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Bittersweet in 'city of nectar'

Last Updated 26 August 2017, 19:14 IST
On an official visit to Amritsar recently, I thought of making the best of it by going round the city in my spare time. I had been to this magnificent city when it was rocked by terrorism in the early 90s. I was escorted by a posse of policemen. There is marked difference between the town I visited in the 90s and now. The city now boasts of a ‘smart city’ tag.

It was a piece of land that the Mughal emperor Akbar gave to Guru Ram Das, the fourth guru, in 1577, around which the city came up. He dug a pool here, which later developed into a tank and acquired an aura of sanctity. The water in this tank is known to be nectar, thereby the city got its name Amritsar, meaning the tank of nectar. Though it is also conjectured that it was named after the third guru, Guru Amar Das, no strong evidence is available to support the claim.

From my place of stay, I’m told that the Golden Temple is close by. While moving towards the Golden Temple, I find enormous construction work and repair of roads taking place. After a few minutes I’m at the entrance of Jallianwala Bagh, a historic spot. Passing through a narrow alley, I enter the revered garden. Much has been said and written about the Jallianwala Bagh massacre. But standing in the beautifully manicured lawns, facing a massive structure of flame, the patriotic fervour gets the better of me, as I remember the sacrifices of over a thousand of our countrymen on that fateful day of April 13, 1919.

From peace to violence

The genesis of the massacre was the passing of Rowlatt Act in 1919, under which anyone revolting against the Government could be put behind bars for indefinite period, even without a trial. Irked by this arbitrary law, a countrywide protest was held. Though the strike passed off peacefully, some eminent leaders were arrested and Mahatma Gandhi was barred from entering Amritsar. This escalated into violent protests, resulting in the death of 20 of our countrymen on April 12.

The following day, when over 1,500 people congregated at Jallianwala Bagh to hear their leaders, Brigadier General Dyer landed there and positioning 50 men of The Gorkha Regiment at the only entrance to the garden, ordered them to fire at the innocent, unarmed people, including women and children. To escape the bullets, many jumped into the well nearby, which stands there to this day as a mute testimony to the sacrifices of our countrymen. The bullet marks on the wall have been well-preserved, thanks to the efforts of the caretaker there, Sukumar Mukherji, the secretary of the Jallianwala Bagh Memorial Trust. The place is known as Jallianwala Bagh after the owner of the land, Sardar Himmat Singh, who hailed from Jalla, a village now in Fatehgarh Sahib. He was paid Rs 5.65 lakh by the trust to acquire the land. Coming out of the garden, I walk down to the Golden Temple. Before entering into its precincts, I’m asked to remove my shoes and then wash my feet in the pools in front of the entrance. I’m also asked to cover my head with a cloth piece, one among the many saffron ones from a basket full of them.

 

The awe and reverence can be felt by the silence around the temple aka Harmandir Sahib. In keeping with the aura of the place, visitors talk in hushed voices while the air is filled with the recitation of gurbani played on loudspeakers.

Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism, is believed to have lived here in 1532, before Guru Ram Das got it. Even Lord Buddha is believed to have briefly stayed here and commented that it is an ideal spot for Buddhist monks to attain nirvana.

After the tank was completed in 1589, during Guru Arjan’s time, he decided to construct Harmandir Sahib in the middle of the tank. The privilege of laying the foundation stone was given to a Muslim saint, Mian Mir of Lahore, a friend and fan of Guru Arjan. It was completed in 1601; Baba Budha was appointed the first granthi to read the holy scriptures of the Sikhs.

Strong defence

Harmandir Sahib was subjected to frequent attacks by the Mughal rulers, but each time, the Sikhs regained their control over the sacred spot. When the last of the Mughal rulers, Ahmed Shah Abdali, left in 1767, beautification of the place began in earnest. Maharaja Ranjit Singh got the upper half of the main dome gilded with gold plates and the lower half with marble and mosaics, and hence the name Golden Temple. A 38-feet-wide promenade known as parikrama surrounds the tank.

The Akal Takht facing the temple is known to be the centre of all Sikh affairs, and all edicts emanate from here. Other spots that need to be visited in the complex are Baba Atal tower, Guru Ka Langar (where meals are served to visitors), Guru Nanak Niwas (where 68 rooms are available for guests), Sri Guru Ram Das Niwas (for stay of pilgrims), and the Central Sikh Museum. A high-tech LED system valued at Rs 13 crore has been installed recently to illuminate the entire complex.

I then rush to the Durgiana Mandir, which is a replica of Harmandir Sahib with a liberal use of gold sheets and marble. Right in the middle of a tank, the temple is maintained by the Sanatana Dharam sect of the Hindus. A trip to Amritsar would not be complete without a visit to the Wagah border to witness the impressive retreat ceremony by the men and women of the Border Security Force when the flags of India and Pakistan are brought down simultaneously.


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(Published 26 August 2017, 16:35 IST)

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