Amritsar: The City of the Golden Temple
Amritsar, one of the holiest cities for Sikhs all over the world, is perhaps most known as the home of the Golden Temple. Located very near to the Indo-Pak International Border, Amritsar is considered by many to be the soul of Punjab. Amritsar is also famous for its Punjabi cuisine, milk products and many markets.
Places to Visit in Amritsar- Best Destinations
Unsurprisingly, the most prominent place in Amritsar is the Golden Temple. The Golden Temple is a vast and famous temple complex and contains many small temples, offices and resting places. The main temple with the gold-plated dome is a two-tier structure that is situated on a marble base in the midst of an artificial lake. The main temple contains the original copy of the Guru Granth Sahib, the eternal Guru of Sikhism. The Golden Temple is a sight to behold during the Sikh pilgrimage festivals such as Vaisakhi. The Guru Ka Langar offers free food to more than 20,000 people daily. On special occasions, this number often rises to 200,000.
There are many other important Hindu temples and Sikh gurudwaras in Amritsar; these, too, are worthy of a visit.
Amritsar is also home the place where the Jallianwala Bagh is located. Today this historically significant ground, which was the site of the bloody Jallianwala Bagh Massacre, is today an excellent museum. The scars (bullet holes and other such marks) of the Massacre are still visible on the walls of the ground.
Located around 50 kms away from Amritsar, is the Wagah Indo-Pak border post, which is famous for its gate closing and opening ceremony. Further, in the past few decades, Amritsar has also emerged as one of the country’s largest trading markets for sports goods, leather goods, textiles, etc. The many markets in Amritsar offer a fulfilling shopping experience.
Amritsar- Travel tips, languages spoken, cuisine
- Languages: Punjabi, Hindi and English are widely spoken. Amritsar is a must-stop for any temple tourism initiative or historical temple tour in India.
- Cuisine: Due to Amritsar’s rapid modernization, cuisine catering to all tastes and stomachs is readily available. However, it must be noted that Amritsar is, perhaps, the centre of traditional Punjabi cuisine. Amritsar is well-revered for both vegetarian and non-vegetarian Punjabi cuisine. It is said that each eating house in Amritsar is unique and simply cannot be matched. Amritsar is also known for its milk products such as lassi (cold, sweet and thick buttermilk), curd, malai (cream), butter and Indian milk sweets. The pickles, papads (dried crispies), murabbas (Indian jams) and warians (dried, hardened and spicy blobs of flour) of Amritsar and are exported all over the globe.
Note that Amritsar tours and Golden Temple tours are offered by all leading travel operators of India.
Best time to visit Amritsar
Amritsar, like most northern Indian cities in the plains, experiences extreme climate with hot summers and cold winters. In summer, the temperatures often reach as high as 40–45°C. The winters (October to March) are much cooler with temperatures largely remaining bellow mid-20s. The minimum temperature often drops bellow zero during the extreme winter month of December. Consequently, most tourists prefer to visit Amritsar during the winter months of October to March.
Best way to reach- Amritsar
- By Air: Amritsar has a well-equipped national airport with regular connectivity to major Indian cities such as Delhi, Jaipur, Chandigarh, Mumbai, etc.
- By Rail: Amritsar is a major railway junction and is well connected to almost all major destinations in the country.
- By Road: Amritsar is well connected to all the important cities in the region. Buses are aplenty from all towns/cities in the region. Further, local transport in Shirdi comprises taxis, buses and auto rickshaws.
Accommodation
Hotels and rooms are available to suit all budgets. One can obtain excellent discounts on accommodation via temple pilgrimage tours and temple tours.