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Amritsar
Langar at athe Golden Temple Complex
People of Punjab
Akal Takht (l) and Golden Temple (r)AMRITSAR-GOLDEN TEMPLE N THINGS TO DO
Hey Melanie,
There are regular flights, but if you wanna save some money then the Shatabdi Express is brilliant, I have traveled on it many times without any problems (Amritsar is my ancestral town n I am of Indian descent), it takes around 6 hrs with 5 halts. Get details here
http://indiarailinfo.com/search/344/664 n official site - www.indianrail.gov.in
In Golden Temple the early morning rituals n prayers are quite blissful,
Very early in the morning you can experience the daily ceremony of bringing in the Holy Book into the Golden Temple in a gilded palanquin, after which the morning prayers, ardas are sung out by the priests from the book, these are quite soothing n pleasant to listen to, as are the Shabads n Kirtans Prayers throughout the day (till 10 pm, when the book goes back in the same kinda ceremony),
it’s an idea to keep along an English translation of the holy book, Guru Granth Sahib with you (avlb in the temple’s Lib, probably not so early), n read along the verses being sung
you can even do some volunteer work here for a few hours, cleaning or cooking in the community kitchen, as many devotees also do regularly
the free langar meals here cooked by the volunteers is quite delicious, wholesome, do try it
The Wagah Border ceremony by the Indian n Pak troops is not everybody’s cup of tea, though for a westerner who read so much about the tensions n animosity between these 2 brother countries, the atmospherics, n seeing the camaraderie amongst the respective citizens in the backdrop to its marching guards (involved with the flag ceremony) trying to out macho each other v interesting,
You should also visit Amritsar’s main temple, Durgiana Mandir, to the Mother Goddess, it’s from the late medieval period, n it’s design is modeled on the Golden Temple, n also in the center of manmade “sacred” pond
as in other temples the morning n evening rituals n prayers r best,
another temple in Amritsar worth visiting is Ram Tirath Temple
These apart, by Indian standards Amritsar is a prosperous, as also a lively city, n the Punjabis are known around the world as people who work hard, n play harder,
a large part, (much larger than its % in India’s pop) of India’s successful Diaspora are from Punjab, as are many of the superstar NRIs (Non Resident Indians)
So it’s an interesting city to walk through, where religion, culture n commerce mix together
n there are many other activities here, inc Malls, Cultural n Folk Festivals etc, its Bhangra music (n energetic dance, on which a large part of the song n dance seen in ‘Bollywood’ films has been based) has fans all around the world
n the food, oh the Food, it’s amongst the best in India, esply in its famous Dhabas (traditional restaurants), an amalgamation of the best of North Indian, Frontier (Pak-Afghan) n Mughlai styles
in fact there are many now pop North Indian dishes originated here n r named after the city, inc the fish n nan (baked tandoori bread with filling)
but of course you’ll have to watch the spices n make spl request
There are a few late medieval Gurudwaras (Sikh Temples like the Golden) outside Amritsar worth the excursions, esply the 18th century one at Tarn Taran, just 25 km away
As in Golden Templ n Durgiana check if any spl religious n/or cultural festivals would be going on, these are exceptionally good experiences
Many Hill Stations n Resorts of Himachal Pradesh are also close by
N do keep in mind the winters in Amritsar are more severe than in other parts of the North Indian plains
Lemme know if you need 2 know anything at all about Amritsar or India
Cheer Peace
Sunjay
