If you had ever wanted to experience a blend of spirituality and urbanization, culture and trend, painful history and yet, delightful souls, I bet Amritsar is the place to be. Even the most demanding gourmets can settle right here, satiated to the next level. Indian revolutionaries or freedom fighters once had a hold of the political situation at this place. Patriots also find their pleasure here as Punjab is a border state and Wagah border is not so far from Amritsar.
I went backpacking to this Golden city with one of my friends, Shivam, at the end of October 2016. Planning for a travel in any city was never in my set of interests as I am a man who likes to keep away from the hustles and bustles of city life. But then I had to see it for myself and today, I consider it as one of my best travels.
Amritsar is around 450 km from Delhi and around 230 km from Chandigarh. Regular flight services are available from major Indian cities. If you happen to start from Delhi, Chandigarh, Dharamsala, Shimla or Jammu, there are several state as well as private run buses. Additionally, there are a few trains from Delhi, which takes just 6-7 hours to reach Amritsar. Also, if you happen to visit Amritsar, do so between the months of October and February, as it is the best season. As a general tip, avoid traveling during summers as the temperatures can rise well above 45 deg Celsius.
I met Shivam at Chandigarh from where we caught a local bus to Amritsar at around 10 PM. There is a huge frequency of buses to Amritsar. The bus was more than full till Jalandhar. We had a good amount of luggage with us so we purchased 2 extra seats just to keep our bags. It felt bad to see people standing while our bags were resting on cushion seats. But then, we had no option. The bus came to a halt at a small Dhaba on the way. I need not mention how awesome the Dhabas are in Punjab, which is supposedly the mother of all Dhabas. After we were done stuffing the unbelievably excellent Dal Makhani with Rotis, the bus started again. We reached Amritsar at around 3 AM.
Also READ: Hampi: A voyage into the past
Just a couple of hours before boarding this bus, I found this really cool backpackers’ hostel at Amritsar on the Internet called Jugaadus’ Eco Hostel. It is situated at Ajit Nagar and hardly takes around 15 mins from main bus stand. As soon as we reached the premises, we could see a neatly trimmed, electric-blue turbaned, handsome man waiting for us. His name was Prabhat. He greeted us and asked us to follow him up towards his small den. It’s a 2-storeyed building. I still remember the narrow red-lit stairway leading us to their first floor. Initially, it seemed like, ‘Did we make a mistake by booking this hostel?’. And it was obvious on our part. They haven’t done any publicity of this place unlike Zostel or any other chain of hostels across India. The only basis on which we could trust was- ‘Go and check for yourself!’. So, we entered this common area after removing the shoes outside. Even at this dark and quiet hours, it felt lively. It was an inventory of arts with a pile of graffitis and loads of innovation. Prabhat guided us to our dorms where we fell down immediately and slept.
After getting ready, we had a nice breakfast of Chhola Kulchha nearby. You will love the Kulchas anywhere you end up at Amritsar, I bet. Today, we have planned to take up the border tour. The Wagah border is around 28 km from Amritsar. There you can see Indian and Pakistani troops engaged in artful and aggressive rivalries showcasing their respective talents, hatred and yet respect for their opponents. The Wagah Border security restricts any entry after 2:30 PM, so make sure you reach the place well before 1:30 PM as the queue is quite huge, especially on weekends and holidays.
It would be around 5:30 PM when you will finally leave the place, taking another hour to reach the city, depending on the traffic. Back to the hostel at 6:30, we took some rest and got ready for the Golden temple tour. We had an instructor named Diljeet who told us incredible stories and facts about this marvelous wonder.
The Golden temple, as also called Sri Harmandir Sahib, is the most important shrine of Sikh religion. The temple has entrances from all the four directions. It stands in all its glory in the middle of a holy tank called the Amrit Sarovar, which is a man made tank. Pilgrims usually take a dip in the holy water which is believed to bear special healing powers. The main hall of the Golden temple houses the Guru Granth Sahib, the sacred scripture of the Sikh religion. This place also holds the largest Langar every day, where around 100,000 people a day are fed for free by temple volunteers and the number doubles during special occasions! Around 12,000 kg of flour, 1,800 kg of rice, 13,000 kg of lentils and up to 2,000 kg of vegetables are consumed every day. Most importantly, the langar caters to people of all castes and creeds. Such a kind fact.
Next day, we went for a food walk around Amritsar. And believe me, every single place listed here is a must try and anyone visiting this city should never miss these food joints.
It was mostly a try and taste tour. We needed to keep some space in our tummies for the next landing place. We started off with Tara Chand Special Paneer Bhurji wala. The delicious Paneer Bhurji completely soaked and fried in heaps of butter! I already started feeling heavy after eating this! Then we moved ahead towards Bhai Kulwant Singh Kulchha wale. We all had nearly half a Kulchha with the tasty Chholas.
Next was Gian di Lassi. Believe me, this is the freshest lassi you can get in the whole of Amritsar. They had various flavors of it. This place was, fortunately, the last one because this Lassi will try its best to fill your stomach well above its normal size. So satisfying the meal, so exciting the tour. We had a great time with our host named Sanjay for this food walk who is apparently the founding director of Jugaadus.
After this walk, I and my friend went to Jallianwala Bagh where hundreds of innocent lives were lost due to the cruelty of a British officer named Colonel Reginald Dyer. We paid our respects to the mighty souls who had a generous and non-violent intention to get India independent.
Finally, I and my friend went to The Golden Temple again to glimpse it in broad day light. During day time, it has a different flavor and showcased its true colors. I loved this place to the core.
Also READ: Why to travel solo?
Travel with me 