Golden Temple in Amritsar, Punjab

For those who are not from Punjab, how often do you plan a trip to different destinations in the state? How would you rate Punjab when it comes to tourism? Living in Delhi, I was not new to the boisterous Punjabi culture – friendly, surprisingly warm, and shockingly loud (in a good way). With the love for Punjabi food in my heart, and a mild concern about sensory overload, I finally decided to visit Chandigarh, one of the easiest cities to visit from Delhi. My initial plan was to just visit the famous Rock Garden, and see Le Corbusier’s pretty little creation. What I ended up with was larger than life, more than what I could have imagined…and yes, definitely sensory overload. Here’s what I honestly experienced in Punjab. My road trip from Delhi to Chandigarh was a smooth one. Surprisingly the traffic around the Delhi border wasn’t too bad. Delhi to Ambala was done smoothly, with a couple of mandatory dhaba breaks. From Ambala, however, things went fast for me, or I thought it did. For instance, I didn’t realise how quickly we reached Chandigarh from Ambala. To me, it felt like I blinked and we reached. Maybe I slept.

Quiet road in Chandigarh

Chandigarh was nothing like I had imagined. Or maybe I should blame my taxi driver. As soon as we entered Mohali, he started saying, “lo, Chandigarh bas pahuch gaye” (see, we are almost in Chandigarh). I had imagined tree-lined clean streets, with no chaos on the road, French-feel. Not the busy streets, not the hawkers. The driver’s “pahuch gaye” didn’t happen for another 45 minutes or so, thanks to the traffic. After my years of travel, especially roadtrips, I have come to love the shock some destinations tend to give. Chandigarh was one such destination.Very seamlessly, how chaotic roads transformed into quiet neighbourhoods. What lay in front of me was a meticulously planned, green city (because of trees all around), far from the bustling, noisy crowd. Gardens suddenly popped up, and behind the trees and hedges, beautiful modern architecture, mostly the public buildings. Minimal in colour, big in design, so this was what Le Corbusier designed. Before reaching Chandigarh, I decided to extend my trip to Amritsar. Let’s go and see what Golden Temple is all about, I thought.

A day in Chandigarh

Rock Garden of Chandigarh

Rule no. 1 while travelling: If your destination opens at a certain time, try to reach early. So keeping that in mind, I reached the Rock Garden of Chandigarh early (9:30AM). You see, I am a big fan of hobbies. But definitely not consistent and determined like Nek Chand Saini, who, little by little, gathered the city’s old and refuse, and turned his hobby into this magnificent work of art. We’ve all studied about this “hobby” of his back in school. It was fun to explore all the corners, narrow sections, the waterfall area, go up close and take a good look at the materials he used. From glass bottles and broken cutleries to pieces of commodes and old tiles, this artist took creativity to another level. I left the garden mighty impressed. Next stop…somebody’s farm, an actual farm.

Tourists inside Rock Garden of Chandigarh

I was travelling with a friend from college, who knew someone, who knew someone…one of them had a sugarcane farm. The offer that came to us was to visit their farm and see how jaggery is made. Of course we said yes! And boy, Punjabis know how to welcome guests. And by welcome I mean tractor ride, a small cultural troupe waiting for us in their traditional fineries, and the aroma of jaggery hitting us in a good way. But before everything, lunch was served. Generous amount of vegetarian food and the biggest glass of lassi I ever saw. Did you know that food is an experience in Punjab? A foodie would know for sure.

Jaggery making process

Right after lunch, I headed over to the place where the farmers were making jaggery. Seeing copious amounts of sugar cane juice being boiled and turned into jaggery, I wanted to try my hand at jaggery making. I didn’t have the strength or the will power to stir that much hot, sticky syrup. So I retired to the corner where they were selling chikki (peanut brittle), and gur saunf (fennel seeds mixed with jaggery). For those wondering, yes, these items are great as souvenirs for friends and family. With our bellies and hearts full and sticky hands, we bid farewell to the generous farm owner. With that our time in Chandigarh came to an end. Next stop…Amritsar.

Amritsar: A date with religion and culture

Not even 250km from Chandigarh, Amritsar looked like any other north Indian town. That familiar crowded street, small-town vibe but not quite there yet. Amritsar felt completely different from Chandigarh. Good food, of course, but I could not stay still till I saw the Golden Temple. Have you experienced anything overwhelmingly peaceful? Golden Temple is exactly that, and more.

Golden Temple in Amritsar

The Golden Temple (Sri Harmandir Sahib) is a breathtaking beauty, and has a spiritual energy that’s intense, but in a very good way. Humility was what I saw and felt there. Cleanliness is so obvious. Even though I was from a different religion, I instantaneously felt the need to cover my head like everybody else. The place exuded kind energy. To me, it felt like the energy came from the people who were there, deep in devotion, just minding their own business, not interfering with other’s, volunteers constantly helping people around, keeping the place spotlessly clean…I could go on and on. I was instantly struck by the sight of the golden structure in front of me. I didn’t approach Amrit Sarovar, the holy water, honestly because I didn’t know what to do, and didn’t know if I was allowed or not. But I did observe people, and it felt very calm and peaceful. The sound of Gurbani broke my reverie, and I realised I was awestruck by the beauty of the scene in front of me. Profound serenity is what I saw in most people’s faces. And despite being crowded, there was no chaos. We went inside and sat on the floor with everybody else. We picked a quiet corner and listened to the hymns for some time. After spending a good amount of time inside, we just followed people and reached the langar, the community kitchen. They say, here, thousands are fed for free regardless of faith, every single day, And I think that is just a beautiful thing to do in a world where tolerance is scarce and everybody is hurting in their own sad little ways. I was left with a lasting impression of humility and selfless service.