Home - Road trip logs - Golden Amritsar
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Golden Amritsar
Seven day road trip to Amritsar & Dharamshala from Delhi
Tour Route - Delhi - Amritsar(Golden Temple, Wagah Border, Jallianwala bagh)- Dharamshala- Mcleodgang-Delhi
Total No of days - 7
Dated - Jan 2010
Golden Amritsar (Amritsar, Punjab)
Location - Punjab in India
Ideal time to Visit - October to March
No of Days Reqd to see Amritsar - 5/6 days
Places to See - click here
Road Travel Information to Amritsar
Behind the wheel & Contributor
Vinod Kumar
New Delhi
Every year we plan a vacations during kids winter holidays and this year it was long pending to visit theGolden 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.
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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
Fogy condition driving is pretty fun, even kids to get involved , and play the role of navigators. Chill was expected in Amritsar.
The traffic was thin till Jalandhar so we didn't face any jams. We had a 20 min waiting at Jalandhar to Amritsar RED Signal. Construction is still in progress for the entire stretch after Jalandhar.
Day - 1
We started early morning 5.30 am. It was foggy and visibility was just around 100 meters. Visibility got worse as we approached Kundli. After a couple of kms it became even worse.With just around 20 feet visibility and we were dependent on our fog lamps and the center divider on the NH 1.
Traffic was thin and we are constantly crusing around 60kmph and things improved nearing Panipat. We crossed panipat around 7.40 am, Karnal by 8.40 am, Ambala by 9.30 am. Slowly Visibility improved to 50 meters. The only relief was the traffic was very little.
Note : After Rajpura there is a McDonald on the Right Side ie toward Ambala road.
We took a break at McDonald after Khanna. Nice spot for a break. Ample parking space too. Another surprise was that we saw atleast 10+ limos between Rajpura and Ludhiana. 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. City Traffic was bad, we had already booked 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.
(This is amongst one of the must visit restaurants if you are in Amritsar)
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 too was pretty heavy. Reached the temple , shoes deposited at the shoe stand and then with in minutes our feet were numb. To make things worst it started drizzling and the carpet too were wet. But one thing to say, the energy level there is so high, one forgets everything else to become a part of it. The crowd was heavy and there was heavy rush for Hari Mandir Sahib darshan.
We did a parikrama and planned a visit next day morning 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. Worth visiting once! Bit expensive! Kids liked the Sizzling Brownie with ice cream. After a satisfying dinner were back to our hotel.
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.
Chakki Bank bridge is still under construction. I rained there and was in a messy condition. I think it will take another 6 to 8 month to complete. here are a few snaps of chakki bank.
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 (Almost full) 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.
Tt 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. Read more at wikipedia
"The incident in Jallian Wala Bagh was 'an extraordinary event, a monstrous event, an event which stands in singular and sinister isolation"...Winston Churchill
SRI DURGIANA TEMPLE
Dedicated to Godess Durga, and 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 start by 4 pm. The ceremony starts at 4.30 pm last 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. Road 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 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 Trantric Monastery.
Towards Kangra
Kangra fort, Brajeshwari, Jain temple, Baanganga, Jwalamukhi, Chintapurni temple.
Towards Mcleodganj
St. Johns Church, Mcleodgang, Dalai Lama Temple, Bhagsunath Temple, Dal lake, Naddi View Point
War memorial.
Billing - 80 kms from Dharamshala - One day required
Also one can do Dalhousie & Khajjiar also from here @ 320 kms.
The First view of Dhauladhar ranges start to appear.
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.
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.
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. Lot 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.
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.
This institute teaches
Thangka Painting - They depict a Buddhist deity, famous scene etc
Fabric Thangka - made of silk, some of them woven, some embroidere.
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.
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.
We were informed that Dall lake is under repair, Naddi View point is inaccable due to work at Dall lake. We planned to investigate, went to Dal Lake. The climb to Dall lake is very steep and narrow lanes. Lot of opposite traffic. Dal lake was complete dry, some digging was going on.We enquired about Naddi View Point, it too was closed.
We spent some time at market and returned back to hotel by 5. Next day was our return journey, planned to have early dinner and do the packing.
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
sonepath 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. Seven days
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