Amritsar – A tryst with spirituality and history
Amritsar, one of the leading cities of Punjab, is also one of the most popular among tourists and travelers. The reason for this is the world renowned Golden Temple, the seat of the Sikh religion and the most important pilgrimage for the Sikh community.
The Golden temple complex is the seat of the most revered shrine in Sikhism – Harmandir Sahib. It is here that the spiritual fabric of the Sikh culture spreads out in a serene setting complete with a sarovar or a tank. The main temple, with its prominent golden top, is the scene of religious activity from dawn to dusk.
Also of equal importance from a historical perspective is a park and an incident that happened there in the early 20th century which played its part in shaping India’s freedom struggle. The Jallianwala Bagh is a few hundred metres down from the Golden temple complex – a park which can be accessed by only a narrow passage, which also proved to be the unfortunate reason why thousands of Indians lost their lives in April, 1919. A peaceful meeting was misconstrued to be the setting for an extremist congregation and forced the British General Dyer to order his men to open fire. In the confusion that ensued, the hapless crowd ran helter skelter looking for an escape from the park. Several of them fell dead to bullets while many jumped into a deep well located in the park and lost their lives.
Bearing proximity more to a Pakistani city than an Indian one makes Amritsar unique in that aspect also. But for the Partition that happened, Lahore and Amritsar may well have been towns that would have seen a lot of travelers on that route. But currently, the tourism action is confined to a visit from both towns to the Wagah border to watch their respective military forces display their might and colour in a ceremony that is open to public each evening.
Besides the Golden Temple, the Jallianwala Bagh and a trip to the Wagah border, Amritsar holds other interesting experiences for travelers. The cuisine of the town is also quite well known with dishes like the Amritsari fish, Amritsari kulcha, Amitsari chhole, among others, being some of the most popular. Also are some good shopping options and some souvenirs like the Sikh symbols, kada and the kirpan are bought by tourists as mementos.
One of the jewels of the Grand Trunk Road, a trip to Amritsar opens up the window to authentic Punjabi life. Easily accessible by flight, by train and by road, the Amritsari experience is all about a journey laced with joy, melancholy, discovery and pain as one visits the icons of spiritualism and history.
Amritsar – A tryst with spirituality and history