Jallianwala Bagh memorial
Jallianwala Bagh is a historic garden and memorial of national importance, close to the Golden Temple complex in Amritsar, Punjab. It is preserved in the memory of those wounded and killed in the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre that occurred at the site on 13 April 1919.
On entering, the solemn atmosphere engulfs us and the atrocities done on innocent people are replayed in our minds.
At the entrance is a statue of Udham Singh.
Engraved on the Flame of Liberty, are the faces of martyrs.
A number of bullet holes in the walls are preserved.
The 'Martyrs Well' is surrounded by the Martyr's memorial, a large structure with a sign giving a figure of "120" as the number of bodies that were recovered from the well.
The Golden temple
The Golden Temple (also known as the Harmandir Sahib, lit. 'abode of God' in Punjabi).
The first Harmandir Sahib was built in 1604 by Arjan, the fifth Sikh Guru, who symbolically had it placed on a lower level, so that even the humblest had to step down to enter it. He also included entrances on all four sides, signifying that it was open to worshippers of all castes and creeds. The foundation stone was laid by Mian Mīr, a Muslim divine of Lahore (now in Pakistan). The temple was destroyed several times by Afghan invaders and was finally rebuilt in marble and copper overlaid with gold foil during the reign (1801–39) of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. The structure thus became known as the Golden Temple.
The langar, a community kitchen of the gurdwara, serves meals to all free of charge, regardless of religion, caste, gender, economic status, or ethnicity. People sit on the floor and eat together, and the kitchen is maintained and serviced by community volunteers. The meals served at a langar are always vegetarian.
The prayer chants inside the temple are just captivating and take one’s breath away. There is a huge queue for the darshan and for most it would seem prudent to just soak in the vibes, offer a silent prayer and make a move on.
A visit to Amritsar would be incomplete without some traditional shopping. So says the man whose diktat is a strict NO SHOPPING whilst holidaying. Phulkari suits, Amritsari jootis, Pathani suits, pine nuts, and Kadas are the favourite buys. The other incentive to shop is the respite that it provides from the scorching heat outside.
And if the heat gets too much to bear, there is always a Lassi around the corner, I hear. And may I warn you - the visuals you are about to see are not for the faint-hearted.
Gian Di Lassi has a crowd thronging to the place and no sooner you try the Lassi topped with Cream and Pedas and the Rabdi, do you realise that you have just managed to skip a meal.
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