On to the final leg of my journey.
Had been meaning to visit here for a while now, so, seeing that I was just a few
hours away, I decided to explore Amritsar before making my way back to Mumbai.
Mumbai à Mussoorie à Rishikesh à Jim Corbett à Nainital à Amritsar
The bus from Haldwani reached New Delhi at 4.20am, much earlier than I’d expected. Took a rickshaw to the New Delhi Railway station and went directly to the waiting room. The one that’s specifically ‘Ladies only’ was quite empty, with clean washrooms and working fans. Since we had a fairly long wait, we moved ourselves to the AC waiting lounge next door. It’s comfortable and costs just Rs.10 an hour. After guzzling down two cups of coffee from the food stall, I dedicated the next 4 odd hours to my Kindle.
The
KCVL Amritsar Express was due to arrive on platform 3 at 10.20am. Following the
indicators, we walked the length of the platform and stood waiting near coach
B2. When the train pulled into the station, we realised that the indicators
were faulty and coach B2 was, in fact, at the other end of the platform.
Running as fast as we could we managed to get into the coach only to find some
folks already perched on our assigned seats.
Apparently,
there was a large group of people travelling to Beas (a station before the
last) and their seats were all scattered across the coach. Wanting to chat with
their pals, they’d happily moved seats assuming other passengers would adjust
accordingly. After a show of annoyance and some exchange of words, we came to a
settlement and climbed up to the upper berth and lay down to sleep. Not much
luck there as well since a bunch of senior ladies were listening to some
unending spiritual sermon and playing it real loud.
Since
sleep wasn’t on the cards, I climbed back down and fished out my Kindle, every
once in a while stopping to observe those around.
It turns out, a man I’d initially thought to be uncouth, was in fact, quite respectful and soft spoken. The elderly women turned out to be friendly and quite accommodating. A pretty little girl sitting by the window was shy but happy to show me some of her sketches.
On
realizing that no meals are served in this train, we used the IRCTC App and
placed an order for a pizza that was delivered to us, hot and fresh, at
Jalandhar Station.
We arrived at Amritsar Station at 6.46pm. No sooner had we stepped out of the train than we were engulfed by the heat radiating off every surface. Rushing out to the taxi stand we booked a cab to take us to our accommodation at Virdi B&B, a place owned by Mr. Kamaldeep (9814036020).
Virdi B&B is located in one of the lanes behind the Golden Temple. I’d selected it because it’s located just 5 minutes from the Golden Temple and Jallianwala Baug, the two sites I’d come to Amritsar for. Rooms at Virdi are simple, fairly clean and quite comfortable. Mr. Kamaldeep and his family were very welcoming. He gladly provided information about the best places to eat and also assured us about the safety of the locality we were in.
After a quick, much needed bath, we dressed and stepped out again around 8.40pm. Our destination - the Sri Harmandir Sahib, commonly known as the Golden Temple.
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| Walking along deserted, but safe streets. |
I’d come to Amritsar with nothing more than an image of the Golden Temple in my mind, but what I saw and experienced totally blew my mind! After walking along a narrow, near deserted, dimly lit lane, you suddenly come to a pedestrian street buzzing with activity.
There are shops selling colourful
fabrics, sweet meats, and souvenirs. There are suddenly so many people all
around, it’s almost like stepping into a whole different world. Walking towards
the Temple, we took in the sights and sounds around us, stopping only to take
off our footwear before entering the temple complex.
I
shall forever remember my first sight of the Golden Temple standing in the
middle of the Amrit Sarovar (sacred
pool of nectar). What a sight! There’s something about being here that put my
heart at ease. Even with all the crowds of people around, I experienced a sense
of quiet solitude and calm.
The Gurdwara
has entry gates on all sides, to signify that all are welcome, irrespective of
gender, religion, age or status. Men & women alike must cover their head at
all times while within the Gurdwara. While a dupatta or scarf are quite permissible, wearing a cap or hat is a
complete no-no.
We
sat there for quite a while, amid the crowd, and yet alone. Then, making up our
mind to return the next morning, we left the Temple and went in search of some
food. Determined to eat only local specialities, we walked into Kesar Punjabi Dhaba
and ordered a thali and some spiced
buttermilk. The food, when it arrived, looked delicious, but we must have been
too tired to really appreciate it or do complete justice to it.
A rickshaw back to our B&B, and it was lights out for us.
At
4am, the next morning, we were, once again, at the Golden Temple, in time for Palki Ceremony, when the holy book, the
Guru Granth Sahib, is carried inside the Golden Temple. The Holy Book is placed
inside a golden palquin, carried in procession, by the devotees lined up to do
seva. The entire ceremony is accompanied by chanting of hymns and prayers.
Within the inner sanctum of the Golden Temple, the Holy Book is opened and the
hukumnama, or order of the day, is read
out. This is an important part of the ceremony when all devotees stand and
listen in prayerful silence.
Joining
the throng of devotees, we stood in line awaiting our turn to enter the inner
sanctum of the Sri Harmandir Saheb. Having offered our prayers, we accepted the
prasad and, once again, found a spot
beside the Amrit Sarovar. We stayed there, listening to the prayers and
watching the sun rise behind the beautiful gilded dome.
At
around half past six, we made our way towards a large brick building just
behind the temple to partake of the langar,
the world’s largest community kitchen, also known as the Guru ka Langar.
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| The Langar Hall |
As we entered, we were handed a plate, a spoon and a bowl. Climbing 32 stone stairs up to the large community hall where, along with many others, we seated ourselves on one of the mats spread across the hall in neat little rows. While lentils and sweet kheer are liberally served in the plate, one has to raise their hands and accept the roti with hands open in gratitude and humility. Once the food is served, a volunteer calls out the clarion call of the Sikhs, “Jo Bole So Nihal”, and everyone responds in unison, “Sat Sri Akal!” The meal begins and volunteers do the rounds offering seconds to anyone who wishes to have more. Once done, we pick up our own plates and exit the hall, go down another staircase, at the bottom of which are volunteers collecting the soiled utensils. As we walked out towards the washbasins, we passed the hall where other volunteers stood doing the dishes. It sounds like a battlefield in there!
On exiting the langar hall, we spent a few moments more sitting by
the Amrit Sarovar, and then went back to the room, to catch up on some sleep.
To occupy ourselves for the rest of
the day, we had hired a cab to take us around Amritsar. We began by visiting the Gobindgarh Fort, a historic fortress, now housing a museum. The
parking lot and ticket counter for Gobindgarh Fort are across the street. There
are various experiences available at varying prices. While phones and phone
cameras are permitted, all other cameras must be deposited with security.
Inside the fort, you are welcomed with music and some strategically placed statues of musicians. The entire premises are spotlessly clean and the lawns are well manicured. One can shop at the Hath Bazaar, or dine at one of the restaurants within the fort.
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| A musical welcome |
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| The Durbar Hall |
You can also visit the Coin Museum and the Weapons’ Museum, or the Durbar Hall. Later in the day, there’s a light and sound show called Whispering Walls, but we weren’t here for that. We headed to the Sher-e-Punjab, a short 7D show that proclaims the deeds and greatness of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. While the show, and the story, were interesting and very well depicted, it ended rather abruptly, just when we’d liked to have heard more about the life of this great Sikh ruler.
Here are some more glimpses of the Gobindgarh Fort....
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| Haat Bazaar |
Our next stop was the War Memorial & Museum, a fairly large display spread across 8 halls, immortalizing the bravery of soldiers of Punjab. Here you will also see a memorial in form of a 137-ft tall sword.
Next, for a brief while, we stopped at the Mandir Mata Lal Devi (Vaishno Devi Temple) before stopping at Shava Shava Dhaba for some lunch of Baingan Bharta and Garlic Naan.
That done, we continued towards the
Wagah-Attari Border to witness the Wagah-Attari
Border Ceremony. This is a grand event that takes place daily. It involves
elaborate dance-like maneuvers by the Indian Border Security Force and the
Pakistan Rangers across the border. It
is meant to be both, a representation of rivalry as well as brotherhood and
cooperation between the two countries.
This ceremony was scheduled to begin
at 5.30pm. We got there at 3.30 to ensure we grabbed a good spot on the stands. At that time of the afternoon, most of these said stands were heating up under the scorching sun. After
looking all around, we settled on a nice, shaded spot over the entrance and parked
ourselves there, waiting for the ceremony to begin. From there, we could
clearly see the Pakistani side of the border as well. Just as empty as ours
was.
Slowly, spectators started pouring in,
and by the time it was 5pm, there were so many people, there was hardly any
place to stand. Not so on the other side of the fence, though. Only about a
handful of all-male spectators were seated on the other side.
At ten minutes past 5, the LED screen
on the Indian side began to display a brief introduction to the BSF and played
its anthem. Then, to my surprise, many women from among the spectators were
handed the Indian Tricolour and were asked to parade across the ground, waving
the flags to the sound of patriotic songs blasting over the speakers. The
enthusiastic women did much more than that, they skipped and danced all the way to the gate & back. When the time came to begin the ceremony, a BSF Jawan had to actually
wrestle the flag out of the clutches of one over-eager lady. That was such a
treat to watch!
When the actual ceremony did begin, and the Jawans marched out, the crowd went wild, egged on by one of the Jawans who performed the role of Emcee. And what an excellent showman he was!
The Jawans on either side marched smartly and
mirrored each other in a well-choreographed series of maneuvers. I didn’t think
the crowd could get any crazier, but you should have hear the roar when the
gates between the two countries were opened! Gosh!
Meanwhile, on the side of our neighbours, things seemed more solemn and quiet. Or maybe, we just couldn’t hear them over the din we were making on the Indian side of the border. Whatever the case, witnessing this Border Ceremony is something you have to do at least once.
To end the day, we stopped for lassi at the very famous Gian’s Lassi Shop. They have the regular lassi and a pedhe walli lassi served up in tall steel glasses. One glass of Guam’s lassi and there’s no space in your belly for any dinner.
Early the next morning, at 5am, I made a solitary visit to the Golden Temple. Depositing my footwear at the Shoe Locker, manned 24x7 by volunteers, I entered the sacred space.
I sat by the water and watched the sun rise behind the Golden Temple, stood in respectful silence when the hukumnama began and then sat a while longer before heading towards the entrance of Jallianwalla Baug, outside which I sat sipping on hot, sweet chai.
After inquiring about the opening
hours of the Baug, I headed back to my room to freshen up, before picking up my
camera, and walking back towards the Baug. Along the way, I stopped at a few
shops to ask after the price of dupattas
and fabrics I planned to purchase later.
The entrance to Jallianwalla Baug - a monument of national importance - is marked by the Flame of Liberty, a white flame shaped structure, engraved with the faces and names of martyrs.
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| The Flame of Liberty |
The entrance itself is through the same narrow entry point used by the people at the
time of the 1919 massacre, and the very same entry used by Gen. Dyer and his
troops to enter the grounds.
Once inside, you see a statue of the martyr Udham Singh, who avenged the massacre by assassinating Michael O’Dwyer in 1940. The Baug, now beautifully renovated, is a sacred spot, if you consider the many innocent lives lost here.
Apart from well-manicured lawns and beautifully shaded pathways (the portico pillars are said to represent Dyer’s soldiers), there are three viewing galleries that you just shouldn’t miss. To really take in the most from these galleries, try getting here before the crowds get in. Once that happens, it’s nearly impossible to absorb all of the information painstakingly curated and displayed. A majority of the visitors just pass through the galleries in herds, stopping only when they find a spot that could work as a suitable selfie point. If you do get in early, you’ll find that the galleries have much to offer. There are glimpses of history, accounts of survivors and some interesting audio-visual displays providing insight into what transpired on that terrible day of April 1919. The Martyr’s Gallery has portraits of Indian political leaders and also houses one of the seven urns containing the ashes of the martyr Udham Singh.
The Martyr’s Well stands to one side,
while the Martyr’s Memorial displays the number 120, marking the count of bodies
recovered from the well. The Eternal Flame (Amar Jyoti) burns to the right of
the entrance, inside the garden.
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| The Martyrs' Well |
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| Amar Jyoti |
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| The Martyrs' Monument |
The bullet holes in the walls are still preserved and stand witness to the atrocities the British meted out to the peaceful people of Amritsar. Truly, one cannot feel anything but reverence when visiting Jallianwalla Baug.
Absorbing as much as I could, I then left the Baug and made my way towards the eateries across the street. It was nearing noon, so brunch for me was at Kulwant Singh Kulchewala, an eatery that came highly recommended. What did I have there? The same that everyone was having, kulcha-chole! Deliciously hot and flaky, paneer filled kulcha! That done, my companion (who had just joined me) and I did a spot of shopping buying dupattas, jutis and little gifts to take back home.
Shopping completed, we once again, entered the Jallianwalla Baug, hoping to see more of the galleries if the crown had decreased. No such luck, but we did learn that there was a Light & Sound Show (Jallianwalla Baug) that’s held every evening (7pm in Punjabi and 7.45pm, in Hindi). The path in front of the Martyr’s Memorial had been lined with chairs, ready for the show to begin. After herding all visitors out since the park timings indicated closing time, those interested were asked to wait back for the show. At ten minutes to seven, we were seated somewhere right in front, and then began a beautifully presented Light & Sound Show that recreated for us the events of April 1919. So beautiful was it that we requested the guards to permit us to wait back for the next show, as well. By now, it was past sunset and we could better enjoy the display. The story it recounts is one that chills you to the bone, but it also awakens in you a feeling of awe and reverence. Do stay back for this if you visit this hallowed Baug.
By the time we were done, it was well past 8 pm. Keeping our bags in our room, we made our way back to the Golden
Temple for a final visit.
It was a Saturday evening and also the day of Sankrant. Pilgrims and visitors had tripled in number, and the crowds that headed to the langar were unending. It’s amazing how everything here works like clockwork, without a hitch. The dining hall was full of devotees, visitors & pilgrims, and hundreds more sat outside its doors, patiently waiting their turn, with plate in hand. We were among those who partook of the evening meal at the langar, before calling it a day and returning to our room for a good night’s sleep.
We almost miss our train.
Out train back to Delhi was scheduled
to leave at 6.55am….or so I thought. At 5.35am it suddenly occurred to me to
check the train timing again. Heaven help us! The train departs at 5.55 and not
6.55! We had barely 20 minutes to board the train. Pulling on our clothes and
grabbing our bags, we rushed down the stairs and tried to hail a rickshaw.
After a few precious minutes we succeeded in getting an auto that promised to
drop us at the station as quickly as possible. Other vehicles whizzed by as the
electric auto made its way to Amritsar Station, with the driver assuring us
that he was going as fast as he could since customers were akin to God and he
was bound to do his best. God bless him!
He dropped us off at the station just
as they were announcing that our train was ready to leave the station. As the
whistle blew, we ran up the escalator not knowing which platform our train was
on. One train began to chug its way out, and just at that very moment we heard
the announcement for our train’s departure from platform 6. I’m not sure how we
did it, but lugging those heavy bags, we ran across the bridge, flew down the
stairs without tripping and breaking our necks, all the while screaming for
someone to stop the train.
“Roko! Roko! Arre koi to train roko!” (Stop! Stop! Someone stop the train!)
Panting & puffing we told the TC
standing there, “Ye humari train hai! Ja rahi hai!” (we need to board this
train that’s leaving). Without looking up he calmly says, “To chado!” (board
it).
Not really thinking much, we waited a
few seconds for an open doorway and then jumped into the train, with me landing
on all fours, eyes shut, not sure I’d landed in the train until another
passenger tapped me on the shoulder and asked if I was fine. I couldn’t believe
we’d made it! Wrong coach, but as long as the train was the right one, we were
good! Sat a while to catch our breath, still trying to process what we’d just
done, jumped into a moving train!
This was crazier than jumping into the Ganges! In fact, it was the craziest thing I’d done on this trip! I wonder if the railway cameras recorded the stunt we pulled….I’d really love a copy.
The excitement had tired us a bit, so, after a quick train breakfast of Bread-Omlette, we settled down for nap.
I didn’t get much sleep so spent most of the journey with my Kindle and then tried to swallow the most horrid egg biryani I’d ever eaten. It was just undercooked rice, yellow food colour and two boiled eggs! Seriously, food aboard this train isn’t any good! The chai, however, is excellent.
Back in Delhi
By afternoon we arrived to a Delhi
burning up at 42oC. Not used to such extreme heat, we hurriedly
booked a cab to take us to the hotel we had booked, the IG Grand Belmonk. Turns
out, there’s nothing really grand about the hotel. Even the name on their board
reads just Hotel Belmonk. Check in was a tediously long process. Waiting there
made us realize that this establishment seemed most favoured by young couples
wanting to have some alone time. The two couples who checked in before us had
registered under assumed names. No way was a Miley Cyrus putting up here!
Anyway, to each their own! We’d chosen this hotel because of its proximity to the airport since we had an early flight the next morning. All we wanted was one restful day before heading back home to Mumbai. Thankfully, the room assigned to us was fairly large, cool, and comfortable and suited our purpose perfectly. After a bath and a lunch consisting of tasty butter chicken and rotis, we slept the sleep of the dead, waking only at dinner time, when we ordered a serving of chicken biryani. I must say, food at Hotel Belmonk is quite delicious and served in generous portions.
Dinner completed, we nodded off to la-la land again. Our long vacation had finally come to a close and all that was left now was to board the flight to Mumbai, the next day. As we set our alarms, we made a mental note to be at the airport well before time. After all, you've never heard of anyone jumping into a moving plane, have you?
Pics by Misha
