Amritsar
The divine Golden Temple is what calls one and all to Amritsar, irrespective of religion, beliefs, nationality or any other characteristic you can think of. Its the most divine place where even an atheist is full of devotion for the almighty. We made our trip to Amritsar after the Himachal leg of our tour in the hills. The weather was the still very pleasant at the end of March. We drove in from Palampur.
Hotel Ramada
Undoubtedly the best place to stay when you visit Amritsar, mainly because of its proximity to the Sri Harmandir Saab complex where the temple is located, which is walking distance from the hotel. Add to that a buzzing marketplace where you can do all your shopping. The primary attractions is around the Golden Temple
Golden Temple – Sri Harmandir Saheb
We checked in late evening and wasted no time in walking towards Sri Harmandir Sahib. The temple is open for all round the clock. We could never imagine the street would be filled up with people at 11 PM at but there they were in large numbers. This was an amazing vibe which I thought few cities in the world can match up to.
During the day is of course different inside the temple complex. Though the outside is as lively as it was the night before. We queued up for the darshan. It took us an hour but it was well worth it, with the halwa at the end. The place is amazingly well maintained and cleaned almost continuously.
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On the way to the temple complex is the iconic Jalianwala Bagh. A memorial had been created there which we visited way back in 2008. It has the bullet marks and the martyr’s well. It has now been refurbished in 2019 and a new memorial is in place. There is also a partition museum down the road.
Where To Eat
When in Amritsar, or for that matter Punjab, one cannot miss the Aloo Parathas and most importantly Chhole Kulche, along with Lassi. I ended up having only these two dishes (went without non-veg for the full stay). The two most prominent places to eat are Brother’s Dhaba and Bharawan Da Dhaba, right next to each other and on the way to the Harmandir Saab complex.
Where and What to Shop
Well men might not be very much interested in this section. Amritsar is famous for its phulkari sarees and dupattas. And as I mentioned the market place is close to the hotel, starting almost on its doorstep. Plenty of shopping was done by our lady Asmi for herself as well as for near and dear ones back home.
Wagah Border
When in Amritsar this is a must-visit. Just an hours drive from the hotel. There are tours arranged by the hotel. We made it to Wagah in 2008 and enjoyed the amazing parade at 5 PM when the gates get shut. The atmosphere on the India side of the border is no less than a cricket game. Tricolor flying and people cheering from the stands. We could not make it this time around but memories are fresh from the last visit.
