Amritsar Tourism & Travel Guide - Places to see in Amritsar

Amritsar Tour & Travel Guide - Places to See in Amritsar

Golden Temple

Amritsar gets its name from the body of water surrounding the Golden Temple. Directly translating into ‘lake of nectar’, the shrine to which the city owes its name is its most important attraction. The Golden Temple is an amazing complex, perpetually overflowing with pilgrims either in awe of the structure, or immersed in prayer, or both. Open from 6am to 2am, it merits two visits at two different times of the day. Or come before dawn and stay till after day break. While the sun reflects off the gold that covers the upper floors of the Temple during the day, at night, the entire complex is lit up to give it a hazy glow, that has been muse to a host of mesmerizing photographs. The beauty of the Temple is not without tragedy. Having been attacked by both the Mughals and the Afghans, the history of the shrine is extremely interesting. Legend has it that a mason corrected the crooked positioning of the foundation stone laid by Hazrat Mian Mir, jinxing the structure, leading to it being attacked by the Mughals. Apart from the main Temple or Harmandir Sahib, the temple complex consists of the Darshan Deori or main entrance that houses a Victorian clock, the Central Sikh Museum and the Akal Takt,where the highest council of the Sikh community sits. This is also where the Guru Granth Sahib is taken at night. Surrounding, and in the process reflecting the Golden Temple is the Amrit Sarovar with areas cordoned off for pilgrims to bathe.

Jallianwala Bagh

Besides the Temple, but still down the historic path, is the must visit Jallianwala Bagh, simply for its value in Indian history. A 5 minute walk from the Golden Temple, this is where the 1919 massacre occurred, where the British, headed by the infamous General Dyer, opened fire on an innocent gathering of men, women and children, without cause and continued on for a good 10 minutes. It is regarded as one of the greatest atrocities committed on human beings, in cold blood. To this date, the bullet holes can be seen on the walls and adjoining buildings. There is a well within the park, which is a protected monument, into which hordes of people jumped and drowned in an attempt to escape the shower of bullets.

Wagah Border

The Wagah border, also referred to as the "Berlin Wall of Asia", is the only road crossing border in use between India and Pakistan. Since 1959, every evening a Retreat Ceremony called the 'lowering of the flags’ takes place here and hundreds of people come from both countries to witness the ceremony. The ceremony in itself is exciting, and incredible energy is displayed by both armies as they parade on their own sides of the border. It is almost as if there is a battle between individual ceremonies, and the atmosphere is rendered electric with the marching, foot stamping and brimming adrenaline. The audience itself cannot restrain itself from keeping its emotions in check, and there is wild cheering as each side tries to lend its wholesome support to its troops. The ceremony induces fervor, induces passion, tears, and also nationalism. Some day hopefully there will be no strife, and people will be moving from one side to another without ado, as if it were a daily mundane routine.

Summer Palace of Maharaja Ranjit Singh

For the museum fans, there is also the Summer Palace of Maharaja Ranjit Singh located in Ram Bagh Park. On display are oil paintings, miniatures, coins and weapons from the Sikh period.

Mata Temple

This is the temple where women wishing to become pregnant are generally advised to go and pray. In the name of the saint Lal Devi, this labyrinth like cave temple is more an adventure than a serene place of worship. Devotees clamber in and out of caves and tunnels with ankle-deep water, as well as inclined walkways and mirrored hallways.

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