Day - 4 | Golden Temple and Wagha Border - Dream Ride LADAKH
LADAKH - A dream ride for many. I was fortunate enough to complete my dream ride in the month of July 2021.
Day - 4
From - Amritsar ( Punjab ) And Wagha Border
Road - Amritsar - Wagha Border - Amritsar
Date - 14.07.2021
Total - 56.5 KM
The fourth day was a relaxing day. We got up around 5:30am and went to the Temple. We had gone inside the premises of the temple but not inside the temple as it was crowded. It was crowded in the morning as well. I decided to wait in the queue and take darshan. My friend waited outside for me. It took me almost 1 hr for the darshan. After that, I went on to the first floor of the temple, took darshan there, and then headed towards the top floor. I didn't know that we could go on top of the temple also. It was an amazing experience for me. The Temple had a very strong positive vibe around it. Going there felt like charging myself with some positive energy. The power which I felt over there cannot be explained. One has to go there to feel it.
About Golden Temple
The Golden Temple is also known as the Harmandir Sahib is a gurdwara located in the city of Amritsar, Punjab, India. The gurdwara is built around a man-made
pool (Sarovar) that was completed by the fourth Sikh Guru, Guru Ram Das, in 1577. In 1604, Guru Arjan placed a
copy of the Adi Granth in Harmandir Sahib. The Gurdwara
was repeatedly rebuilt by the Sikhs after it became a target of persecution and was destroyed several times by the Mughal and invading Afghan armies. Maharaja Ranjit Singh, after founding the Sikh Empire, rebuilt it in marble and copper in 1809 and overlaid the sanctum with gold leaf in 1830. This has led to the name the Golden
Temple.
The
Golden Temple is spiritually the most significant shrine in Sikhism. It became
a center of the Singh Sabha Movement between 1883 and the 1920s, and the Punjabi Suba
movement between 1947 and 1966. In the early 1980s, the Gurdwara
became a center of conflict between the Indian government led by Indira Gandhi, some radical Sikh groups, and a movement led by Jarnail Singh
Bhindranwale. In 1984, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi sent in the Indian Army as part of Operation Blue Star, leading to the deaths of over 1,000 soldiers and
civilians, as well as causing much damage to the Gurdwara and the destruction
of Akal Takht. The Gurdwara complex was rebuilt again after the 1984 damage.
The Golden Temple complex originally was open and had numerous trees around the pool. It is now a walled, two-story courtyard with four entrances, that preserve three Ber trees (jujube). One of them is to the right of the main Ghanta Ghar door entrance with the clock, and it is called the Ber Baba Buddha. It is believed in the Sikh tradition to be the tree where Baba Buddha sat to supervise the construction of the pool and first temple.
A second tree is
called Laachi Ber,
believed to be the one under which Guru Arjan rested while the temple was being
built. The third one is called Dukh
Bhanjani Ber, located on the other side of the sanctum, across the pool.
It is believed in the Sikh tradition that this tree was the location where a
Sikh was cured of his leprosy after taking a dip in the pool, giving the tree
the epithet of "suffering remover". There is a small Gurdwara
underneath the tree. The Ath Sath
Tirath, or the spot equivalent to 68 pilgrimages, is in the shade
underneath the Dukh Bhanjani Ber tree.
Sikh devotees, states Charles Townsend, believe that bathing in the pool near
this spot delivers the same fruits as a visit to 68 pilgrimage places in India.
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After visiting Golden temple we went to have breakfast, We also planned to visit Jallianwala Baug, but unfortunately due to covid norms, the Baug was closed for visitors.
Now we had to get our covid test done as it was compulsory for entering into Jammu. So we went to SRL Diagnostics for doing our covid test. We returned from there around 10:30am, we were told that our results will be sent to us via email.
I then headed towards the Wagha border which was 28km from the hotel. It is a straight road from Amritsar. I reached there in 30 min. And again due to the Chinese virus the main area where all events are held was closed for visitors. there was a police check post 1 km before the Border, where I stopped. I clicked some pictures over there and then returned. I cant imagine how energetic the place might be when people are allowed. I wish to go there again.
About Wagah Border ( Attari Border )
The Indian side is called Attari Border while the Pakistani side is called Wagha. The Government of India has changed the name of the Wagah border, near Amritsar, to the Attari border.
The lowering of the flags ceremony at the Attari-Wagah border is a daily military practice that the
security forces of India and Pakistan have jointly followed since 1959. The drill is characterized by elaborate and rapid
dance-like maneuvers and raising legs as high as possible, which have been
described as "colorful". It is alternatively a symbol of
the two countries’ rivalry, as well as brotherhood and cooperation between the
two nations.
At the
international border between India and Pakistan, the pomp and pageantry of the Beating Retreat
and the Change of Guard occur within the handshaking distance of the Indian and
Pakistani forces. Wagah, an army outpost on the India-Pakistan
border between Amritsar and Lahore, is an elaborate complex of buildings, roads, and
barriers on both sides. The daily highlight is the evening “Beating the
Retreat” ceremony. Soldiers from both countries march in a drill, going
through the steps of bringing down their respective national flags.
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