The Golden City Of Amritsar

 

"Adventure is out there." - Up (Disney Pixar) 

Amritsar, the second-largest city in the Indian state of Punjab, is famous for its rich cultural heritage, cuisine, historical significance and the abode to the Sikh religion. I couldn’t believe that I was going to visit that beautiful city.

On 29^th April 2025, my family and I headed to the Rajiv Gandhi Airport in Hyderabad to board our flight to Amritsar through Indigo Airlines. We were a group of 9 excited to visit a city completely different from ours. Airports are always chaotic due to their very strategic way of checking, which benefits the passengers and staff. But this time the atmosphere was calm, at least for our group. The check-in was done in a jiffy, and we all reached the gate having plenty of time to spare. All of us had breakfast, I and my sister were playing with our little cousin sister, and everyone was having a great time. Soon it was time for boarding and there was a sudden burst of energy in our nonet. The flight was 2 hours 40 min long and we reached the city of Amritsar at approximately 2 pm that day. As soon as we arrived outside the Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport, we were greeted warmly by our cab driver's Sat Sri Akaal.

 The first place we went to was the restaurant Haveli.

HAVELI

On our way to Haveli, I took the opportunity to explore the city of Amritsar. There was a noticeable difference between Hyderabad and Amritsar. I noticed that the apartment culture in Amritsar was not as popular as in Hyderabad. Most of the houses were huge bungalows which had no space between them. It was intriguing how tight-knit the people were. Many bullock carts could be spotted on the busy streets of Amritsar. Even the autos were different. The car ride was fun and soon we reached Haveli. We all sat in a booth and ordered an authentic Punjabi meal.

 In South India, you do find cuisines from other states, but they never taste as good as the real thing. The food was amazing. I got the Amritsari thali and devoured every single dish in that thali. We drank lassi which was satisfyingly creamy and frothy alongside a famous dessert there called Phirni.

 Everyone had a blast experiencing the authentic flavours of Punjabi food. We then headed towards our hotel The Makhan Residency. We placed all our things in our rooms, got ready and headed to our first historic site, The Jallianwala Bagh.

THE JALLIANWALA BAGH

Jallianwala Bagh is a historic garden and memorial in Amritsar, commemorating the site of the 1919 massacre where British troops opened fire on a peaceful crowd. Thinking about this horrible incident sends shock waves down one's spine, imagine visiting the site where the incident happened. We all had goosebumps walking around the memorial and seeing all the gunshots and the well.

 As soon as one walks into Jallianwala Bagh they become silent. This tragic event still traumatizes every single Indian to this day. The memorial is a beautiful tribute to lives lost during the massacre. There was a huge tomb-like structure in the middle of the site called the Martyrs Memorial.

 Overall, it was an unforgettable experience visiting The Jallianwala Bagh. Soon after Jallianwala Bagh we went to the famous Golden Temple.

GOLDEN TEMPLE

Just about 200m away from Jallianwala Bagh was the Golden Temple also known as Sri Harmandir Sahib. Before we entered the temple, I, my sister, my mother, my aunt and my grandmother covered our heads with a dupatta whereas my dad covered his head with a square piece of cloth. It is important to cover our heads as, in Sikhism doing so is a symbol of respect, humility and reverence for God and the Guru Granth Sahib. We go to a place to keep our shoes. As I walk into the temple, I notice how the entire temple is made up of white marble. As we walk further before we enter the main temple, there is an area where we wash our hands and just beside it an area to wash our feet. We go down a set of stairs and there it is one of the most beautiful temples ever. Covered in gold with bright lights shining on it surrounded by water full of fishes, the atmosphere at the Golden Temple was filled with tranquillity.

 There were thousands of devotees there who were experiencing the peaceful atmosphere there. It was so peaceful that you could hear your thoughts. There were Sikh guards at the Golden Temple called Nihangs. They are known for their distinctive appearance, including their traditional blue robes, and often carry spears. We decided to go for the Darshan. It was, like any other darshan, very crowded. It reminded me of Tirupati Devasthanam. But it was a wonderful experience going inside the actual temple and learning new things about a completely different religion. The one thing I always find mesmerising about temples in general is the amount of devotion devotees express towards the almighty. Golden Temple is huge, and one would think it’s hard to maintain it. But you won’t even find a speck of dust there. All the devotees volunteer to keep the surroundings clean, enhancing the beauty of the relationship between God and devotees. I had a wonderful time observing and reading the translations of the different prayers there. This was a whole new experience for my family and I and we thoroughly enjoyed it.

The next day, everyone had an amazing feast at the breakfast buffet in our hotel and energized ourselves for the long day that we had planned for our second day in Amritsar. Our first destination was the Durgania Temple.

DURGANIA TEMPLE

The astounding Durgiana Temple in Amritsar was built resembling the Golden Temple (Harmandir Sahib) primarily due to a historical incident. After idols of Hindu deities were thrown out of the Golden Temple and Hindu priests were banned from entering, Hindus in Amritsar, led by Guru Harsai Mal Kapoor, decided to renovate the older Durgiana Temple and make it like the Golden Temple as a symbolic reminder of this incident.

 This move was intended to create a space where Hindus could worship and feel a sense of belonging, like the Golden Temple for Sikhs. As soon as you enter the temple, you are welcomed by the energetic and positive devotion of the devotees in their traditional clothing. The Gods and Goddesses are beautifully decorated with delicate jewels and dressed in gorgeous clothes enhancing their already charming appearance. You feel a sense of peace and happiness in the temple.  It was a wonderful experience indeed.  After everyone was done with Darshan, the next destination to explore was the famous Gobindgarh Fort.

GOBINDGARH FORT

 As soon as we reached the Gobindgarh Fort we bought tickets for all the museums and shows there. We travelled in a golf cart to the main entrance of the fort.

 

 We were greeted by the kind staff and the scorching heat of Amritsar. But the nonet came prepared with their caps and sunglasses, including bottles of water and soda, ready to explore the historical Gobindgarh Fort. We decided to go watch the unique dance form of Punjab, Bhangra, performed by one of the most talented and dynamic dance groups. The difference between watching Bhangra in movies and watching it live is night and day. The room resonated with the beating of the synced drums. After the wonderful performance, the audience was encouraged to join while the women sang a song.

 We were shy at first, but our group is the kind of group that will dance without any hesitation whatsoever. The dance is one of the most memorable moments of this trip and I shall always cherish that wholesome memory. After the Bhangra, we watched a 7D movie based on the life of the founder of the Sikh Empire, Maharaja Ranjit Singh. It was a very informative movie with immense historical significance. It focused on the hardships and successes faced by Maharaja Ranjith Singh during his tenure. I had a blast watching the movie. Right after the movie we went to one of the museums at the fort, The Warfare Museum. It contained all the armour and weapons used during the war. There was information about the sub-divisions of groups and the attire worn by them. I read every single poster there acknowledging the historical significance of the museum. We also went to the Toshakhana Museum where there were old coins and a replica of the Kohinoor Diamond.

 We then visited the Pagdi Museum. This museum showed the different ways the Pagdi was worn depending on the occasion. We visited the Sikh Art Museum which was one of my favourites. The art was a beautiful representation conveying the stories of the Sikh saints and martyrs. After all the museums we decided to go to see the magic show. Me and my dad were waiting near the magic show area while the rest of the group was near the arcade trying to knock down cans and boxes to get a fun prize. I was wondering what took them so long since it was hot outside, so I decided to go check and see if someone had won something. Everyone was so close to winning. I decided to play and to my surprise, I knocked down the three boxes in one go. I was excited that I won and got to choose a stuffed toy. I went with the huge Giraffe.

 I ended up giving it to my little cousin sister who was ecstatic to have a new fun toy to play with. We witnessed the magic show and had an amazing time.

 

It was a long and hectic day for everyone, so we decided to have lunch and go back to the hotel and take some rest. After a quick nap, my dad, my sister, my mom, my grandmother and I went out shopping. We bought magnets and other souvenirs. We even bought authentic Punjabi Kurta material. After shopping, my aunts, my grandmother, my uncle, my cousin and I decided to go to the Golden Temple again for Langar.

LANGAR IN GOLDEN TEMPLE

We reached the temple and went straight to Langar, where we had the chance to enjoy a delicious and hot meal served by the volunteers at the temple. It is beautiful how people can come anytime and have a hot meal. The people in Punjab are very innovative. To serve water, they used the breaks of a cycle. If they press the brakes, the water would come out. It was very fun to see that. After eating, my aunt and I decided to do service there. We washed the dishes there. There was a very unique system followed. I was delighted that I got the opportunity to do service there.

PARTITION MUSEUM

On our third and final day at Amritsar, we went to the Partition Museum. The museum aims to become the central repository of stories, materials, and documents related to the post-partition riots that followed the division of British India into two independent dominions: India and Pakistan. Before entering the main building there was a statue of the father of the Indian constitution Dr. B.R. Ambedkar standing on the building of the assembly with an open book of the constitution in front of him.

 We got our tickets and entered the museum. As soon as I entered the museum, I could hear patriotic slogans like “Sarfaroshi ki tamanna ab hamare dil mein hai, Dekhna ki zor kitna baazu-e-qatil mein hain”. Songs like ‘Rang de Basanti’ were also playing. The entire museum ran in a sequence. It started with the Anti-colonial movement where there was information about the ridiculous policies introduced by the British. There were old newspapers, letters, belongings of people and many more. I even got to see the popular Young India Newspaper. There were pictures of the torture faced by Indians. There were old books, posters of movies, posters of policies, a picture of the protest ‘Simon Go Back’ and many more. The most sorrowful thing I ever read was the letters written by people to their loved ones. All the pictures were traumatising to look at and I couldn’t imagine how horrible it must have been to go through all of that. There were more floors to the museum and on one of the floors, there was a huge screen with a recording of the trains during the partition. People were sitting in a completely suffocating way. There were pictures of deceased bodies. There were clothes of the people who tried to escape. There was an entire section showing the torture faced by women. There was a well that they were either thrown into or jumped willingly, they were kidnapped, assaulted and killed. I had so many emotions running through my head, and I honestly didn’t know how to express them. This was heartless torture that people had to face. As we continue to go further, then we witness the developing stages of India. There was information about sports like cricket, running, etc, currency and many more. There was the original document of the movie ‘Bhaag Milkha Bhaag’. At the end of the museum, there was this huge tree with paper leaves with people expressing how they felt after visiting the museum. I and my aunt decided to fill a leaf each.

 After we exited the museum, we went to the gift shop, and I got to buy a bookmark and a magnet there. My uncle gifted me a book about the Jallianwala Bagh which was there at the gift shop. The museum was very informative and gave me goosebumps the entire time we were in there. I am very grateful to live in a country as resilient as India with a rich history and culture.

 The museum was one of my favourite places to visit in Amritsar including the Golden Temple of course. This was a wonderful trip filled with adventure and happiness. I am grateful that I got to spend time with my family and make more memories with them.