Amritsar

Last weekend five of us took a side trip to Amritsar, the capital city of the State of Punjab, also known as the Holy City. It was a chance to learn more about the Sikh religion (as the majority of people in Amritsar are Sikh) and see some important sites.

We visited The Golden Temple (Sikh), Jallianwala Bagh Memorial, The Silver Temple (Hindu), a museum, and we witnessed the changing of the guard at the Indian/Pakistani border. The Temples were grand and beautiful, both were surrounding by water and well maintained. At the Golden Temple the Sikhs were eager for us to learn about and see their Temple, and eat with them , so it was a pleasant, peaceful experience. At the Hindu Temple, we were each blessed by the priest (not sure of the title) who did this by saying something to us and tossing a lay made of marigolds around our necks. The museum was interesting as it was a tribute to a very popular King known for his kindness and policies on equity. He ruled about a thousand years ago so the museum gave us a glimpse into history and the lifestyle of this time period. The changing of the guard was facinating - both sides teased and competed with each other all in good fun.

For me the most significant site to see was Jallianwala Bagh Memorial as this is the place where in April of 1919 the British Army fired on people, without warning, (Indian men women and children) who were meeting to discuss an act that was unfair to them. General Dyer ordered the soldiers to fire into the crowd, until all the bullets were used. The victims were trapped in a city square, with the soldiers between them and the only gate, so there was no place to go, except a water well in the middle of the square and many people jumped into the well to avoid the bullets (but still died ). In the end over 1000 died (including babies, children)and another 500 were injured. The spot where the General was standing was marked, the well is enclosed with glass and some of the bullet holes can still be seen on the original walls. This event is one of the many heartbreaking scenes that was re-enacted in the movie “Gandhi”.

Pictured above: me in front of The Golden Temple; the spot General Dyer was standing during the massacre; bullet holes in the original wall.