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Golden AmritsarRoad trip to Golden temple, Wagah border, Dharamshala and McleodganjTotal No of days - 7Dated - Jan 2010

  Home - Travelogues - Amritsar Dharamshala Mcleodganj

Behind the wheel & Contributor

Vinod Kumar...know more about me



Every year we plan a vacation during kids winter holidays and this year it was long pending to visit the Golden Temple in Amritsar. To make the trip more interesting we planned our week long vacation with 3 nights at Amritsar, 3 nights at Dharamshala & McLeodganj.

Route planned -
Delhi - Ambala - Ludhiana - Jalandhar - Amritsar
Amritsar - Batala - Pathankot - Nurpur - Gaggal - Dharamshala
Return - Via Kangra - Una - Anandpur sahib - Ambala - Delhi
Amritsar - Golden Temple, Wagah Border, Jallianwala bagh
Dharamshala - Billing - (One day )
Dharamshala - Mcleodgang (One day)
Around Dharamshala

Day - 1

We started early morning 5.30 am. It was foggy and visibility was just around 100 meters. We took a break at McDonald after Khanna. Nice spot for a break. Ample parking space too. We crossed Ludhiana by 11.30 am. Crossed Jallandhar at 12.45 pm. Lots of eating outlets like McDonald, KFC , CCD on the highway itself. Reached Amritsar by 2.30 pm. Our stay was in Hotel Alstonia at Ranjit Avenue.

Climate - Chilly, foggy and windy. May be around 4 to 5 degrees.
Total Distance = 476 Kms Time = 9 Hrs. Stopage = 40 Minutes
Our Plan for the Day
Vist - Golden temple in the evening.
Dinner at Crystal restaurant.

Had a nice nap till 6pm, we booked the Mega Cab for our evening activities as I was not much familiar with roads and traffic was high. Reached the temple, shoes deposited at the shoe stand and then within minutes our feet were numb. A slight drizzle makes it even more colder, and we enter the gurudwara for darshan. Not much rush but still took a hour and half. No words for the feel of divinity and vibrance which fills you here...it is to be experienced.



We did a parikrama and planned a visit next day morning also for Hari Mandir Darshan. Inspite of the chill we spent around 2 hrs there and then headed to our second destination Crystal Restaurant for dinner which was on Cooper road. The ambience and crowd was nice, food was good. Bit expensive! Kids liked the Sizzling Brownie with ice cream. After a satisfying dinner were back to our hotel.

Crystal Restaurant


Sizzling Brownie with ice cream


Our next day's plan was to visit the temple again in the morning, then Jallianwala Bagh, Durgiana Temple, and then by noon head to Wagah Border at Attari.

Day - 2

As per plan, we headed to Golden Temple, reached by 8.30 am. Temple parking was full, parked the car in the market local parking area,which is about 700 meters away from temple. Visited Darbar Sahib, saw Sikh Museum, Did a parikrama, spent some time there. Kids liked the Amrit Sarovar and fishes in it.


JALLIANWALA BAGH
It is around 300 meters from temple. On Sunday 13 April 1919, fifty British Indian Army soldiers commanded by Dyer began shooting at an unarmed gathering of men, women, and children without warning. More than 1,000 people were killed.




SRI DURGIANA TEMPLE
Dedicated to Goddess Durga, it is a 16th century temple. The temple was constructed by Guru Harsai Mal Kapoor on the pattern of the Sikh Golden Temple and it is located near the Lohgarh gate. It is sometimes called Silver temple for its carved silver doors.


RAM BAGH - WITH MAHARAJA RANJIT SINGH PANORAMA
Inside, there are three sections that take a person back in time through 200 years of Sikh History. The main attraction, however, is the life-like panorama of the various major wars, which comes alive through the 12 meters high and 100 meters long panoramic painting depicting six major battle expeditions of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. It provides an insight of Punjab's history. [We could not vist inside as it was closed due to Grid Failure). There is an entry fee of Rs 10 per person.


Wagah Border or "Berlin wall of Asia". Every evening there is a Retreat Ceremony called 'lowering of the flags', which has been held since 1959. At that time there is an energetic parade by the Border Security Force (B.S.F) of India and the Pakistan Rangers soldiers. Entry starts by 4 pm. The ceremony starts at 4.30 pm lasts for 30 to 40 minutes. High voltage event with all shouting Vande Mataram , Bharat Mata ki Jai. Fantastic 30 minutes action. Is around 30 kms, take 40 minutes drive. Roads are good. The place gets crowded and queue is formed for entry, Separate queue for ladies and gents. Open mini stadium can easily accommodate 700 people.






Notes

Only cameras are allowed. No bags, eatables allowed inside.
Even ladies hand bags not allowed.
Should reach there by 3-3.15 as to park the vehicle properly if travelling in own vehicle. Sufficient parking space around, but erratic parking.

Day 3

We started for Dharamshala by 10.30 am. It was still fogy. Roads were single lane narrow and has relatively high traffic. Towns we crossed were

Batala at 11.20 am
Dhariwal at 11.58 am
Gurdaspur at 12.15 pm
Pathankot at 1 pm
Chakki bridge at 1.30 pm
Nurpur at 1.50 pm
Kotla at 2.15 pm(Break for 30 minutes)
Shahpur at 3.10 pm
Gaggal at 3.30 pm
Dharamshala at 4.10 pm
Distance travelled 206 Kms. Time take 5 hrs , 40 minutes.

Our reservation was with Club Mahindra Kangra Valley at Yol Road, Dharamshala. Weather - Chilly, clear sky. Totally contrasting no fog at all. News - Snowed a day before. We checked in and planned our visit for next 3 days.



Place we listed to see around Dharamshala
Baijnath Shiv Temple, Shobha Singh Art Gallery, Palampur Tea Garden, Neugal Cafe, Gopalpur Zoo, Chamunda Temple, Norbulingka Institute, Tapovan Chinmaya Mission, Aganzhar Temple, and Gyuto Tantric Monastery.

Day 4

Our plan
Visit Billing - 80 kms from Dharamshala On return visit
Visit Baijnath Shiv Temple
Visit Palampur Tea Garden
Break at Neugal Cafe.

Started at 10am for Billing. Billing is considered one of the best gliding sites in the world. It is blessed by nature and is perfect as a launching pad, making it an ideal place for hang-gliding and paragliding. We trekked to the other side of the mountain, found snow. Spent around 2 hours on the top. Mr Hukum Chand told us the he had been living there for last 30 years. Lots of foreigners visit here for para-gliding. He has the contacts for arranging para-gliding. We headed back , Next spot Baijnath temple. Then via Palampur took a break at Neugal Cafe. Back to hotel by 5.30 pm.







Baijnath temple
The Baijnath temple has been continuously under worship ever since its construction in 1204 A.D. by two local merchants named Ahuka and Manyuka. Water of this temple has medicinal properties.



Day 5

Plan
Local Trekking to Nearby Village
Visit Norbulingka Institute
Chamunda Temple
Tapovan Chinmaya Mission
If time is left, then could consider other places too.

Norbulinka Institute
This institute teaches Thangka Painting - They depict a Buddhist deity, famous scene etc. Fabric Thangka - made of silk, some of them woven, some embroidery. Sculpture - made of wood , metal.







Chinmaya Tapovan, the ashram was founded by late Swami Chimayananda. While returning from Tapovan, we saw Himachal Pradesh Vidhan Sabha, Dharmshala.

At Chinmaya Tapovan




Vidhan sabha




Day 6
Our last day of trip at Dhamshala.
Our plan - Mcleodganj
St. Johns Church
Mcleodgani market
Dalai Lama Temple
Dal lake
Naddi View Point

Started for Mcleodganj by 9.30 am. The drive is very senic and entire area has army presence.First stop was at Church of St. John's in the wilderness. Very quite place surrounded with pine trees.







We drove straight to Dalai Lama Temple, Two parking avaliable, one at the beginning of market and the other one at temple. Temple parking is small can accommodate around 10 - 12 cars. It is advisable to park the car at begning of market as lane are very narrow , crowded. Also the road is one way. We got stuck at couple of places due to traffic and narrow lanes. The moment you are in Mcleodganj, you feel you are out of India, it's a mini Tibet. After visiting the Dalai Lama temple, we did some shopping. There is a lot to shop. One can easily spend 2-3 hours roaming in the market. Returned back to hotel by 5. Next day was our return journey, planned to have early dinner and do the packing.







Mcleodganj market


Dal lake (closed due to work)


Views from Mcleodganj


Day 7

The return journey. Climate was mildly foggy with 100 meters visibilty.

We started by 06.15 am
Kangra by 7 am
After Kangra ghats starts and road are bad
Amb by 8.50 am
Una by 9.30 am
Naya nangal 9.45 am
Roop Nagar by 11 am (Took a break)
Kharar 12.30 pm
Ambala 1 pm
Sonepat 3.30 pm
Home by 5 pm

Summary drive back to Delhi
Total distance travelled 548 kms. Time 11 hours approx.

Trip summary
Total trip distance 1550 kms.




Trip Advisory

Food

  • Amritsar is famous for Punjabi cuisine like Lachedar Parantha, Amritsari Stuff Kulcha, Sarson ka Saag and Makki di Roti, Fried fish, Kheer Phirni and so on. You can find many dhabas selling hot delicacies among which the ones worth trying are Bharawan da Dhaba at Town Hall for makkai di roti and sarson ka saag.
  • Visit Kesar da Dhaba to have Dal Makhni with Lacha Paratha or Butter Naan.
  • Ahuja Milk Bhandar for their Kesar Lassi
  • Makhan Fish at Majitha Road for Fried Fish and Fish Pakora
  • Gurdas Ram Jalebi wala for their Jalebi
  • Brijwasi Chaat Bhandar at Copper Road for tikkis and chaats
  • Amar Chand & Sons for Besan ke ladoo
  • Crystal Restaurant near the lawrence road is a good option but a bit expensive but has a good ambience.
  • Dharamshala has many hotels serving good butter chicken/ tandoori chicken. As such I dont find a specific cuisine of the place to try out.
  • McLeodganj is the add of Tibetan eateries and the streets are packed with eatery stalls. Relish on momos, thupka soup, chowmein, and other Tibetan flavoured Chinese dishes.
  • The roadside diners are quaint small and inexpensive. Try Laping a spicy Tibetan snack. Snow Lion and Nick's Kitchen(Italian food) can be tried out.
  • Pancakes, humus sandwiches and herbal teas are to look out for.
  • Snack on roadside momos
  • Norling Restaurant in Jogi Para Road - thupkas, momos
  • First Cup Cafe at Jogi Para Road - Milkshakes, Fresh pancakes, Brown bread, Fruits with muesli etc have a good breakfast here.
  • French A log - good snacks and bakery items
  • Chocolate Log - Coffee and Fresh pancakes.


  • Shopping

    Amritsar
  • There are many souvenir shops outside the Golden temple where you can buy photo's, paintings, ornaments and even knives, swords, shields etc
  • Markets to check out for are Hall Bazaar, Katra Jaimal Singh and Lawrence Road .
  • Look out for good juttis and embroidered stuff.
  • Focal Point (industrial Area) is famous for wooden chess boards.
  • Bhandari Namkin Shop at Dayananad Nagar has some tasty namkeens to carry back home for friends and family.


  • Dharamshala
  • Woolen Accessories as well as Embroidery items based on the Chamba and Kangra School of paintings can be brought.
  • Tibet Quality Shop and Jogibara Road can be hunted down.
  • Jogibara Road is the main place for shopping at the street side stalls, also look out for jams squashes, juices etc.
  • Wooden carving, silk and woolen woven scarves can be shopped.
  • Norbulingka Institute Khaniyara Road , Men-Tsee-Khang Hospital , Dhom-pat-sang Bhagsu Road , Namaste India Main Square
  • Mcleodganj , Tibetan Children Village Dal Road Upper Dharamshala are good places for shopping.


  • McLeodganj
  • Tibetan Handicrafts Cooperative Centre for Tibetan carpets.
  • TCV Handicraft Centre for Tibetan handicrafts
  • Norling Designs sells products of the Norbulingka Institute.
  • Green Shop sells hand made Tibetan paper.
  • Nowrojee General Merchants shop is nothing less than an antique museum. Step in to see.
  • Roadside shops where one can bargain to purchase footwear to clothes, flasks to bags.

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