An outstation trip with fellow members of the Rotary
Club of Madras South is always an enjoyable affair. This time it was a
pilgrimage to the Golden Temple in Amritsar coinciding with the 550th birth anniversary of
Guru Nank Dev. A visit I had been looking forward to for a long time. I was
not disappointed.
The group consisting of 23 members left by an Indigo
flight on the morning of 10th October, which took us to Amritsar ,
via Mumbai. As it was already 1.30 p.m.
by the time we reached our
destination, the group decided to have a go at the sumptuous lunch provided by
the Hotel Park Inn at Radisson, a three
star hotel with well appointed rooms and basic facilities. After a quick
check-in and a brief rest we were
off on
our visits.
The first halt was at the 16th century Durgiana
Temple dedicated to goddess Durga. The
temple is modelled on the Golden Temple with its main shrine rising from the
midst of a tank, its central dome covered with gold and the rest of the
structure wrapped in marble. It is also called Silver Temple for its carved
silver doors. After offering our prayers here, the ladies in the group decided
to go for the first round of their shopping, nay window shopping, while the men
in the group went looking for eateries in the busy market area which would
serve hot tea and pakodas.
Surprisingly,
most of the outlets in the area
were serving lassi but not tea until an
enterprising owner of a small restaurant decided to oblige us. While we
were busy gorging on hot gulab jamun and
samosa, we could see the owner getting fresh packets of milk and making special
tea for us. After the return of the ladies from their window-shopping, we
decided to visit the Golden Temple. What an experience it was.
On the lines
of Tirupathi temple, the entire surroundings of the Sri Harmandir Sahib, better
known as the Golden Temple, have been cleared of encroachments. Curbs
have been imposed on the movement of any
kind of vehicles in the cordoned-off area.. The cobbled and skid proof flooring
ensure smooth movement of the thousands
of pilgrims who throng the temple from all over India, every day. In the
evening, all the important landmarks
both outside and inside the temple premises are well lit with dazzling lights.
As you enter the temple after getting your bare feet cleansed by a continuously
flowing water strategically positioned at the entrance you get the feeling that you are entering a devalogam
or dream world. The air was full of positive vibes.. The piety and
devotion of the thousands of devotees is to be seen to be believed. Wearing a
scarf on the head, available for sale outside and free inside the temple, is a
must for every devotee entering the temple complex.
On the advice of the our guide Simran, a portly Punjabi lady speaking in
typical Punjabi English, we decided on darshan of the Granth Sahib in the
evening itself as the morning darshan would take more time. Guru Granth Sahib
is the Sikh scripture containing the first Guru Nanak Dev Ji`s teachings. It
is worshipped by Sikhs all over the
world – be it in their homes or in gurudwaras. Thousands of pilgrims standing
in front of the sanctum sanctorum of the main temple waiting for the darshan
entered in batches, making the movement
smooth and hassle-free. No rough jaragandi ( move…move..) experience a la
Tirupathi.
Inside the sanctum sanctorum we saw the Granth Sahib placed in the centre
with groups of priests singing the traditional
hymns in unison. You could hear
many pilgrims chanting `Waheguru`( Wondrous destroyer of darkness) as they were
circumambulating the holy
place. Just like `Govinda ..Govinda`` in Tirupathi. After an unrushed darshan of just half an hour and a 45-minute tour of facilities on the first and second floor of
the main temple, the group decided to savour the dinner at the
Guru - Ka- Langar located at the south east corner of the gurudwara complex. An
estimated 75,000 pilgrims come to eat here every day. Considered one of the
biggest community kitchens in the world it serves meals round the clock all
through the year -- justifying the popular Sikh saying that no one in Amritsar
ever goes to bed hungry.
You cannot see a single beggar on the streets of
Amritsar. For that matter I have never seen a single Sikh beggar anywhere in
the country. Pilgrims from every religion, caste and social status are treated
equally. You could have a CEO or a labourer
sitting next to you. The dinner
consisting of hot rotis, a subji ,a dhal and a rice payasam was wholesome and tasty. Except that some senior citizens like me found it
difficult to get up after sitting cross-legged to eat the
meal. Later we found out that there was a facility to have the meal sitting on
chairs near the exit side of the facility on the ground floor. The group
returned to the hotel after a mesmerising experience at the temple to rest
& recoup for the next day.
The second day, the group first visited the
Jallanwala Bagh, a walled garden, which is a major landmark in the history of
India`s struggle for freedom. The Martyr`s Memorial built in the shape of an
eternal flame has become an important pilgrim site at Amritsar. A section of
the wall with bullet marks is preserved along with the Memorial Well into which
a lot of people jumped to escape and finally drowned. Unfortunately, this
portion was cordoned off as renovation work was going on. Since Jalianwala Bagh is adjacent to the Golden
Temple, we went there again for day-time
darshan. This gave the group plenty of photo opportunities including selfies
against different backdrops.
The next attraction was the Partition Museum, said
to be the world’s first museum of its kind, and is based on the 1947 partition
of India. It tells the stories of millions of people affected during the
partition through oral histories, personal artefacts, letters, photographs, and
original documents. The museum is housed in the Town Hall building, a short
walk away from the Golden Temple at the beginning of the Heritage Street. Bang
opposite is the Brothers` Dhaba, where we went for lunch. The dhabha serves the
`Amritsari Asli Punjabi Khana`. Every one in the group could be seen gorging on
the varieties of dishes followed by a glass of lassi -- `rich, creamy, sweet`
which is any foodie`s delight. One of
the foodies in the group described it as
the most divine drink on this planet!
From the Dhabha the group undertook the 45-minute
bus ride to Attari at the Wagah
Border, an international border between India and Pakistan. Watching the pomp
and pageantry of the ` Beating the Retreat` ceremony and the change of guard is
an interesting experience. This half an hour pageantry is preceded by a
90-minute interactive patriotic fiesta.
It is a huge attraction for visitors, especially the younger generation who
join in the patriotic song-dance routine with gusto..
Some, however. felt that the
exercise was a lot of hype with little substance. Interestingly, the 25,000 seater stadium on the Indian side was packed to
capacity, but only a few hundreds watched the Pakistani show on its side of the
border. As Indians the group felt really proud. After a hectic day, the group returned to the hotel for a modest
dinner and sleep.
The next morning , after a relaxed breakfast, the
group left for Chandigarh. A four and
half hour journey by bus. The lunch at Haveli restaurant in Ropar on the
highway closer to Chandigarh was a gastronomic delight. The food, the ambience and
the service were world class. Haveli- a chain of restaurants serving
wholesome food to weary travelers on the highways - is a common sight in
Punjab.
At Chandigarh, the
best-planned city in India, the group checked into Hotel Mount View – a five-star hotel run by the
government with spacious rooms but mediocre maintenance. The afternoon saw the
group visiting the world-famous Neck Chand Rock Garden which exhibits rocks of
all sizes and colours besides dolls,
figurines, statuettes housed in caves, artificial hills and amphitheatres.
A few senior citizens made a quick exit
without seeing the place because of the
stress involved in walking, climbing and
squeezing through narrow passages. Besides, once you enter the exhibition area you
cannot get out without completing the 90-minute tour. On the way back the group had a quick look at
the Sukhna lake which offers boat rides.
Le Carbusier museum and Rose garden are other tourist attractions of Chandigarh.
Chandigarh has a developed-country feel. It is
extremely well planned with rich green cover and is spotlessly clean. No
beggars, no street vendors, no flouting of traffic rules. The taxi taking me to
the station next morning stopped at all
red signals though there was no traffic at that hour. Imagine such a thing
happening in any of our cities.
Next morning, the last day of the trip, while I left
Chandigarh by train for Delhi to meet old friends, the rest of the group, left for the airport to catch their flight to
Chennai via Hyderabad. I returned to Chennai the following day with a `Delhi Belly`. All the rich Asli Punjabi
Khana of Amritsar and Chandigarh had its effect on my tender digestive system
and triggered several trips to rest rooms. I felt drained during the next two
days. An anti-climax to an otherwise
memorable trip!
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