Among various tourist places in India, Amritsar is famous for the Golden Temple or Harmandir Sahib. The literal meaning of Amritsar is ‘the pool of Amrit/ambrosia” and this soravar or pool is inside the Golden Temple or Harminder Sahib complex.
Amritsar is located in Punjab State, approximately 450 KMs from Delhi and 240 KMs from Chandigarh. You can easily reach to Amritsar by train, car, or bus. You won’t face any transportation problem to reach Amritsar. Therefore, it is a perfect place for travel-enthusiastic people and Sikh devotees.
The entire year is the best time to visit Amritsar and is safe to travel also. However, you should avoid monsoon season and the peak winter season as the temperature can touch -4 degrees celsius. Plan your trip to Amritsar for 2 days and then visit the below places.
The accommodations are available at Sarai near Golden Temple at a reasonable cost. You can make the booking online from https://www.sgpcsarai.com.
Golden Temple Amritsar
The Golden temple is the most sacred Sikh pilgrimage, where thousands of people visit this place every day. This temple is famous for its golden dome and sacred water lake around the temple. The temple has an amazing architecture and a two-floor marble structure.
The history of the Golden Temple states that the idea to construct a temple for Sikhs to visit and worship was coined by the fifth Sikh Guru, Guru Arjun Dev. The Temple has four gates, one in each direction.
The Guru Granth Sahib is kept inside the temple during the day time and it is kept in the Akal Takht during the night. Make sure to cover your head while entering the temple. Guru Nanak Jayanti and Lohri are the famous festivals that celebrated in the Temple.
There is no entry fee to visit the temple. The timings to visit the Golden temple is from 4 AM to 11 PM on all days of the week. The temple serves free langar every day to people of all religions and beliefs, who come to its doors.
Jallianwala bagh Amritsar
Jallianwala Bagh is also known as the Amritsar massacre. In history, on 13 April 1919, British Brigadier-General Reginald Dyer killed thousands of innocents at Jalianwala Bagh.
Today, the Jalianwala Bagh is a public garden of about 6 Acres. The garden has houses of memorial to pay tribute to thousands of people killed during the Amritsar Massacre. Garden is fenced by high walls on all sides and has only five narrow entrances.
You can see bullet marks still on the walls all over. There is a Martyr’s well. During the Jalianwala Bagh Massacre people jumped into this well to escape the fire. Garden is beautifully maintained by the Jallianwala Bagh Trust. The garden is open for the public to visit from 6 AM to 7 PM in summer and 7 AM to 6 PM in winter.
Amritsar Wagah Border
Wagah border is one of the most famous borders between India and Pakistan. At a distance of 30 KMs from the Golden temple Amritsar, the Wagah border is the only road border between India and Pakistan.
The other reason for the Wagah border to be famous is the daily ceremony. The Wagah border is famous in both India and Pakistan. In the ceremony, both countries represent their strength and respect. The ceremony is held at 5 PM. You should reach on or before 4:30 PM and enjoy the marching of soldiers from both sides of the border. The seating arrangements are in a way where everyone can watch the ceremony.
The interesting part of this ceremony is the lowering of the flags of both countries simultaneously. Then, the flags are folded and the ceremony ends with a kind gesture, where the soldiers of both the countries shake hands. You will surely love and feel enthusiastic after cheering ‘Jai Hind’ or ‘Vande-Mataram. Experiencing the ceremony is for sure a proud moment for every Indian or Pakistani lover.