Amritsar, in the heart of Punjab is the holiest city for Sikh community and houses the most sacred Golden Temple. The shimmering temple is surrounded by a man made lake and has over 100 kgs of gold added in 1830, giving it the name – Golden Temple. The temple is visited by over 100,000 pilgrims and tourists both from all over the world belonging to different faiths and nationalities. The inner sanctum houses the Guru Granth Sahib – Sikh’s holy scripture, from which the prayers are chanted rhythmically and as the worshippers pay their respect. The holy book is ‘Put to Bed’ in an atmospheric ceremony every evening. The temple complex is large and has a museum, library and an institute for research. The tank surrounding the temple is supposed to have healing properties and one can see pilgrims bathing in the water.
The ’langar’ or the community kitchen at the Golden Temple is perhaps world’s largest community kitchen that feeds over 100.000 people 24 hours every day irrespective of religion, caste, class & nationality etc. The kitchen is completely run by volunteers and everybody is welcome to eat in the dining hall along with other visitors. Visitors can volunteer in the dining hall to serve or even in the kitchen where huge amounts of food is cooked in large containers and chapattis are rolled by friendly and smiling pilgrims. One can expect the place full of people from all faith and nationalities making the temple complex one of the friendliest place in India.
Beyond the Golden Temple lies the heritage city west of Shimla and serves as an excellent base to start a journey into Himalaya. The old city is almost 400 year old and the narrow lanes have some really intricately carved wooden facades. The walled city of Amritsar makes for an interesting and easy paced walking tour to explore some of the hidden gems of the city such as old temples, akharas, and, arguably, the first-ever Amritsar Shopping Mall! One can taste & learn the traditional ways of preparing some of Amritsar’s most popular breakfast items, street food, and sweets.
The days in Amritsar usually end with a trip to the India-Pakistan border post at Wagah. Here the beating retreat ceremony is held every afternoon. The atmosphere is quite passionate and patriotic, as soldiers from each side takes turns to lower their flags in an attempt to outdo the other. All this while spectators from both sides cheers the guards with their nationalist slogans shouted at high volumes!
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SUGGESTED HOLIDAYS TO INDIA WITH AMRITSAR & THE GOLDEN TREMPLE
GOLDEN TEMPLE & HIMALAYAN FOOTHILLS
10 NIGHTS
Amritsar / Dharamshala / Pragpur / Shimla / New Delhi
This wonderful itinerary travels through the foothills of Himalaya. Start in the frontier city of Amritsar which is the epicentre of Sikh religion with the stunning Golden Temple, the tour ends in the Summer Capital of Shimla. On the way stop in the Tibetan settlement of Mcleod Ganj and picturesque Dharashala, home to the exiled Dalai Lama. Travel further into Kangra valley to explore the heritage of Pragpur before spending last few days in Shimla to experience the 'Toy Train'.
Build Your Tailor-Made Holiday to India
As well as luxury holidays, we've also built many different India itineraries for families and honeymoon couples who want to see the best parts the country has to offer.
The holiday itineraries above are examples of ones we have created previously in India, and give you a good idea on the time needed to see many of the idyllic places mentioned above. If you would like more information on a specific area, or a certain hotel, please get in touch with us.
Perfect for:
Adventure, culture, cities, beach, family
Time difference:
GMT+ 4.5 hours
When to go:
October to March
International Airports:
Mumbai(BOM)
Delhi(DEL)
Flight duration:
8 hours approx
Vaccinations:
Some are recommended or required by the Centres for Disease Control and the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Tailored Journeys is about helping you explore one of the most fascinating and beautiful regions on earth, in style. Even if – especially if – you don’t know where to start, call us now to talk about creating your own Tailored Journey – and let the dream begin.
