AMRITSAR
Immersed thoroughly in the deviness and capsulated in th the manthra of moksha, let us enter the haloed land of AMRITSAR and dip on the pool of sacredness and spirituality.
Welcome to the heavenly abode which are caused by the melodies of Qurbani, which has been home to great saints and sages.... a symbol of resistance against the British Tyranny, where the sacred shrine of Golden Temple, which glimmers in the holy water emanates pure devine awareness.
As Macca is holy to Muslims, Jerusalem to Jews and the Vatican to Catholics, so is, Amritsar holy to sikhs. The epi centre of Sikhsm, Amritsar literally means "a pool of the Necar of immortality". The city has been named after the holy pool of Amritsarovar that surrounds the Golden Temple.
Rightly called the jewel of the rich and robel State of Punjab, Amritsar derives its indispensible spiritual charm and strength from its monuments, shrines, rich culture and loving people.
This trapezium shaped city which is also a major cultural and commercial centre, is located in the north-west part of India, about 20 miles east of the boarder with neighbouring country, Pakistan.
As you read the sigh post at the Jallianwala Bagh Memorial, which commemmorates one of the bloodiest chapters of India's quest for independence, it evokes the feeling of anger and agony. And as you walk past it towards the narrow path you start getting goose bumps. The path leads to a wide expanse of greenery.... the greenery which once found the unfortunate day of Baisakhi was transformed into a pool of blood. The dark shoadows of the gore incident flashes before your eyes. The memories of the heart wrenching cries of pain of men, women and children shivers run down your spine. One of the most tragic incidents in the history of Indian Freedom Struggle is the Jallianwala Bagh massacre. On the ill fated day of April 13th 1919, Hundreds of innocent people were killed or woulded in the indiscriminate firing by the troops under the command of General Michel Dire, while participating in a peaceful public meeting to protest peacefully against the Roulatt Act and protests turned out to be a massacre within 15 minutes. The 6.5-acre garden site of the massacre is located in the vicinity of Golden Temple complex. At the jallianwala Bagh incident site, stands a flame shaped memorial which is a 45 foot red stone pylon to pay homage to the martyrs. as you pass through the garden the holocaust at the Jallianwala Bagh coles alive before your eyes, when you see bullet marks on the walls, still visible. A section of wall with bullet marks still visible, is still preserved along with the memorial well in which people jumped inorder to escape the volley of bullets. More than 1,650 rounds were fired. a plate in the monument says, 120 bodies were plunged out of the well. After 28 years of the Jallianwala bagh Tragedy, India was freed from the imperial shackles. This site infuses National Awakening. Open from 6 am till 7 pm during summers and 7 am to 6 pm during winters, a visit to this historic monument makes one aware of the struggle the people of India have undergone to attain freedom for their country.
At first glimse, Amritsar is like any towns in northern India, with buzzling markets, hapazard traffic and congestion. The city of Amritsar, which was then named as 'township of Ramdaspur' was founded by Guru Ramdas, the 4th guru of sikh community. When he heard about the the devine healing powers of a pool, he initiated the escavation of a tank in 1577 AD, which came to be known as Amrit Sarovar or 'pool of nevar of immortality'. later he ordered his son, Guru Arjan Dev to erect the temple. Also known "Harminder Saheb" this structure sits on a 67 square feet rectangular platform surrounded by the Amrit Sarovar. It has entrances called "Deorhis" in all four directions signifying that everyone is welcome here, irrespective of caste, creed or colour. Another unique aspect of the architecture of the temple is that the structureis not erected on a higher level asis the tradition in hindu temple architecture. The causeway or the holy bridge which connects the main structure starts from Darshani Deorhi and is 240 feet long and 21 feet wide. Situated at the other end of the causeway is the AKAL TAKT, which literally means the eternal throne.
The only restrictions on the Harmandir Sahib's visitors concern their behaviour when entering and while visiting:
Maintaining the purity of the sacred space and of one's body while in it (Upon entering the premises, removing one's shoes and washing one's feet in the small pool of water provided and , Not drinking alcohol, eating meat, or smoking cigarettes or other drugs while in the shrine ).
Dressing appropriately (Wearing a head covering and not wearing shoes)
First-time visitors are advised to begin their visit at the information office and then proceed to the Central Sikh Museum near the main entrance and clock tower.
The Harimandir Sahib runs one of the largest free kitchens in the world, serving 100,000 people on average daily. The meal consists of flat bread and lentil soup
The Temple has witnesses a masive military operation in between 3rd June and 6th June, 1984 when army, led by General Kuldip Singh Brar, willingly brought infantry, artillery and tanks into the Harmandir Sahib on orders from late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, to put a end to the Dharam Yudh Morcha led by Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale . The temple structure suffered heavy damage in the amilitary movement.
Our next destination in Amritsar is Maharaja Ranjeet Singh's Summer Palace. Maharaja Ranjeet singh is a polular figure in the history of India. He used to spend summers in this palace. The Summer palace is today transformed into a museum which displays paintings, weapons, coins etc. The museum also houses the replica of the famous Kohinoor Diamond.
As I already mentioned, the neighbouring country Pakistan shares indian border, which is about 20 miles (32 kilometres ) from the city. This place enables passing of humans and goods between India and Pakistan through gates erected by both the nations. The Wagah Border post remains open daily from 10:00 am till the flag down ceremony in the evening. There is a special ceremony conducted at the border gate, two hours before sunset every day, which is exchange of honur conducted by the Indian Border Security Force (BSF) and the Pakistan Rangers (PR) simultaneously, which is worth seeing. Depending upon the time of sunset, the flag down ceremony normally starts around 4:30 pm in winters and 5:30 pm in summers.
Having had a chance to visit Amritsar, you cannot ever dare to miss the most delicious laccha paranathas in one of the most authentic restaurants of Amritsar. Yes, I am mentioning about Kesar Da Dhaba. This century old dhaba lets you taste the most delicious Punjabi cuisines dipped in Desi Ghee and rich in delicacy. According to me bettwr prefer to have your lunch or dinner session with the mouth-watering phirni served here in earthen bowls. It is easy to locate this restaurant... it is located in - Chowk Passian, Chowk Passian, Near Telephone Exchange, Amritsar Cantt., Punjab - 143006.(Phone : 0 98155 76117 ). This Dhaba is extablished in the year 1916 is one of the oldest Dhabas in Amritsar.
The specialities in this restaurant, you must not miss are, daal paratha , firni (sweet dish), chole bature, ma ki dal, stuffed parothas, lassi, etc....
Another destination which is just one and half kilometre away from the Golden Temple is the famous Hindu Temple, Durgiana Temple. The speciality of this temple in appearence is that this temple is a replica of the Golden Temple. see the photograph of the temple on the right side. This temple which houses the deities, Lordess Durga, Lord Hanuman, Mata Shitla, along with Lakshmi Narain was built in the year 1908.
The next destination we are speaking of, is Tarn Taran . This Sikh pilgrimage site situated in the Tarn Taran District of Punjab is located at a distance of around 22 km from the Golden Temple. This Gurudwara was also constructed by Guru Arjan Dev. It is believed that the Sarovar (pond) located in this Gurudwara is the largest among all the Sikh Shrines. Tarn Taran is counted among the most popular Sikh pilgrimage sites in India and devotees visit this shrine every month on the day of New-Moon Day.
A
