Our foodie vacation in Amritsar
Our foodie vacation in Amritsar is very special.It is our quest for good food in Punjab.A place very close to heart.
Amritsar -The Holy city -Our foodie vacation
Amritsar is a holy city. Pilgrims all over the world visit the Golden temple here.Hence,it has a unique culture.
We required divine intervention to continue ahead with the blog, and what better place than Amritsar.
Amritsar is the spiritual capital of the Sikhs.
It gained its name, meaning "Holy Pool of Nectar", from the body of water around the Golden Temple.
We start our journey for search of good food with a visit to the Golden temple(Harmandir Sahib).
In this part we will cover the visit to the Golden temple.Later,share the places known in Amritsar for excellent mouth watering food.
To reach and plan your Visit to Amritsar, refer to the below link Amritsar Wikitravel More details on Golden temple (Harmandir_Sahib) Golden Temple,Amritsar
History and Important facts
Harmandir Sahib is the holy for all Sikhs.
The most holy text of Sikhism, the Guru Granth Sahib, is always present inside the Gurudwara.
Its construction was mainly intended to build a place of worship for people from all walks of life.
Followers from all religions can come and worship God equally.
The Golden temple is open all around the year,365 days and for 24 hrs. You may visit the complex at any time of the day/night, however, there is a ceremony at sunrise and sunset,so 'darshan' is stopped at that time.
The morning ceremony (Palki Sawari) is around 4.30 am.
The evening one (Samapti) is around 9.30 pm,this depends on the winter/summer season,so you need to check accordingly.
It's one of the calmest place we have ever visited,you can straight away walk into the complex.
Just deposit the shoes at the shoes stand in the complex and cover your head.(which is a mark of respect)
History of the Golden Temple
Construction of the Gurudwara was begun by Guru Ram Das, the fourth Sikh Guru.
It was completed by his successor, Guru Arjan Dev.
In 1604, Guru Arjan Dev completed the Adi Granth, the holy scripture of Sikhism, and installed it in the Gurudwara.
The present day Golden Temple was rebuilt in 1764.
Maharaja Jassa Singh Ahluwalia (1718-1783) rebuilt it with the help of other Misl Sikh chieftains.
Between 1802-1830 Ranjit Singh did the sewa of adding gold plating and marble to the gurudwara, while the interior was decorated with fresco work and gemstones.
The Gurdwara is surrounded by a large lake or temple tank, known as the Sarovar, which consists of Amrit ("holy water" or "immortal nectar")
Devotess line up for the 'darshan',which generally takes 1 hr.
At the exit, you receive the 'karah parsad' (Sacred pudding). wheat flour,ghee,sugar and lots of devotion constitute the halwa.
How important it is?
Most Sikh people visit Amritsar and the Harmandir Sahib at least once during their lifetime, particularly and mostly during special occasions in their life such as birthdays, marriages, childbirth, etc.
One of the most important festivals is Baisakhi celebrated mid-April.
Usually the 13th. Sikhs celebrate the founding of the Khalsa on this day.
Other important Sikh religious days such as the martyrdom day of Guru Teg Bahadur, the birthday of Guru Nanak are also celebrated with religious piety.
Similarly Diwali is one of the festivals which sees the Harmandir Sahib beautifully illuminated with Divas/Diyas (lamps). In the next part, Visit to the community kitchen at Golden temple.
Tourist heaven
People love the clothes,food and the simplicity of this town.
It is food for both soul as well as the tummy.
Both vegetarians and non-vegetarians give rave reviews to the food here.
Hence, Amritsar is always a favorite with both locals and tourists.
Also,you don't need to spend a fortune for good food.You do not need to go to a 5 star for the best food as a customer.We understood that you do not need a fancy restaurant to please customers.
People will love you as long as you are honest.Just serve your food with all dedication.
It won't matter,how small your venture is.
We have put together a short video for tourists who would love to visit the city in near future.
Youtube link: Our foodie vacation in Amritsar
Food recipes from Punjab
We have cooked the following recipes from Amritsar.You can also try these at home.
- Karah Parsad
- Dal Makhni
- Paneer Tikka
- Baingan ka bharta
- Dal Makhni
- Paneer Butter Masala
- Rajma chawal
- Channa Masala
- Rabri
- Gajar ka halwa
- Aloo gobhi
- Matar paneerAlso, click travel If you want to see more travel videos.
Click here to see more recipe videos.
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