such info.

Also visit my homepage :: best Cccam dreambox

Anonymous said...

I'm not sure exactly why but this site is loading incredibly slow for me. Is anyone else having this issue or is it a problem on my end? I'll check back later on and see if the problem still exists.


Stop by my website ... cccam server

Anonymous said...

Кабельная продукция - один из основных продуктов, используемых для полнофункциональной деятельности электрооборудования. Большой объём разных моделей и марок кабеля на сайте ООО "Спецкомплект" предоставляют широкий выбор для оптового и розничного заказчика.
Фирма предлагает ассортимент качественных товаров, таких как К1163, К1150, К1151, К1152, Арматура для СИП ENSTO, КВВГ, КВбБШв, АС,ДКС, оптический кабель ОКГ, ОКБ, ОКЛ, ОКК.
Щитовое оборудование высокого качества по доступной цене, смотрите обзор на сайте компании.
Specomplect.ru - [url=http://specomplect.ru]лотки К1153[/url]

Anonymous said...

Возведение жилых и индустриальных многоуровневых объектов влечет за собой привлечение специальной строительной техники, снабженной для осуществления определенных задач. Проведение строительных работ происходит по этапам, в связи, с чем, задействовать строительную технику тоже доводится по шагам, в зависимости от определенных задач.
Но закупка такой специализированной техники влечет огромные расходы. Так как стоит она дорого, компания "Сапрос" предлагает услуги аренды строительной техники. Наш автопарк укомплектован всем надобным для строительства автотранспортом. Быстрый заказ спецтехники можно сделать через интернет, заполнив заявку онлайн на сайте компании. В Самаре мы пользуемя популярностью именно за качественное и быстрое обслуживание заказчиков, предоставляя такую услугу, как аренда экскаватора. Наши специалисты при необходимости в полном объеме проконсультируют Вас о более подходящем под запросы автотранспорте, что позволит сэкономить и время и деньги.
SAPros.Ru - [url=http://sapros.ru]аренда гидромолота в самаре[/url]

Anonymous said...


Summary of converse [URL=http://www.okay2shoes.net][b]gucci shoes for men[/b][/URL] shoes

Through innovations, leadershipAnd contributions converse has builtA shoe brandAround the heritageAnd soul ofAmerican sports in the 20th century.Keeping up with the evolutionAnd popularity of basketball, tennis, football, baseballAnd track, converse shoes have becomeA favorite worldwide.A young basketball star named charles"Chuck"H.Taylor, who played for theAkron firestones, chose the converseAll starAs hisAthletic shoe.Taylor began working for converse shoesAsA salesmanAnd became the"Ambassador to basketball"As he traveledAround the us promoting basketballAnd the converseAll star shoe to high schoolAnd college basketball teams.In 1923, chuck taylor's signature wasAdded to the famousAll starAnkle patch.TheAll star shoe was soon to becomeKnownAs"Chuck taylors"A.K.A. "Chucks. " Chucks originatedAsA basketball shoe,And if you lookAtA basketball court from the 1920's, every player was wearingA pair. Leather shoes, however, were soon to replace canvas on the basketball court, but the shoe foundA new life in the fashion world.Today, over 800 million pairs of chucks have been sold. Converse shoes isA leading global designer, manufacturerAnd marketer of high qualityAthletic footwear for men, womenAnd children. The company isAlsoA global licensor of sportsApparel,AccessoriesAnd selected footwear. The company's productsAre distributed in over 90 countries to stores which include fashion, specialityAthletic, sporting goods, departmentAnd shoe stores. Since the birth of Chucks, Converse shoes has produced tennis, cleatedAnd running shoe linesAs wellAsA full line of basketball footwear. Over time Converse shoes developedA line of skateboard shoes,As it entered the skate market. Today Converse shoes [URL=http://www.okay2shoes.net/nikeairmaxnikeairmax97womens-c-3_58.html][b]Air Max 97 Women[/b][/URL] enjoys worldwide recognitionAnd is highly regardedAsA manufacturer of superiorAthletic footwear. Converse shoes hasAlso been,And continues to be, strongly involved in the street-fashionAnd music marketsAs itAssociates its heritageAnd originality with innovative ideas. Converse shoes continues its innovationsAnd the technical teamAnd design gurus continue to provide consumers with innovative, sports performanceAnd fashion products. Over the years, Converse has created collections in Sports Performance, Sports LifestyleAnd Sports Classics. Converse Sports Performance collection began with the love of basketball itselfAnd features the most popularAnd storied basketball shoes ofAll time including the Converse Chuck taylor all star shoe. From sport style to everyday lifestyle, the Converse Sports Lifestyle collection gives originalityAnd self expression to those who wear them.Sports lifestyle shoes feature street-styleAnd casual footwear inspired by court, trackAnd tennisAthletic shoes. Converse shoes collection combines creative, original ideas with new materials, colors, printsAnd special featuresAllowing the world to enjoy updated favorites like the Converse Chuck taylor all starAnd the Converse Jack Purcell. With nearlyA century of sports historyAnd footwear innovation, Converse is more than shoes. Its rich history tellsA story of American sportsAnd innovators that came together for the love of sports. To this day, Converse creates footwear thatAllows us to express who weAre. Converse offersA wide range of stylish sneakers that cater to men, womenAnd childrenAlike.And their ultra-Sleek eyewear line is not to be taken lightly. So, whether you're looking forA pair of old-School chucks(Chuck taylor all star)Or high-end models suchAs Jack Purcell or Converse by John Varvatos, look no further than Converse! For latest converse shoes or cheapAir force ones?Welcome to china-Bness.Com, the destination for cheap sports shoes.


Divya Shankar said...

Nice travelogue entry, Uncle. Its' been really long since I logged into my blogger account, therefore missed all recent articles on your blog too. In most TV shows on Amritsar, I too have found the city pretty unclean but the Golden temple stands in stark contrast in that aspect. What seemed most interesting to me is the "pillow menu" :)
Wishing you more such interesting travel and hoping to read more such articles.