Amritsar - Home of the Golden Temple

Early Saturday morning we took the flight to Amritsar in Punjab.
Amritsar was founded in 1577 by the fourth Sikh guru, Guru Ram Das and is home to the spectacular Golden Temple, Sikhism's holiest shrine.
After checkin to our hotel we went straight to this Golden Temple. The Temple is actually just a small part of this huge gurdwara complex, known to Sikhs as Harmandir Sahib. Spiritually, the focus of attention is the tank that surrounds the gleaming central shrine – the Amrit Sarovar, from which Amritsar takes its name, excavated by the fourth Sikh guru, Ram Das, in 1577. Ringed by a marble walkway, the tank is said to have healing powers, and pilgrims come from across the world to bathe in its sacred waters. Our guide explained us everything what we have to consider to respect the rules in the temple complex. We left our shoes at the entrance, walked through the water (to wash our feet) into the inner side of the complex and there was the Golden Temple. There was a long queue to get into the Golden Temple itself. Our guide told us that it would take us at least 2h to get in so we decided just to walk around the tank. Highlight was the visit of the Guru-Ka-Langar, an enormous dining room where an estimated 50,000 pilgrims (sometimes up to 100.000 pilgrims) come to eat every day after praying at the Golden Temple. There’s no charge to eat here. Catering equally to everyone from poor people to millionaires, it's a humbling demonstration of the Sikh principles of hospitality, community service and charity.
The meals themselves comprise simple but tasty servings of dhal, roti and rajma (kidney beans), handed out by temple workers to diners who sit cross-legged on the floor and eat off stainless steel plates.
2nd destination was the Partition Museum. The Partition of India has been one of the most defining events in the history of the subcontinent. It was the largest migration in human history and upto 20 million people were affected. With extensive loss to life and property. The museum presents stories, materials, and documents related to the post-partition riots that followed the division of British India into two independent dominions: India and Pakistan. No photos were allowed in the museum. From my perspective very good presentation of the facts. And we learnt a lot again.
3rd stop was the Attari Border Station, India’s First Line of Defence. In the past it was called Wagah Border but Wagah is the village on the Pakistan side and the first village in India side is Attari. The lowering of the flags ceremony at the Attari-Wagah border is a daily military practice that the security forces of India (Border Security Force, BSF) and Pakistan (Pakistan Rangers) have jointly followed since 1959. It was a short while show with a warm up of a military “entertainer” and a lot of nationalism by cheering up the crowd and by shouting loudly “Hindustan”. But worth to see.
4th and last touristic stop for day was the night visit of the Golden Temple. Was great to see it again at night and now the Gold of the temple was much better to see. And it was still so busy. Thousands of people streamed into the temple complex and the queues for the Golden Temple were even longer as at lunch time. After that we decided to skip the dinner as we had already a very good Punjabi meal at 3pm before we went to the border.

Sunday morning we walked back towards the Golden Temple complex. 250 meters before is the Jallianwala Bagh. What’s the story?
On 13.04.1919 a large crowd gathered in Jallianwala Bagh, which was nearly completely enclosed by walls and had only one exit. Some were there to protest the Rowlatt Acts from WW1, which were extended by the British government of India to combat subversive activities measures, others were there to celebrate a National Holiday. Brig. Gen. Reginald Edward Harry Dyer was given the task of restoring order. Without warning, the troops opened fire on the crowd, reportedly shooting hundreds of rounds until they ran out of ammunition. It is not certain how many died in the bloodbath, but, according to one official report, an estimated 379 people were killed, and about 1,200 more were wounded. After they ceased firing, the troops immediately withdrew from the place, leaving behind the dead and wounded.
The massacre stunned the people and became a turning point in the history of India’s struggle for freedom. It left a permanent scar on Indo-British relations and was the start to Mahatma Gandhi’s full commitment to the cause of Indian nationalism and independence from Britain.
Afterwards we strolled through the narrow streets of old Amritsar and I had the chance to take a few really good shots of the local scene. We saw another Temple complex (a copy of the Golden Temple) with no traffic and finally the Gobindgarh Fort. It spans 263 years, right from the era of the Bhangi Misl to Maharaja Ranjit Singh to the British East India Company to the Indian Army. The most famous story is for sure the capture of the Fort by Maharaja Ranjit Singh by defeating the Bhangies. It is also reported that Maharaja Ranjit Singh kept his treasure at the Toshakhana (a separate building inside the fort) which included the famous Koh-i-Noor diamond.
Overall a better than expected trip to Amritsar. Absolutely to recommend!Read more