A short trip to the Golden City

Roars and whistles. Honks and loud beep-beeps. The sudden squealing of tyres greeted us as we entered the narrow lanes of the Golden Temple zone. Shops on either side of the street. A milling crowd of worshippers. Electric rickshaws zooming trying to compete with the two-wheelers in the narrow tapered lanes. With all the racket and clamour, I could barely keep my wits about me. Never had I imagined that the serene Golden Temple would be nestled amid such chaos! 

We started from Delhi by road at 7:30 a.m. and it took us around 8 hours to reach our hotel, The Sarovar Regency near Harmandir Sahib. The last one hour was a huge struggle.  We later realised that Google Maps just took us round and round the lanes. My advice would be to switch it off once you reach the area and let the locals guide you. From 10:30 a.m. till 9:30 p.m. traffic flows one way and you will definitely be lost without local help. As we continued our search, we were told to park our car in the designated parking area. Everybody knows where this car park is. I was amazed to see a huge two-storied structure.  Entry of vehicles is banned to  create a path for walking around the Golden Temple. A very good decision indeed. Now the struggle was to go from the parking to our hotel, lugging our heavy luggage. We were advised to take an e-rickshaw. After a good twenty minute ride around the temple walls, we finally reached the hotel around 5:30 p.m. Had we walked, it would have been just 8 minutes ( the hotel was just behind the parking lot.) As luck would have it, I had mistakenly booked the room for the wrong date. You can imagine my surprise when the receptionist told me that we didn’t have a booking. Thankfully, the hotel received a cancellation and they very generously accommodated us.  

• 

 It was a Saturday and we were expecting both The Jallianwala Bagh and the temple to be extremely crowded. Since we were quite late, the Bagh was close and we made our way to the temple. The rites of entry were followed – shoes given to the shoe keeper, washing of hands and finally dipping our feet in water just before entering the holy shrine. I peeked through the massive gates and was astonished to see the temple from afar. As evening set, the lights were lit -The Golden Temple stood regally amidst its watery sentries. 

Walking in awe and wonder, I was equally astounded by the seamless procedures followed in this place and the thousand odd volunteers who come for ‘seva’ everyday. Old ladies serving drinking water, young women washing dishes, guards who keep the crowd under control. For dinner, we decided to experience the langar ( community meal). Volunteers handed us huge steel plates, spoons and bowls. We walked upstairs like the rest of the crowd and sat down on the floor where we found an empty place. As a tourist you might be urged to take pictures but that is not taken kindly. Do not click pictures especially while someone is handing you rotis. I got reprimanded by the volunteer. I had to spread both my hands to receive the same but my attention was somewhere else. At lightning speed you are served the rest of the food. It was heartening to see the young boys serving water in the bowls from a locally innovative gadget. Once done, we collected our dishes and headed downstairs. I was in for a surprise, as I saw this massive wash area. Like a factory line, the men passed on each set of dishes – washing, cleaning and drying. It was a sight to watch. Each and everyone seemed to be part of this  flawless and magnanimous system.

My cousin had warned me to be prepared to stand for hours in the line to enter the main temple. I was prepared to get up at 4 in the morning and make my way. However, one of the guards told us that is better to go inside on a Saturday evening, rather on a Sunday morning. Golden words. We were inside the temple within 45 mins. 

• 

You must explore the complete structure once you are inside. Intricate carvings both in and out keeps you spellbound. Pushed and jostled by the teeming crowd of worshippers, we finally managed our way in. It doesn’t matter if you believe in religion or not, this place is bound to give you a sense of peace. You aren’t allowed to stand for too long in the main temple. But you can make your way up to see the huge Guru Granth Sahib. I was truly amazed. I had never in my wildest imagination thought that the book would be massive. My husband and I sat upstairs near one of the intricately carved windows and allowed our souls to soak in the beauty and quiet of the night. A sense of peace and calm surrounded me. I did not realise that we were sitting amid thousands of people. This is the beauty of the Golden Temple. 

• 

We must have spent around 3 hours in the temple, sitting by the pond’s edge. Time passes very quickly . 

However our day, or rather our night wasn’t over yet. We still had to collect our car from the car park. One of the hotel boys named Prince ( a young sardar) came along with us. Now we had lost the parking ticket. My dear readers you will be happy to know that your car is parked in an extremely safe place. Since we had lost the ticket, they took the car’s number plate’s picture, a copy of the license and a small fine to ensure that we weren’t car thieves.  Finally we parked the car near the hotel and our night ended. 

Make sure to start your morning with the aloo parathas and kulchas from the nearby local restaurants. They are to die for. I’m salivating even thinking about it.  

• 

After the mouth-watering breakfast, it was time for Jallianwala Bagh. It is in sharp contrast to Harminder Sahib. No protocols to follow, garbage thrown everywhere, utter disregard towards the sanctity of the place. This is what I experienced here. Now for those who are unfamiliar; General Dyer of the British Army in 1919 was responsible for the massacre of innocent civilians in this Bagh. The history is painful and you will get to read about it in the small museum. However, this distressing past has been erased by converting it into a garden. People stand in front of flowers and take family photos, as if it were a flower show.  The sentries of the Golden Temple should be asked to serve in this place as well to maintain discipline.

• 

• 

• 

You will also get to see the bullet marks, which have been preserved on the walls. Can you imagine taking a selfie with this wall? The insensitivity of the public. I wish the place was owned by a Sardar and not a Bengali. Discipline would have probably been better. There is a definite lax of public monitoring. 

On that note, it’s time to bid adios, as we now make a move for the next part of our journey. But do not forget to shop for Phulkari dupattas, sarees and jootis before leaving Amritsar.

P.S. – Not allowed to take photographs inside the main temple.