Skip to main content

Summer Travel 2017: Amritsar – A Divine Experience

Amritsar

19th May 2017: It was a Friday the start of a really long yet life changing journey for me. Started off from home at around 10:30 am. Had booked an Uber for the airport. Well, it was like 20 mins away from my home. But the excitement of starting the journey just made the wait easier.

The first stop of your going-to-be-long trip was Amritsar. Amritsar, a historically rich city in the northwest of India founded by the fourth Sikh Guru, Guru Ram Das. Amritsar is since ages been a house to India’s holiest shrine and some really serene sights.

So we boarded the flight from the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport at 1:10 PM. You may ask why I left at 10:30. Hey, I live in Mumbai the traffic can just make me miss my flight. It was a Vistara flight (UK-735). I’d really like to appreciate the service and food provided on the flight. You Go Vistara!

Reaching Amritsar at around 3:40. As soon as I got down from my flight my first reaction was “Damn, It is HOT!”. It was like about 40°C and mind you it’s really hot. So we boarded the bus we had booked through our hotel and set off to our Hotel.

The Hotel – Ramada Amritsar


Ramada Amritsar
Source: Ramada Amritsar
The hotel, Ramada Amritsar has to be one of the finest 4-star hotel located perfectly close to Amritsar’s main market and the Harmandir Sahib (Golden Temple). It was a perfect blend of Ramada Worldwide’s amazing and luxurious services along with Amritsar’s guest welcoming hospitality.

We were a group of 14 people that mainly needed Jain food and we are more than thankful to the Hotel’s staff for trying their best to provide with Punjab’s favorite cuisines such that they could match our liking.

The rooms were more than beautiful providing the royal feel. The hotel has a sundeck comprising of a swimming pool, a well-equipped fitness center, a multi-cuisine restaurant and coffee shop along with banquet halls. Well, I’d call it a great place if you plan on a destination wedding! (Well, make sure I’m invited :P)

The Harmandir Sahib aka The Golden Temple


A post shared by Bhavish ★ (@bethegud1) on

Golden Temple, the only reason I wanted to visit Amritsar is the city’s most spiritual and divine place. Famous for its golden dome, this place is the most sacred shrines for Sikhs. This place is widely known for offering free food to around 20,000 people every day.

My experience in this place was just amazing! The peace and serenity this place offers is quite heartwarming. Though there were 1000s of people around there wasn’t much noise, the place was peaceful. Actually, I’m out of words to explain how I felt but it just makes me want to go to that place again and again!

The best time to visit Golden Temple has to be in the morning at 4 am or at night at around 10 pm. Why? That’s when their religious book is taken from or to safe keeping so there's a small procession which is really a must watch.

Jallianwala Bagh


A post shared by Bhavish ★ (@bethegud1) on

The city is mainly known for its rich culture, its tasty cuisine and for the 1919 Jallianwala Bagh Massacre by the British. The Jallianwala Bagh massacre involves the killing of hundreds of Indian civilians under the orders of General Dyer. This unfortunate event occurred on 13 April 1919 i.e. the birth anniversary of Khalsa (army of initiated Sikhs).

Bullet Marks on the walls in Jallianwala Bagh
The place still gives me the chills. Though the place has been converted to really beautiful picnic spot, the walls still have the bullet marks also the well into which the people had jumped to save their lives is still preserved. As a mark of respect to all the innocent civilians killed during the massacre, an 'Amar Jyoti'  is lighted up near the entrance. There’s also a small museum containing the old newspaper articles, pictures, and information regarding the unfortunate event of historic importance.

Along with this, I also visited two Jain temples in Amritsar and that was the end of our stay in Amritsar. Our next stop is Dalhousie! A really bad experience! Keep following the blog to know more!



Follow Me on Twitter>>>@iamBhavish
And like us on Facebook>>> The Gud1

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Travel Diary: Sanjay Gandhi National Park

The Sanjay Gandhi National Park or Borivali Park whatever you wanna call it, is one of the most beautiful wildlife sanctuaries in the world. All because, it is spread across over 104 sq. km. and also because it  is the only park in the world located completely within a city limits, which is also rich in biodiversity.   To most Mumbaikars like me, the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) brings back the old memories of our childhood when our parents would take us to the park on a Sunday for a jungle safari or just an excursion to the famed Kanheri Caves (Note: they are around 2400 years old!) and not to forget those amazing school picnics. Alas, as I've grown up to be a teen, and through these years, places such as these have only remained confined to my memories. A visit to the National Park on a Tuesday, as part of my college's Environmental Visit, was to me as much about going back and living those memories again. It was about exploring the lesser known areas of the pa...

Best Holiday Destinations for February!

February, the shortest month of the year can also be the sweetest one, only if you know where to spend your time at. In case you took your resolutions seriously after reading my past post , it’s time for a relaxing vacation to break up the remaining winter months. Whether you want to hit the slopes without the crowds, hit up a grand Carnival party or seek that perfect romantic escape for Valentine’s Day, these February vacations have it all. Whatever your tastes, I have tried my best to provide you destinations right for you

What about traveling by yourself?

Traveling alone is a doubtful topic. Most of us have thought at least once about a trip by yourself. These fleeting thoughts are easily replaced with other ones in the dialogue with yourself because our mind faces some real and illusory obstacles. Let’s define these obstacles to see what prevents us from traveling alone. Maybe you will reconsider them and finally decide to travel with no companion. 1. Unhappy crew Socializing is vital for every human being. We want to share our most memorable experiences with our friends and family. The experiences may be both fun and stressful; furthermore, people behave differently in their comfort zone and in a new ambience. Consider the simple facts like chronic illnesses, daily routines, and tastes. As an example, my ex would look for organic color systems salons for her hair maintenance. The question is whether you go on with the distractors or not. You won’t find a hair salon in the mountains. Some medicines may be restricted in certain...