Amritsar - Jallianwala Bagh (Part 3)

Continuing from Part 1 and Part 2.................

OK, this is going to be a super short post by my standards. First, let's get the food out of the way. For dinner, we went to a place called Makhan Fish. It is a famous and popular place. As many such joints, it had grown in size with its popularity. But it has grown in a characteristically desi way. It now has two floors. The upper floor is a normal family air conditioned restaurant. The ground floor is the interesting part. It is a big room with tables laid out. People (actually, exclusively men) walk in with bottles of liquor, mostly whiskey, and nothing less than 100 Pipers. We even saw many Chivas Regals. They would order fish, a few would order chicken or some other snacks, and start hooching. Many of them would come with their family, send the ladies and kids to the first floor, and have a boys only drinking session on the ground floor. The room also had a huge TV showing cricket. As far as the fish went, it was fantastic. Our dinner consisted of fish only.

Jallianwala Bagh

The next day, we decided to visit Jallianwala bagh before heading back to Delhi. The Jallianwala bagh has had a special significance in our country's freedom struggle. We all know the story, and everyone of us knows the name of the man who butchered thousands of innocents, Brigadier-General Reginald Dyer. So I went there with a solemn sense of history weighing down on me. The entrance to the monument is located in the center of the city, in a bustling marketplace. The entrance is through a narrow walled passage, which is the way it was originally. This gives the place a further sense of claustrophobia. 

And then we walk into a......garden?! It was such an anti-climax. Why do I say so.....firstly one expects a large field, not a neatly manicured garden which is divided into blocks of greenery with walking paths,etc. 

Secondly, as we are walking down the path, we see a small marker saying that the people were fired at from that spot....totally innocuous and seems out of place. And one single marker cannot show the position of the soldiers because there were 90 soldiers, 65 with rifles, firing at the crowd.

Thirdly, there is a monument in the middle of the park remembering the dead, but it does not seem to have any relevance or meaning..... it is just an art installation. Reminds me of a lot of things (Obelix's Menhir for example.....what were you thinking?), but certainly not martyrs. If any of you, with a more refined sense of appreciation of the arts sees it's significance, please enlighten me through the comments. And I am not being sarcastic about it, I really would like to know.

Many people died when they jumped into a solitary well located in the compound. Over 120 bodies were fished out of it later. This well now looks like a hut. You don't enter a hut to see the well - the well itself has been disguised into a strange..... Hut-Well. 

In between the park, there are a few portions of the original wall with bullet marks on them. In the making of the park, the level of the ground has gone up significantly. So some portion of the wall are below the ground level. 

Though everyone may not agree, my view is that we do not know how to create a compelling national monument. This is a watershed event in our history. It still has the power to move us. The monument here should be designed in such a way that we should be able to visualise what happened here......We should be able to feel the horror of the situation. But instead, you feel as though you have come for a stroll in the park. The layout is such that you are left wondering what the original place looked like and where the crowds were assembled. A monument of such national importance should inspire pride and respect for the valour of the Freedom Fighters, a sense of patriotism. But alas!

The place is further trivialised by whimsical creations of the horticultural division - Plant Soldiers! With rifles / Rocket launchers?

There is also a small museum with painting, photographs, newpaper clippings and first hand accounts. Though there is a lot of interesting information, it is a bit of an effort to read everything. The first hand account of a woman whose husband bled to death, and how she had to spend the night next to him with, all the dead and dying, was heart-wrenching. I also came to know about Shaheed Udham Singh, who planned revenge and finally killed O'Dwyer in London in 1940. O'Dwyer, not Dyer. I had a vague idea that the 'Butcher of Amritsar' was killed by an Indian. But actually, Dyer died due to a stroke in 1927. O'Dwyer was the Lieutenant Governor of Punjab during the massacre and he had praised Dyer for his actions. Udham Singh killed him as he held him responsible. He was hanged in London.

Finally, whatever be the merits or demerits of the present construction, it is a place every Indian should visit. The museum gives us a glimpse of what life was as a second class citizen.

I will end here as the supposedly super-short post is not so short anymore. Suffice to say, we had an uneventful drive back to Delhi......except for being stopped by cops, with a video camera, to check if we were transporting wads of black money. After all, it was election time.

Hope you enjoyed the post.

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Amritsar - The Golden Temple (Part 2)

Continuing from Part 1 where we left of last time, we go on with the tour of the Golden Temple.

Akal Takht

Guru Arjan Dev died a martyr on orders of Jehangir, the Mughal Emporor, in Lahore. This undoubtadly would have affected his son and successor, Guru  Har Gobind, who changed the character of Sikhism by introducing martial arts and weapons for their defence. In fact he told devotees to give offerings of weapons, rather than flowers, food or money. He carried two swords (miri and piri), one signifying temporal/ material power and the other, spiritual power. The two flagpoles in front of the Akal Takht signify these powers.

Guru Hargobind built the Akal Takht (Timeless Throne)  as a place of justice and consideration of wordly issues and as the highest seat of earthly authority of the Khalsa (the collective body of the Sikhs). All commandments affecting the community as a whole were and are still issued from here. This act of the Guru made Amritsar the most important city for the Sikhs.

The Akal Takht was severely damaged during Op Bluestar. Rajiv Gandhu rebuilt it, but it was not accepted by the sikh community and was derisively called the Sarkari Takht. This building was brought down in 1986 and a new building, made by Kar Sewa or community service, was completed in 1995.

The Ber Trees

There are three Ber (Indian Jujube) trees with religious significance within the premises of the Golden Temple. They are called The Lachi Ber, The Ber Baba Buddha Ji and The Dukh-Bhanjani Ber. When I read the story of these trees on the plaques next to them, I found it difficult to believe. All the stories refer to events occurring during or before the construction of the temple began. That makes them over 400 years old. Later I found out that the normal lifespan of a Ber tree is around 100 years. But even then, these trees have lived 4 times as long. In fact the oldest, Dukh Bhanjani Ber, is over 440 years old. These trees are a silent witness to the growth of Amritsar.

It seems that in the 1990s, the trees started showing signs of wilting and large parts of them died due to insect infestation. The thousands of devotees touching its bark everyday and offering sweets near its roots also started taking it's toll. Measures were taken to rejuvenate and support the trees and they seem to be improving now. In fact, all the three trees have an elaborate support structure to hold the main branches and protect them.

Other Places of Interest

Apart from these, the Gurudwara complex also has many shrines to past Sikh Gurus, saints and martyrs. Each of them has a Guru Granth Sahib and a Granthi reciting it. There are over 30 of them in the premises.

The rest of the buildings surrounding the tank are living quarters and bathing areas for pilgrims.

Guru ka Langar

And then there is the Guru ka Langar. A free community kitchen and dining hall run by volunteers and donations for everyone, irrespective of caste, creed, nationality, religion, anything. The one here runs 24 hrs round and serves dal, rice, chapati and kheer. Reportedly, on average 75,000 devotees or tourists take langar daily (3000 in one sitting); but the number becomes almost double on special occasions. On average 100 Quintal Wheat Flour, 25 Quintal Cereals,  50 Quintal Rice, 5000 Ltr Milk, 10 Quintal Sugar and 5 Quintal Pure Ghee is used a day. Nearly 100 LPG Gas Cylinders are used to prepare the meals. All meals are based on donations by devotees, either in the form of raw produce or as money. The food is also served by volunteers.

The description above is a combined view of my solo visit in the morning and the family visit later in the night. So though I will now continue chronologically, please remember we have had a flash forward and have covered the activities of the night too.

My visit to Sri Harmandir Sahib brought out to me that the sikh community is still feel greivously hurt over Op Bluestar. They have not forgotten it, and are unlikely to ever forget or forgive the action. All the information plaques clearly bring out the 'desecration' caused to the structure by the Army and the 'atrocity' of the Government. In fact, there is a structure which has been built behind the Akal Takht in honour of the martyrs of Op Bluestar. It has a Granthi reciting the Guru Granth Sahib, like in all other shrines. I am not sure whether this shrine is only for the innocent killed, or is it also for those whom many would consider militants. But then, one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter.

Of course, the irony is that the entire Golden Temple premises is now covered with marble plaques acknowledging the donations by various army units. In any case, whatever may have been the reasons or compulsions which led to the operation, the hurt and angst among the community is very real. We just don't realise it.

Enough serious talk....Let us end our visit to the Golden Temple with a beautiful night panoramic view of the lovely and peaceful place of worship......

I got back to our room by 0830. We all got ready and thereafter got around to organising our stuff and cleaning the car properly. It was almost lunch time by the time we finished and were ready to move.

For lunch, we went to a place called Kulcha Land. It is a small joint which seems to have a big clientele. They serve only Kulchas and that too of only three types, Amritsari, Paneer and Masala. And they have Lassi to go with it. No complicated menu card, choices, etc. It was great. Anybody going to Amritsar, this is a must visit joint for the kulchas. I got a recommendation to eat here on the net. Probablt because they seem to have understood the importance of 'word of mouth' through social media and blogs. They encouraged me to take photographs, invited me into the kitchen, posed for it and generally made it easy for me to get their photos on the net and give them free publicity. 

They also have draught lassi, or lassi on tap. :-)

I will wind up Day 2 here and continue with Day 3 in the next part. We then visit Jallianwala Bagh and eat at Makhan fish. Ciao.

Continue reading in Part 3..........

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Amritsar - The Golden Temple (Part 1)

On Day 2, I got up early in the morning and reached the Golden Temple by 0530.

The Golden Temple is the informal name for Harmandir Sahib, also called Darbar Sahib. It is located in Amritsar and is the most important shrine for Sikhs, both spiritually and administratively. The only other place with similar importance is the Nankana Sahib (in present day Pakistan), which is the birthplace of Guru Nanak.

The Golden Temple, I found, is one of the most well organised, managed and clean places of worship in India. This is especially commendable as it is also one of the most visited shrines, both by devotees and tourists, in India. As advised by some friends, I reached well before sunrise as the crowd would be much less and one can really enjoy the beauty of the place. As the day dawned and darkness faded, I saw the place transform.

 **********History of Amritsar and the Golden Temple***********

It was common for each Sikh Guru to establish a township for his missionary work. The present site of Amritsar, near the village Tung, was chosen by Guru Amar Das, the third guru, as the site for missionary work for his successor, Guru Ram Das. In 1574, Guru Ram Das, the fourth guru bought some land from the villagers of Tung for Rs.700 and soon commenced work on excavating a tank. By 1577, the tank, Amrit Sarovar was dug to his satisfaction and he exhorted all devotees to visit the holy tank. He also encouraged people to settle in the newly established township. The town came to be called Ramdaspur or Chakk Ramdas or simpy Guru da Chakk. After his death, his successor, Guru Arjan Dev continued to work from the same place. 

Guru Arjan Dev was keen on building a Gurudwara and asked his representatives to collect one-tenth of the income of all followers for building it in the middle of the tank. Work on the Haramandir Sahib began in 1588 and was completed in 1601. The entire construction was personally supervised by him. Guru Arjan also started compiling the authentic bani (words) of his predecessors, adding to their compositions not only his own but also the compositions of Sants, Bhagats, Shaikhs and Bhakts. He completed the work, called Adi Granth, in 1604 and installed it in the Harmandir Sahib. For the next 200 years, the sacred pool (Amrit Sarovar or Amar Sarovar) and Gurudwara were referred to as Amritsar. However, in the nineteenth century, the entire township came to be known by this name.

The Harmandir Sahib was destroyed by Mughals, Afghans and various other invaders at least seven times. But each time it was rebuilt by the Sikhs. The present day Gurudwara was built in 1764 by Jassa Singh Ahluwalia, a prominent Sikh leader during the period of the Sikh Confederacy. Maharaja Ranjit Singh covered the upper parts of the temple with gold in the nineteenth century, giving it the name, Golden temple.

The Sikh history is another extremely interesting and important part of Indian History. The following link is one of the good sites to visit if you are interested in a more detailed account. 

http://www.sikh-history.com/sikhhist/events/amritsar.html

*********History Ends*******************************************

There are four entrances to the complex, one in each cardinal point. I entered through the eastern gateway. There is a pool of clean flowing water to wash your feet before entering.

The moment I entered the gateway, I noticed that the entire wall was plastered with marble plaques, based on offerings of various army units. These included Sikh, Punjab, Marathas, Madras, artillery, EME, etc. The same unit was repeated a number of times. It has probably become a tradition among many regiments with a donation being made by each new Commanding Officer on taking over.

As I stood inside the complex, the view was breathtaking.

Though I am including a panoramic view of the complex, it does not do justice to the magnificence of the sight in the breaking dawn.

Well. I also have a panorama, taken later in the day, which I couldn't resist showing. So again......

Let us now look at the important structures within the complex.

(Source : www.sikhmuseum.com)

Harmandir Sahib

Let us start with the Sri Harmandir Sahib or Sri Darbar Sahib or The Golden Temple itself.

Sri Harmandir Sahib, is built on a square platform in the centre of the Amrit Sarovar. The temple is a square marble structure. It has a door each on the East, West, North and South. The Darshani Deori (an arched doorway) opens on to the causeway or bridge that leads to the main building of Sri Harmandir Sahib. It is around 20 feet long. The bridge is connected with the ‘Pardakshna’ (circumambulatory path) that runs round the main shrine.

Everything in the causeway, including the fans, lights fittings and the wires leading to them have been painted  or covered in gold color. Though there is a large crowd and a longish wait, it is not uncomfortable as there are fans all along the path and the crowd is very well behaved. The entry is well planned and organised causing minimum inconvenience. We had to wait around 30 min,but that is nothing compared to many other shrines with such large number of visitors. The place is also maintained very well. A child ahead of us vomited onto the pathway. Within minutes, there were volunteers present with cleaning material to mop it up.

The Sri Harmandir Sahib itself is a domed three-storied marble structure. The upper storeys are covered in copper plates with gold leaf over them. The following snap shows the lower marble structure and the upper gold covered portion.

I dont have any further photographs of my own as photography is prohibited inside the temple. Here are a few snaps of the inside from the internet.

As can be seen, the inner sanctum is opulent, to say the least. The Guru Granth Sahib is being recited continuously. Unlike other places, there is nobody trying to push or shove you out of the place. You can spend as much time inside as you wish. Of course, since it has three storeys and a balcony, the place does not get overcrowded. I am not sure how they handle the situation during the day when the crowd would be much more.

***************General Information**********************************

As you know, there is no idol or deity in a Gurudwara. The focal point of a Gurudwara is the Adi Granth. In 1708, Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth guru, just before his death, conferred the title 'Guru of the Sikhs' on the Adi Granth. Since then, it has been called the Guru Granth Sahib Ji and is considered the living guru and the head of the Sikh community. In a Gurudwara, the Guru Granth Sahib is placed on an raised platform called a Takht (Throne). It is attended with all signs of royalty. It is placed upon a throne, and the congregation sits on the floor. Above it, an implement called Chaur Sahib, made of Yak hair, is waved and a canopy is always placed over it. The devotees bow before the Guru as a sign of respect. The Guru Granth Sahib ji is taken care of by a Granthi. He is responsible for reciting from it and leading the Sikh prayer. The Granthi also acts as the caretaker of Guru Granth Sahib Ji. In Harmandir Sahib, the Granth is taken at night to the Akal Takht and brought back early in the morning.

***************************************************************

 

Bunga Ramgarhia

When the temple was demolished the last time, the Sardars of the 12 Misls (Sovereign states in the Sikh Confederacy) assembled at the Akal Bunga (situated in the front of the temple) to consult about the reconstruction of the temple. it was decided that it would be no use to rebuild the temple unless some of the Khalsa leaders remained in it for its protection against their enemies. The Bhangi's, the Ahluwalia's and the Ramgarhia's were selected to dwell in the sacred precincts with their forces as the guardians of the temple. They were directed to call on the other Sardars for help in case of any great danger.

Each of the six great Misls also gave also one man to serve in the temple. The present priests are descendants of those six men. The income of the temple, after deducting other expenses, is divided and distributed in due proportion among the descendants of the six priests.

The Bunga, which means mansion, was built for housing the Ramgarhia family. The two towers were built as watch-towers for advance warning of the enemy's approach.

The Bunga also houses the Coronation Slab of the Mughal Emperors which Sardar Jassa Singh Ramgarhia brought from Delhi when he had sacked it.

I will stop here for the sake of avoiding an overdose. But do join me for the next episode where we will see the Akal Takht and explore the Golden Temple a little more. 

As they say in Punjab, Sat Sri Akal

Continue reading in Part 2 and Part 3..........

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