A 3 day weekend, temp. Nearly 30 degrees and not a
spendthrift pocket…..448 kms. From Delhi sounds to be a decent three day trip
to the “Harimandar Sahib “(officially the Golden Temple of Amritsar). All modes
of transport (road/railway/airway) are available on this route. Both Deluxe and
superfast trains depart from New Delhi Railway station to Amritsar Junction.
One can avail the Amritsar Shatabdi, Amritsar mail, Golden temple Express, WB
Samparkranti, Paschim express. Ideal time of travel ranges between 6.5 -10
hours. Reservations done 15 days prior can make you lucky to get tickets in any
of the above trains. In our case, it was a spontaneous decision just 2 days
prior to the journey, so we had the option of Volvo buses left open for us. A
fleet of Luxury AC Volvo buses ply between Delhi & Amritsar daily. Average
fare is Rs. 800. You can either book tickets online through makemytrip.com or
Redbus.in, or directly purchase tickets from the travel agents. Boarding point
is Red Fort, Old Delhi. Since we believed in utilizing time utmost, hence chose
the travel time for night. Boarded Travel point luxury AC Volvo at 10:30 P.M.
Promised arrival time in Amritsar was next day at 7:30 P.M. Although the
booking ticket claimed it to be an AC 2+2 seater Video coach, nothing of such
was present. The journey was not very luxurious, but time of 9 hours just flew
by and we landed at Amritsar bus stand at 8:00 A.M. Being a small city,
distance from the local bus stand to our 3 day abode (Hotel R. S Residency in
Hall bazaar) was just a few kilometers away. The rickshaw Walla charged us R.
30 to safely drop us in front of our hotel.
Being a popular tourist destination, one can book rooms in any of the
numerous hotels available in the Golden temple complex. One can choose to stay
in 2 star, 3 star, guest houses, depending on their budget. A deluxe room in a
3 star costs you somewhere between Rs. 1200- 1500 per night.
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| Hotel R.S Residency, Hall Bazaar, Amritsar, 5 mins walking distance from the Golden Temple |
Bus journey not being so comfortable for us on
the 1st day, we preferred to rest the entire day planning to visit “The
Golden temple “in the evening. 5 mins walks down from the hotel, we finally
reached Harimandar Sahib at 7:30 P.M. People from all walks of life thronged
the temple area in hundreds and thousands. After keeping our shoes outside, we
finally went inside the complex. All services to mankind are delivered by the
voluntary “sevaks” of the temple, common man/devotees who render their services
to ward themselves off from sin & doing “punya” in their life. Before
entering the temple, one has to dip his/her feet in the “hari ki pauri”, a
small tank of water to get your feet clean. As you enter the circumbulation, the
peaceful harmonious “gurbaani’ comes flowing onto your ears. Amidst the golden
dusk, we witnessed the “Swarnmandir (Golden Temple), standing tall, calm, royal
in the middle of the “tank of nectar”- (Reservoir of water) considered holy by Sikhism. The golden walls of the temple sparkled in the evening
darkness, the hymns coming out of the main Durbar sahib mixed with the waters create an ambience
of serenity, divinity, love and piousness.
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| Golden Temple (Swarnmandir) in the evening sun at dusk |
One can sit for hours and get
absorbed in the flow of the sweet melodious environment created there. You seem
to forget all your worries, pains, sorrow & just get imbibed in the “Gurbaani”.
On the left side is the “Bunge “where the sangat & langars (community kitchen)
are housed.
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| Bunge - Place for sangat & langar- community kitchen (langar) |
On the right side is the “Akal Takhth Sahib” the throne of
Guru Gobind Singh Ji, considered as the highest place from where the Guru used
to cite “hukumnamas”.
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| Akal Takht Sahib & Miri Piri |
Just opposite to the Akal Takht Sahib at full high mast are
2 saffron coloured flags, symbolizing “Miri & Piri” the 2 great swords of
valiance & bravery held by the Guru during his seat on the Akal Takht
throne. The main darbar sahib is connected to the circumbulation by means of
the Holy Bridge. In order to offer “Karaah Prashad” & to catch a glimpse of
Sri Guru Granth Sahib, one has to pass through the “Darshni Deodhi”, which is 2
storied building situated in front of the Akal Takht Sahib. The darshni Deodhi
is connected to the Main drabr sahib by the hly bridge. The holy bridge is 240
feet long & 21 feet wide.
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| Holy Bridge- long queue for offering karaah prashad to main durbar sahib |
Every morning at 4:00 A.M, the holy Guru Granth Sahib is
carried in a “Palki” (palanquin) from the Akal takht sahib to the main darbar
sahib . It is an event to witness in your lifetime. After offering Karaah
Parshad , one can have “langar” in the temple community kitchen. It is
considered highly auspicious to take dip in the Holy tank of nectar. People
from all walks of life, rich, and poor, child, adult, male or female sprinkle
themselves in the holy waters.
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| Fishes in the Tank of nectar- an absolute delight to watch them |
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| A child taking dip in the holy tank |
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| Chabeels- places which offer cold clean drinking water to devotees, located on all 4 sides. |
On the 4 corners of the circumbulation, are “chabeels”….places
for drinking cold water. It is indeed bliss to see loads of women & men
washing the utensils and offering cold drinking water in steel containers. The best
part about the Golden temple is its cleanliness, the awareness, responsibility
and diligence in every worshipper who visits the temple premise with sheer
devotion in his mind. The Marble infrastructure appears perfect white with no
dirt or grime as compared to any Hindu religious place which would have been
soiled like anything. The temple stands aloft, a true epitome of glory, integrity,
bravery built by the Sikh gurus & implicated in the Sikh community. The
temple is open 24X7; one can visit it any pert of day or night.
Other popular religious places are the Durgaina temple
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| Durgaina temple |
Durgaina temple
Mata lal Devi temple (replica of vaishno Devi temple). Apart
from these, one can visit Ranjit singh memorial palace, Jallianwala bagh, and
Khalsa College, Attari & wagah border.
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| Jallianwala bagh- the biggest massacre ever occured in British India 1919 A.D |
Day 2: Jallianwal Bagh……to be contd.
