The Golden Temple in Amritsar

Few years ago, I wrote about my wish list about the States and Union Territories in India that I wanted to visit. You can read about it here . There I mentioned that the day I land in Amritsar and go see the Harmandir Sahib or Golden Temple as it is more popularly known, I would say that I had been to Punjab. I have to thank the almighty for sure as since last 2 years, I somehow got the opportunity to go to Amritsar thrice and all these three times I went to Harmandir Sahib and could offer my prayers.

The first time I went there in 2017, I was stunned by the calmness the Golden temple offered in the midst of all the chaos. I did manage to offer 10 mins of "seva" in the kitchen though I didn't get the chance to have the Holy langar. The langar or the community kitchen serves more than a lakh pilgrims daily irrespective of their caste, creed or religion. That is the main motive of having four entrance gates to this holiest of the shrines of Sikhism. People of any faith can come and visit Harmandir Sahib from all four gates. However the main road/bridge in the lake to reach the holy seat is only one, emphasizing that the end goal is only one.


The second time I was there, I had the time to sit and have the langar of Roti, Kadhi, Daal and Kheer. What still amazed me was the number of people offering Seva or service to run the kitchen. This time I didn't have any time for seva.

The stretch from the Town Hall which now houses the Partition museum till Harmandir Sahib has undergone a serious make over only few years back. I have only heard about the old hustle bustle of "Ambarsar" from our guide. What I have seen is completely different and honestly little difficult to imagine. Partition Museum is where I am yet to be. This is definitely on my mind.

The majestic statue of Maharaja Ranjit Singh

Makki Roti and Sarson ka Saag at Brothers

One only has to walk few meters and you will get the old city which very much exists behind these newly renovated walls. There are a number of eateries serving famous Punjabi stuff. There are few famous ones like Brothers Dhaba or Kesar da Dhaba. I had been to Brothers but Kesar not yet. 






I stayed in Fairfield by Marriott in my second visit and I have to admit, their Kava grill and lounge serves excellent local staff. I had amazing pindi chole and kulche there. 

Pindi Chole & Kulche at Fairfield 

Besides the mandatory Wagah border retreat ceremony, I would recommend you spend one evening at the newly renovated Gobindgarh Fort watching the Sound and Light show called The Whispering Walls. It is truly world class.

Whispering Walls at Gobindgarh Fort

Even though Harmandir Sahib is full of pilgrims all the time, discipline is maintained by everyone. Among those hundreds of people, still the very sight of the shrine makes my heart run through a thousand emotions every time I am there.

I am just back from Amritsar on 31st Oct and this time I went to the Golden Temple in the night. Everyone told me it looks amazing in the night. Finally I was there. Even though I wasn't there for the closing ceremony called "Sukhasan" or the opening ceremony called "Prakash", I now have in mind to be there for at least one in my next visit. This time with my travel buddy my other half for sure.