The Golden City of Bravehearts

 

It goes without saying that India’s diversity is like no other - in terms of landscape, languages, history, people and culture. Every state in India boasts of something unique which distinguishes itself from the others and thus is a marvel in its own way. With Covid curbing mobility in terms of tourism for almost two years, tourists all around the world yearned to get back to exploring and visiting new places. Steadily and thankfully, now the doors of tourism have opened and is seen regaining normalcy. When it comes to exploring diversity, there’s no better place on earth than our very own India. Not having explored North India enough before and with an objective to make good use of my holidays, we decided to visit Amritsar – a city of great spiritual and historical significance.

From the ever-bustling Mumbai airport we landed in Amritsar, at Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport. The airport derives its name from Guru Ram Das, the fourth Sikh Guru and founder of Amritsar – the holiest city of Sikhism. At the airport, I saw pictures of attractions in Amritsar and I could not contain my excitement to explore the city. The itinerary was already chalked out, it was only few hours before we absorbed in the beauty of the city. The next morning, we headed out to visit the holy Harmandir Sahib or the Golden Temple. Before visiting the Golden Temple, we were greeted by the tall standing and proud-looking statue of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the Lion of Punjab. Saddled on his horse and with a sword in his hand, Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s glory could still be felt in the air. It seemed as though he still had his protective hand over Amritsar. Paying our respects to the great king, we headed towards the temple.

Though Golden Temple is a Sikh place of worship, it is open for all people, from all walks of life and faith. The sight of the temple is one to behold and we felt the sangfroid and sanctity emanating from the temple, even standing from a distance. As expected, the temple was buzzing with numerous devotees – some taking a bath in the sacred pool near the temple, while some waiting in the queue to enter the holy shrine. The temple looks picturesque from all angles. This golden beauty shines and will continue to shine and shower its blessings on all those who go to seek its blessings. We enjoyed the kada prasad prepared in pure ghee which not only was a treat to the taste buds but also seemed like a pure blessing from the divine presence. The temple also houses a Sikh Museum which is an interesting insight into the Sikh history. The museum exhibits paintings of Sikh Gurus, saints, warriors and other prominent leaders who protected and fought for the honour of Sikhism. I had not known much about Sikhism before but reading about those great personalities made my heart swell with pride as well as wince in pain for the hardships and torment that they had to go through to protect the good.

Having basked in the divinity of the temple, it was time to revisit a sombre chapter in the Indian freedom struggle at Jallianwala Bagh. We had read about Jalianwala Bagh massacre of 1919 in our history textbooks but visiting the place where the carnage happened gave jitters. We entered the Bagh through its narrow passage and imagined how difficult it must have been for the innocent people to escape from death. Once we entered, we saw the point, from where it was written, the bullets were endlessly fired at a peaceful crowd protesting against the Rowlatt Act. Today Jallianwala Bagh is a historic garden and a memorial is built for the wounded and the dead. The Bagh also has a Martyrs’ Well in which people had jumped to save themselves from the ongoing onslaught. It is said that around 120 bodies were recovered from this well. There is also a wall which bears the bullet marks. There are galleries inside the Bagh which unfold the events of that fateful day, recounts the nightmarish experiences of those who survived and aftermath of this grisly incident. The facts send chill down the spine and it was hard to fight tears at this place where injustice and diabolism were beyond human imagination.

We further went to the Partition Museum to learn about the significant years in Indian freedom struggle and partition. This well-structured museum has a repository of materials and documents from various periods of Indian freedom struggle to partition and post partition. It was literally a walk down the historical lane as we navigated the events that led to partition in the sequence that they took place. The pictures of overcrowded trains as people rushed to go to the country of their choice, the refugee crisis, the squalid conditions that they lived in and countless number of people who lost their loved ones amidst this turmoil, certainly expressed more than a thousand words of unimaginable pain and suffering that the people then endured. The museum reverberated the proverb that there is light at the end of the tunnel. As we reached the last section of the museum, we saw stories of people who rose up from the wounds of partition like phoenix and led a respectful life, the prominent examples of which were Milkha Singh i.e., the flying Sikh and Mahashay Dharampal Gulati, MDH spices fame. We left the museum on an optimistic note that though life can throw unexpected challenges and tragedies, it is up to us to rise up again with sheer determination, patience and courage to lead a better life ahead. Our history and our great forefathers have passed on this grit and perseverance to us.

Amritsar is not only a cradle of Sikhism but it also has Hindu temples. We visited Durgiana temple next, the architecture of which is similar to Harmandir Sahib or the Golden Temple, with a sacred lake surrounding the temple. The temple derives its name from Goddess Durga who is worshipped here. The temple also has idols of Lord Vishnu, Goddess Lakshmi, Lord Krishna and Radha, Hanuman, Parshurama and Ganesh. It was Janmashtami on the day we visited, hence we saw some matkis to celebrate the playful childhood of Lord Krishna. We paid our obeisance to these deities and again got an opportunity to immerse in the serenity of divine presence. Since we were in Punjab, we had to buy something authentic Punjabi as a fond memory of the place. We went shopping for the traditional phulkari, the folk embroidery of the Punjab. The exquisite and intricate designs were indicative of excellent craftsmanship, the colours so fresh that it was difficult to choose one or two dresses among a heap of dresses. We finally decided on some phulkaris which captured our hearts and attention. To further complete the Punjabi look, we could not miss out on buying juttis. We visited a jutti shop which had a cornucopia of shoes of various designs and colours, again difficult to choose one or two pairs from. Thus, we ended our first day in Amritsar having sought blessings of the Sikh and Hindu deities, visited some chapters of Indian history and of course, shopped to our heart’s content.

Next morning, it was time to visit another era in history. We started our day with Gobindgarh fort. The fort was opened to the public from 2017 and was occupied by the army before. Maharaja Ranjit Singh renamed the fort to Gobindgarh fort in 19^th century after the tenth Sikh Guru, Guru Gobind Singh. The fort is a well-maintained sprawling space with number of attractions and cannons inside it. We made our way to the first attraction, a 7D show based on the life of Maharaja Ranjit Singh or Sher-e-Punjab. The show takes us back to 19^th century and shows glimpses of the great king’s bravery since his childhood. Having learnt something new in history, we headed towards our next stop – the warfare museum. This museum has replicas of weapons and attires of warfare. We saw some life-like statues donned in these attires, carrying the weapons. From ancient Indian warfare to guns and rifles, we saw how weapons and hence concept of defence evolved. There were some distinct weapons from various Indian states, which also included weapons used by Shivaji Maharaj and Marathas to slay their enemies. Thus, the stories of bravery reach far and wide. The sheer intelligence with which these weapons were built makes us proud of the excellent vision that our forefathers had, in absence of any modern technology. We went to Toshakhana or coin museum next, which houses many old and rare coins. It was also the place where the coveted Kohinoor diamond was stored. Today we see a replica of Kohinoor there. We also visited a Pagdi museum which has life-like statues again, sporting the various types of pagdi, another interesting fact that I did not know of before. We often tap our feet, sing along and dance on Punjabi songs. The origin of this dancing spirit comes undisputedly from Bhangra, the traditional Punjabi folk dance. We also enjoyed an energetic Bhangra performance by men and women clad in traditional Punjabi costumes. Bhangra beats made a non-dancer like me tap her feet and revel in with the enthusiastic spirit.

It was then time to go back to the times of Ramayana by visiting the Ram Tirath temple next, sage Valmiki’s ashram. It is believed that Sita took shelter in his ashram after she was abandoned by her husband Lord Rama. Inside the temple complex, we see Sage Valmiki’s idol writing Ramayana. The temple is guarded by a tall idol of Lord Hanuman, who had dug a water tank in Ram Tirath. The Hanuman statue at Ram Tirath is one of the tallest statues in the country. It was a refreshing experience to see some episodes of Ramayana in this beautiful structure.

It was time to visit the last and the most talked about attraction of Amritsar – the Attari border. My excitement peaked as we reached closer to our last stop. We reached the border well before in advance to catch the best seats possible to get the best possible view. The lowering of the flags’ ceremony at the India-Pakistan border was the most spectacular event that I ever witnessed. The atmosphere was filled with patriotism with Indians and Pakistanis cheering for their respective countries on both sides of the border. It was an experience like no other, where we saw the fathers and flags of both the nations opposite each other, held up high in their glorious form, divided by a border. A daily military practice followed by the Border Security Force of India and Pakistan Rangers, the ceremony symbolises the rivalry, brotherhood and co-operation between the two countries. Before the ceremony could start at 6 pm, the gathering crowd was already filled with a spirit of patriotism and we all chanted ‘Vande Mataram’ and ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’ for countless number of rounds. We sang along the patriotic songs that were being played. People danced to the songs, holding Indian tricolour proudly in their hands. I had never witnessed so much energy and action before. We also saw some international tourists who had come to witness this remarkable ceremony. In the half an hour ceremony that lasted, with dance-like manoeuvers and legs raised high by forces of both the nations, the crowd cheered endlessly in support of our beloved nation. The ceremony ended with both the flags lowered and respectfully folded, followed by closing of the gate that separates the two countries. We felt great about the fact that we got an opportunity to see this highly exuberant ceremony in India’s 75^th year of independence.

Before we could officially say goodbye to this city which made us fall in its love in only one day, we decided to catch one last glimpse of the Golden Temple as the day proceeded into darkness. The longing to see the temple once again was unchanged. We reached the premises of the temple and there it was, the glittering holy golden structure that had captured our hearts the day before. The temple reflected its golden light into the water around it, thus creating a stunning view which still remains imprinted on my mind. It made me say, “All that glitters is Golden Temple!”. We also considered ourselves fortunate for when we reached the temple in the evening, it was time for their daily prayer, which I assumed to be similar to maha aartis in Hindu temples. Though I could not understand the exact words of the prayers, it sounded very soothing and sacred to my ears. I could only chant “Waheguru Ji ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji ki Fateh”, having heard of it before. The prayers brought aplomb and calmness to the mind. We finally took leave from this charming temple, carrying our admiration and new found respect for Sikhism and its teachings. When in Punjab, eat like Punjabis do. We wanted to explore the delicacies of Punjab as it was our last night in Amritsar. We went to the famous Brothers’ Dhaba where we enjoyed lip-smacking butter naan and paneer. Generously cooked in desi ghee, every bite was a heavenly treat to the taste buds. The memory of that dinner still makes my mouth water! Thus, our short but eventful two-day trip in Amritsar came to an end. Having explored this magnificent city in North India, Amritsar now holds special place in my heart which walked me through various time periods of history and mythology. The memories of this trip will be cherished in many more years to come.