Amritsar Hotels & Resorts

Join a local English-speaking guide as you make your way through the city of Amritsar on foot. You’ll walk through narrow streets and markets and learn about day-to-day life in the city and the Sikh religion. A stop will be made at the Saragarhi Memorial Gurudwara which was built by the British in tribute to 21 Sikh soldiers who faught in the 1897 Battle of Saragarhi. The tour concludes with a visit to northern India’s most famous sights – the Golden Temple.

When you arrive at the Wagah-Attari border closing ceremony, otherwise known as the ‘flag lowering ceremony,’ you might think you’ve arrived at a football match rather than the meeting of two ideologically opposing countries. Despite the historical tension, every evening, both countries come together to celebrate the closing of the border. It’s more like a flamboyant performance to the tune of patriotic music and there’s still some harmless rivalry though which makes it good fun.

Since 1959, Indians have gathered on one side of a paved promenade while the Pakistan contingent sit on the other. Both the Indian Border Security Force and Pakistan Rangers dressed in official uniform march down the road past cheering crowds. Synchronised dance movements with slick salutes and high kicks are among the many moves on show. The soldiers even sculpt their moustaches in a bid to intimidate their opponents. This all culminates in the lowering of both countries’ flags at the same time as the sun goes down, ending in handshakes between the Indian and Pakistani military.

Just before you arrive at the Golden Temple, a stop is made at Jallianwala Bagh, an important yet tragic site. After washing your feet, hands and covering your head, you will enter the gateway to see the striking Golden Temple appearing to almost float in the middle of a manmade pool. A real highlight of any trip is the ‘open kitchen’ which feeds hundreds of people.

Jallianwala Bagh is an open garden at which on the 13th of April 1919, the British Indian Army opened fire on a peaceful protest. The British said that 400 people died but the Indian government discovered it was more like 1500. You can still see the bullet marks on the walls. It’s a sobering, humble experience.

The Golden Temple isn’t far away. When you arrive, you will see men, women and children take a dip in the holy water and Sikh guards with long beards, dressed in yellow tunics and holding spears, survey the scene. Next visit the ‘open kitchens’ where you can see them first hand spread over three floors and devotees who can’t afford nourishing meals, queuing for bowls of dal, rice and chapati. The people serving the food are all volunteers. You can join in making chapatis, cleaning the utensils or stirring the huge pans of dal that take up an entire room.

On this tour you will visit the Saragarhi Temple memorial, Jalebiwala Chowk and the gold market, a prelude to the highlight of your tour of Amritsar. Every day an average of 100,000 worshippers enter the gates to Sikkhism’s most sacred site, The Golden Temple. The sight of its structures shimmering in gold leaf and hovering over a body of holy water is quite moving as is a visit to the community kitchens where volunteers feed the streaming devotees.

Start the tour from the British-made town hall before stopping to see the Saragarhi temple memorial where in 1897, 21 Sikhs under British command valiantly fought 10,000 invading Pathans (Afghans). Afterwards, walk the narrow lanes of the holy city passing buildings constructed by Maharaja Ran Jain Singh, founder of the Sikh kingdom of Punjab.

You will also take in the Jalebiwala Chowk (market) where the ill-fated April 1919 protest started resulting in what is known today as the Jallianwala Bagh massacre - the murder of 1500 civilians at the hands of the British Indian army. Today the same street hustles and bustles with activity and has grown a reputation for its delicious yet calorific snacks made of ghee (clarified butter). Hand-pulled rickshaws, locals carrying produce on their heads and people chatting animatedly on street corners make up a thrumming atmosphere. All this below once-grand dilapidating buildings strung with complex wire systems and old peepal trees that run through the architecture so seamlessly you need to do a double take.

Stop at a site traditionally used for mud wrestling and afterwards, Amritsar’s beguiling markets. Each one has its own speciality from literature to glittering wedding bangles to a utensil bazaar selling traditional copper and brass pots and pans on an enormous scale. In the gold market, there’s such an abundance of precious metal that you’ll find people sifting through the drains and literally striking gold.

Consider this the prelude to Amritsar’s greatest treasure, the Golden Temple. Every day an average of 100,000 worshippers enter the gates to Sikkhism’s most sacred site. The sight of its structures shimmering in gold leaf and hovering over a body of holy water is quite moving as is a visit to the community kitchens where volunteers feed the streaming devotees dal, rice and chapatis. After some time here, end at the aforementioned Jallianwala Bagh garden memorial. It’s a sombre, emotional moment but an important one to understand the context of the city as well as an opportunity to see original photographs of Amritsar all those years ago.