The Golden
Temple
The world renowned Golden Temple which
enshrines the Granth Sahib (the holy Book of the Sikhs) is located in
Amritsar (literally meaning -'a pool of nectar'). Amritsar which
houses the Golden Temple or Harmandir Sahib was founded by the fourth
Guru of Sikhs, Guru Ram Das, who had initially constructed a pool
here. It is here that Sage Valmiki wrote the epic, Ramayana.
Rama and Sita are believed to have spent their fourteen year exile in
Amritsar, the epicentre of Sikhism.
Contemporary Muslim mystic, Mir Mohammed
Muayyinul Islam, popularly known as Mian Mir was requested by Guru Arjun
Dev to lay the foundation stone. The construction was completed in
rate sixteenth century.
The temple was rebuilt by the Sikh ruler,
Maharaja Ranjit Singh in 1803. The Golden Temple is a proper blend
of Hindu and Muslim cultures as is shown by the
architecture.
The Granth Sahib is kept in the Temple during
the day and is kept in the Akal Takht or Eternal Throne in the
night. The Akal Takht also houses the ancient weapons used by the
Sikh warriors. It was established by Guru Hargobind.
The rugged old Jubi Tree in the north west
corner of the compound, is believed to possess special powers. It was
planted 450 years ago, by the Golden Temple's first high priest, Baba
Buddhaya. Guru-ka-Langar or the communal canteen, is towards the eastern
entrance of the temple complex, and it provides free food to all
visitors, regardless of colour, creed, caste or gender.
Visitors to the Golden Temple must remove
their shoes and cover their heads before entering the temple. The
temple is less crowded in the early mornings on weekends.
Other places to
visit . . .
Just adjacent to the Golden Temple is the
Jallianwala Bagh. It is a memento of
the Freedom Struggle. It was at this site that hundreds of people were shot down by
General Dyer. This brutal massacre of over 2000 innocent unarmed
people, on the orders of a British General on April 13, 1919 highlights
the atrocities performed by the British on Indians.
Durgiana Temple, outside the Lohagarh gate of
the old city, is dedicated to Goddess Durga, and is a centre of
pilgrimage for devout Hindus. Other attractions are Ram Bagh Garden,
encircling the palace of the Sikh ruler Ranjit Singh; Fort Gobind
Garh,
which was built by Ranjit Singh in 1805-09; Baba Atal Rai Tower;
Baba Bakale, a gurudwara dedicated to Tegh Bahadur, the ninth Guru of Sikhs
and Taran Taran, a gurudwara in the memory of Guru Ram Das.
When to visit
?
The best time to visit Amritsar is between October and
March.
How to get
there ?
Air: Amritsar is connected by Indian Airlines flights to Delhi and
Srinagar. There is a weekly flight to Birmingham and Kabul. Rajasansi
airport is not far from the city and taxis are available for the
transfers.
Rail: Amritsar is connected with direct trains to delhi , Calcutta ,
Mumbai , Puri, and other places. The important ones include the Frontier
Mail to Mumbai, Shatabdi Express to Delhi and Utkal Express to Puri.
There are twice-weekly runs by Lahore Express, the train to Pakistan.
Amritsar Railway station provides amenities including Retiring room and
refreshment rooms. Taxis are available outside the
station.
Road: There is vast network of bus services of Punjab, Himachal , Delhi
. Haryana, PEPSU, Chandigarh, U.P , J& K , Rajasthan state roadways,
apart from private operators. Importanat destinations include Delhi,
Shimla , Chandigarh , Dehradun , Rishikesh , Kullu, Manali and Jammu .
Taxis are also available, but not everywhere. They stand outside the
airport and railway station. There are autorickshaws and cycle rickshaws
are also very common for local transfers.
Where to
stay
Amritsar has a wide
variety of accommodation options available. Some good hotels of Amritsar
include, Mohan International Hotel (Tel: 183-227801-8, Fax: 226520),
Ritz Hotel (Tel: 226606, Fax: 226657) and Hotel Airlines( Tel:
227738).
