Given the ardent traveller that I am, the fact that I hadn’t really been travelling since quite some time was constantly bugging me. My schedule ahead was too tight for me to take a break and think of travelling to some place, though. That’s when an idea struck me. I somehow managed to convince my friends to tag along with me for a 2-day trip to Amritsar. And so it was planned that we would book a cab from Delhi and leave early morning for Amritsar and return back to the capital the next day. Situated in Punjab, Amritsar is one of the most frequented cities in India. We included The Golden Temple, Jallian Wala Bagh and the Wagah Border in our itinerary. We had heard that the journey from Delhi to Amritsar by road is very pleasant as you come across several beautiful fields and landscapes. So, excitement levels were sky high.

Itinerary: Delhi to Amritsar

Delhi→Ambala→Amritsar

Distance covered: Delhi→Ambala: 210 kms
Ambala→Amritsar: 255 kms

No of days: 2

Day 1: Delhi→Ambala→Amritsar

Since Amritsar is situated at a distance of 465 Kms from Delhi, we started with the mindset that it would mostly take us around 9 odd hours to reach. The journey was a little long but a fun packed one. We boarded the cab at 5:00 am so that we would encounter least traffic on the way. We hadn’t had breakfast and so made our first stop at a roadside dhaba to fill in our hungry stomachs. The NH-1 is in great shape and the drive is quite smooth. We reached Panipat very early. It took us around 4 hrs to cross Ambala. From there, it took us an additional 2 hours to reach Ludhiana. We stopped and rested at Ludhiana for a bit and had some snacks. We left at 12:00 pm from there and headed straight to Amritsar without stopping anywhere in between. Amritsar from Ludhiana is a 145 km drive which took us 2.30 hrs to cover. Finally, it was at 2:30 pm that we reached Amritsar.
We were quite hungry by now and wanted to eat something before venturing out to explore the city. We learned from the local people that there are some excellent eating joints on the Lawrence road. We drove to Makhan dhaba which is quite famous for its Amritsari fish. After having a scrumptious lunch, we headed for the Wagah Border which is some 30 kms from Amritsar.

The retreat ceremony occurs at 5:00 pm every evening and we wanted to make it in time for it. We reached the place around 4:00 pm and found a decent place to sit in order to witness the ceremony, even though there was a huge crowd already waiting in line. The atmosphere there was electric and waves of heavy patriotism could be sensed from both sides of the border.

The whole ceremony was very beautiful and we were deeply moved. We left the Wagah border at 7:00 pm and headed back towards The Golden Temple as we had planned upon spending the whole night at the gurudwara. By the time we reached, the sun had set and darkness had dawned upon the city. But the street just outside The Golden Temple was lit up from end to end. There was a full-fledged market and you could buy all sorts of stuff from there. We chose not to waste any time in trying to bargain with the local shopkeepers and headed straight towards the gurudwara, which uptil now was hidden by huge walls.

We entered the temple premises and were required to take off our shoes and kept them in the lockers provided. We washed our feet and hands then and climbed up the stairs that led to the corridor from where the temple, which resides inside the holy waters, is visible. The sight was breathtaking. The Golden Temple had been lit up and its golden reflection was looking splendid in the water. We took a lot of photographs.

The evening prayers were about to start and people were flocking to go inside the main compound. We joined the queue. The insides the gurudwara is the epitome of peace with the religious patrons of Sikhism singing gurbanis and meditating inside the Guru’s abode.

After darshan, we went and took a dip in the holy water. It was almost midnight by then and we were quite tired but hardly sleepy. We lay down at the side of the water and rested our tired bodies on the marble floors. Thus, we spent the entire night looking at the Gold-plated structure which is considered the holiest place for Sikhs.

Day 2: Exploring Jallianwala Bagh and heading back to Delhi

Early next morning, after a quick darshan and morning tea which is served free to all the devotees, we headed out on the streets of Amritsar.

We were very hungry and craved for some Punjabi parathas. We found a dhaba called “Bhravan da dhaba” and had excellent aalo parathas. Then we headed to the Jallianwala Bagh which is within walking distance from the Golden temple. The Jallianwala Bagh is a memorial established in 1951 to commemorate the massacre by British occupying forces of peaceful celebrators on the occasion of the Punjabi New Year on April 13, 1919 in the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre. Now, this place has been converted into a public garden which is flocked with pigeons and people can be seen coming here for morning walks or for a leisurely stroll.

We looked around for a bit and then left the place. It was 11:00 am by now and we planned to head back to Delhi at 1:00 pm. We still had around two hours with us. We went to the local market and shopped around. We’d heard that there were quite a few places on the Lawrence road that served amazing Cholle Bhature. After eating to heart’s fill, we boarded the cab and made our way back to the hustle of a monotonous life in Delhi.
We reached back around 8:00 pm, halted by traffic quite a lot on the way. Thus came to an end an amazing 2-day trip to the divine city of Amritsar.

Travel tips:
1) Keep track of all the monkeys around you. If you get distracted with one monkey, another may run up to you and try to grab anything in your hand.
2) Don’t flash jewellery or large sums of money.
3) Turn your cell phones off inside the Golden temple. If it rings and you must take the call, do it outside!
4) Dress appropriately and be respectful in the Gurudwara. ALWAYS remove your shoes (it’s a good idea to carry or wear socks so you don’t have to go barefoot). It’s a good idea to carry a cover for your head as well.

Chandigarh is also in Punjab and a nice place to visit. A trip from delhi to chandigarh will equally be enjoyed. Also if you are travelling while on a business trip, This shopping can be inside your schedule.

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