Amrit ~ Sar

After relishing moments in nature's lap at Jim Corbett National Park, our next visit happened to be Amritsar - a holy city in the state of Punjab. The best part of this trip was that all the 10 members of Xtreme Shikra were present.

B K Jeyanth (Captain)
A M Raja
A Ramesh Kumar
Abhilash Urs
Adharsh Kumar N S
G T Senthil Nath
Giri Kumar K
H M Swaroop
Ranjith Kumar Shetty
Sunil Kumar H

The name of the city derives from the name of the pool around the Golden Temple.
We started from Roorkee by Train (Deharadun-Amritsar Express) around 2300 hours & reached Amritsar on Sunday around 0800 hours.

Golden Temple

The entrance to the Golden Temple complex is through an archway with inlay work. The main entrance has a Victorian clock tower.

Our first view of Golden Temple

The temple is in white marble with the walls decorated with inlaid flower and animals symbols in the style of the Taj Mahal.

Clock Tower


Main Entrance

The architecture of the golden temple is a blend of the Hindu and Muslim styles.

Golden Temple

Upper Dome

The upper storey is gold plated, crowned with a dome (the Golden Dome) shaped like an inverted lotus, pointing back to earth to symbolize the Sikh´s concern with the problems of this world.

A Sikh in Service of Golden Temple

Golden Temple Map

The temple building has four entrances instead of the usual single entry. This is symbolic of the openness of Sikhism.

Near Sarovar

Causeway

Top of the temple

The Golden Temple is open to all but visitors must remove their shoes and cover their heads before entering temple.

Jallian Wala Bagh

Its a memorial place of thousands of people who lost their life in this park on April 13, 1919 by the cruelest firing order of Michael O'Dwyer. The firing lasted about 10 minutes and 1650 rounds were fired, or 33 rounds per soldier. Official (Raj) sources placed the casualties at 379. According to private sources, the number was over 1000, with more than 2000 wounded.

Entrance of Bagh


The place from where people were fired

With a sikh

Tribute to great Martyrs

Flag Ceremony at Wagah Border

India and Pakistan share a single border that cuts straight through the village of Wagah (30 km from Amritsar & 23 km from Lahore).

Google Image of Border
(Red Line indicates Border between Nations)

Every evening this border closes with a very picturesque ceremony, in which officials of both countries intervene: Indians dressed in Khakhi (Border Security Force), and the pakistani dressed in dark green (Pakistani Rangers).

At the sound of a bugle call, the representatives of both countries - the Pakistani Rangers, and the Indian Border Security Force – march quickly to the gates.

Border Security Force of India

Upon stopping, these guards throw forward one leg, as high as their own heads, and stomp it down to the ground. This is done while glowering fiercely at the opposite side. They than announce their contempt for each other with strong, emphatic displays of thumbs-down.The main event is that flags of both the countries are lowered in the same speed.

Parade of BSF

The ceremony lasts 30 min. approximately. Crowds gather at both sides, cheering slogans of national greatness and crying out 'long live India'. The gates are then closed, sealing the border for the evening.

Personally I was much disappointed to see this. It seems as if we have lost ourselves & our humanity in the mad race of religion & so called "patriotism". Patriotism is never developing hatred towards our neighbours. Those fierce reactions & stomping marches frightened me.

Indo-Pak Border Gate at Sunset

The Pakistanis were not much different, except for the dresses they wore. But then many of the muslims in india also wear that same dress. I think it is more of a muslim dressing sense, than a pakistani one. After the flag was lowered and the gates were closed, We could get nearer to the border and get a glimpse of the other side. Looking at the other end all I could think of was that it is not that different from this end. On our side of the border there was fields. So too are fields in the other end. The texture of the soil also doesnt look much different!

Electrified Fence at Border!


When the air is same,

When the water is same,
When the earth is same,
Why then should there be distance
between hearts of two men!

-unknown.

Swarna Jayanthi Gate