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Golden Temple, Partition Museum, Wagah Border and more: 5 reasons to visit Amritsar

Hindustan Times | BySaurav Ranjan Datta
Feb 16, 2020 12:24 PM IST

Mythologically speaking, Amritsar is also believed to have hosted the ashram of Rishi Valmiki from The Ramayana, where Goddess Sita resided and gave birth to her two sons. Coincidentally, the cities of Lahore and Kasur, across the border in Pakistan and founded by the legendary Luv and Kush are not far away from Amritsar.

The pool of nectar or the mass of water for the Gods to drink, or the puddle of Ambrosia, is not only the literal meaning of this place, but even metaphorically speaking one can feel the divinity associated with it the moment one enters the city of Amritsar (Ramdaspur in earlier times) in Punjab.

Mythologically speaking, Amritsar is also believed to have hosted the ashram of Rishi Valmiki from The Ramayana, where Goddess Sita resided and gave birth to her two sons. Coincidentally, the cities of Lahore and Kasur, across the border in Pakistan and founded by the legendary Luv and Kush are not far away from Amritsar.

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The present city was founded when Guru Amardasji purchased a land here from Emperor Akbar and wanted to build a tank, which was later completed by Guru Ramdasji. The Golden Temple was initiated by Guru Arjandevji and the Akal Takht was built by Guru Hargovindji. Amritsar is now a bustling city of activities and the place also gives its visitors a classic Punjabi setting of culinary delights and traditional attires. The five must visit places to visit here are:

The Partition Museum: No other place in India is as evocative of the horrors of division and hatred, as is The Partition Museum at the Town Hall of Amritsar, which is also the first of its kind in India. This museum is only a five minute walk from The Golden Temple, and it cries out the folly of a separation cut physically by Cyril Radcliffe when he divided the Punjab just like the rest of India without properly surveying the land and its consequences. The Partition Museum is one of the best museums of India and it is a legacy of the events which followed the India Pakistan division.

The Partition Museum.

Attari or Wagah Border: As our car drove to the border position on the Punjabi hinterland highways, we could already feel the pulsating music on the overhead systems of the Indian gate even before reaching its precincts. After settling down in the surrounding amphitheatre of the Wagah border, the marching ceremony of both the Indian BSF soldiers and the Pakistani column on the other side can be witnessed everyday just before dusk. The scene here is very colourful and an experience in itself.

Wagah Border.

Gobindgarh Fort: The current name of this fort came into being when Maharaja Ranjit Singh acquired it from a Bhangi Misl and named it after the 10th Sikh Guru. This fort has some amazing museums and for an outsider unacquainted with the history of Punjab, it is a treasure trove. This huge spread out fort has ample activities to pursue, from watching the traditional Punjabi war dance to the museum visits, light and sound shows.

Gobindgarh Fort.

Jallianwala Bagh Memorial: The spine chilling feeling that one gets after entering this compound thinking about how Reginald Dyer ruthlessly and brutally killed so many innocent people here on that fateful day of 13th April, 1919, is something which remains with every tourist after visiting this tragic historic site. The compound is just a stone’s throw away from The Golden Temple.

Harmandir Sahib or The Golden Temple: It is the very reason why every tourist comes to the city of Amritsar. Words are not sufficient to explain the grandeur of this place. This shrine has impeccable management and hence visiting it is so hassle free and systematic. Somebody who has once visited this place would like to come here again and again.

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