Golden Temple Travel Guide

The Golden temple is one of the most fascinating destinations that one can think of visiting in the Indian city of Amritsar. The city of Amritsar in the Punjab region is among the highly visited location in the world the whole world. One reason for this is the fact that it is home to the golden temple. The Golden Temple is the largest structure in the whole of the Punjab. It is breathtakingly beautiful and is a monument that was constructed several hundred years ago by the Sikh saints. The Temple is devoted to the worship of the Granth Sahib which is the sacred scripture of the Sikh community. The Golden Temple receives travelers from different parts of the world throughout the year. The best time to visit the Temple would be in the winter season when the climate is at its best in the city of Amritsar.

The Golden Temple does not charge money from visitors. Donations can be made inside a donation box that is located in front of the temple. Golden Temple can be viewed from many different directions and is the most prominent landmark in the city of Amritsar. Amritsar is identified on the world map because of its golden temple tour. There are many excellent resorts and hotels near the temple which provide comfortable accommodation for tourists. There are also provisions for accommodation of non residential Indian Punjabis inside the Golden temple. Accessing the Golden Temple is probably the easiest thing to do provided one makes use of the excellent public transportation services that are available in the city. The Golden Temple looks particularly splendid at night as it shines in the most resplendent manner against other buildings and structures in the city of Amritsar.

Attractions in the Golden Temple

The golden temple in India is located in the city of Amritsar. It is a massive monument that houses the Granth Sahib which is the religious book of the Sikhs is a stunning sight that one can behold in the country. There are many popular features of the Golden Temple that makes it a tremendously popular tourist destination for travelers to visit. One particular attraction, which one can come across in the golden temple is the fountain located outside the temple. This is situated in one of the gardens and is an exquisite structure. The structure is engraved with the most remarkable art work. The fountain is carved entirely out of stone and is something that took several years to get made. One can take photographs by the fountain. Photography is not prohibited at all and is something that can be done for without paying any money at all.

The fountain at the Golden Temple is something that symbolizes peace and harmony. It stands as the epitome of peace and is one of the most visited structures inside the Golden Temple. To reach the fountain inside the Golden Temple in Amritsar one would have to stand in a large queue. Although it takes a long time for the line to move, the sight of the fountain is something that is certainly worth seeing. The best time to go ahead and view this fountain is in the evening when it can be witnessed in all its glory.

The Statue of Ranjit Singh

The statue of the Maharaja Ranjit Singh is another one of the famous attractions that one can come across in the Golden Temple in Amritsar. This statue is made of black stone and is something that makes for excellent sightseeing when one happens to be touring the Sikh golden temple in Amritsar. The statue of Maharaja Ranjit Singh was constructed inside the Golden Temple as a tribute to one of the greatest leaders that the region of Punjab ever produced. Maharaja Ranjit Singh was a freedom fighter. He gave up his life in the course of fighting for Punjab freedom and India as a whole. He was massacred brutally by the British. The statue is one that reeks of awe and splendor. It is simply gigantic in size, and one has to look up quite a bit in order to behold this statue.

One can take as many photographs as one wants to of this statue especially since photography is not prohibited. The statue is situated in aa exceptionally scenic location within the temple and is in a place that can be easily accessed by foot. One has to walk for a few kilometers from the main entrance of the temple in order to come across this statue. The statue is always surrounded by visitors and it seldom happens that one can expect a quiet moment by this statue. The statue of Maharaja Ranjit Singh in the Golden Temple is one that is of particular significance for historians. It is visited by historians from different parts of the country and even from the world all through the year.

The Gateway

The massive Gateway situated within the Golden Temple that leads onto the other attractions within the temple is something worth witnessing by itself. This is one of the most gigantic structures within the temple and is also something that is characterized by intricate artwork. The gateway is supposedly constructed entirely of white marble with a large number of engravings on it. The gateway makes for a exceptionally pleasing sight and is frequented by tourists all the time. The gateway engravings are basically pictures that stem from the stories mention in the Sikh scriptures. As a result, they are definitely worth looking at. The artwork is also something that is truly out of this world. It shows how skilled the artisans who constructed the doorway undoubtedly well.

The Gateway is quite symbolic in the sense that it marks a beginning for those who pass through it. It is pure and pristine in its form and is an excellent site to visit if one is particularly in the need for spiritual healing. It is okay for tourists to take pictures of the gateway as this is allowed. A good time to visit this attraction would be in the day time when one can really see this attraction in its splendid form. Given that the Gateway is a structure that is made of white stone viewing it in the morning would be really wonderful for the onlooker. One has to take a number of turns from the interiors of the Golden temple in order to reach this gateway.

Central Sikh Museum

The central Sikh museum is a place that one can certainly visit when one is on a tour of the Amritsar Golden Temple. This museum is devoted to the Sikh community history in India. The central Sikh Museum is located some kilometers apart from the main temple area. It is consequently a place that can be reached after walking for about good length of time. The Central Sikh Museum opens at about 10 am and closes at 8 pm in the evening. One can pick up a large number of souvenirs from this temple. When you visit the Central Sikh Museum, you will come across post cards that contain the picture of the Golden Temple on them. You will also come across key chains, which have the picture of the Golden temple engraved upon them.

Entry to the Central Sikh Museum is absolutely free, and one does not have to pay any amount of money in order to access the Central Sikh Museum. The best time to visit this museum would be during the afternoon hours. This is time when the footfall of tourists is quite less, and one can explore the different parts of the museum in a smooth and hassle free manner. The Central Sikh Museum in the Golden Temple at Amritsar is one that is maintained by the Government of Punjab. Photography is strictly prohibited and those engage in taking pictures might actually end up behind bars. Hence this is an activity one should refrain from when one is inside the Golden Temple.

The Guru Nanak Research Center

Guru Nanak is considered to be the leader of all Sikhs living in India and abroad. His teachings are what basically constitute the Granth Sahib which is housed at the center of the Golden Temple. The Golden Temple in Amritsar has a research center that is devoted to studying the life and the writings of Guru Nanak. This research center opens at about nine in the morning and remains open for the entire day closing at only ten in the night. Visitors from all around the world are known to visit the research center devoted to Guru Nanak in the Golden Temple. The universities in the Punjab region often send faculty members to this research in order to facilitate the ongoing research that takes place at the center.

The Guru Nanak Research Center that is located in the Golden Temple in Amritsar is also one that offers fellowships to interested students. Students who are really interested in studying about the life and works of Guru Nanak are provided short term fellowships during which they can work at this research center. The funds for these fellowships basically comes from the Sikh community living abroad mostly in the country of North America. To access the Guru Nanak research center at the Golden Temple in Amritsar is not a task that is too difficult. It can be easily done if one follows a few basic directions that are listed at the main entrance of the temple. Time taken to reach the temple from the main entrance is about ten minutes.

Hotels Near Golden Temple

Hotel Alstonia

The Hotel Alstonia is one of the largest hotels that one can come across near the Golden Temple in the city of Amritsar. This is located a few kilometers away from the main temple area and can be reached using trams and city buses. It is therefore imperative to book in advance, if one wishes to put up at this hotel during a tour in the city of Amritsar. This is mainly because this hotel is very popular among the tourists and remains occupied throughout the year the year. The highest occupancy is generally during the winter season which is the perfect time for a person to be visiting the city of Amritsar.

Sun City Towers

Sun City Towers is also a very well-known hotel that tourists can put up at when they visit the city of Amritsar in India. The Sun City Towers is a hotel, located close to the Golden Temple. It is situated just about ten minutes away from the Golden Temple by car. The Sun City Towers is a five star hotel and provides comfortable accommodation for travelers. It is mostly the high-end travelers who are known to visit this hotel in Amritsar. Accommodation is available for about five thousand rupees a night. There are quite a number of facilities which one can enjoy when staying at this hotel in Amritsar. Examples include free wireless internet access and access to a swimming pool and a business center. Laundry services and concierge services are also available for interested tourists at the Sun City Towers in Amritsar.

Mango Suites

The Mango Suites is one of the most well-known tourist hotels in the Indian city of Amritsar. It is favored by travelers primarily because of its close proximity to the Golden Temple. Tourists visiting the Golden Temple choose to stay over here as it takes very little time to travel from this hotel to the Golden Temple. The Mango Suites is a hotel which offers comfortable accommodation at prices that are fairly low. The rooms are very large and are quite well furnished. Some of the additional facilities that one can encounter at the Mango Suites in Amritsar include access to a television and a refrigerator in the room itself. All the rooms in the hotel have their own attached bath. Breakfast is normally served in the dining area in the morning time and is complimentary. The spread is usually a mix of continental and Indian particularly Punjabi food items.

Youth Hostels

The youth hostels in Amritsar are a perfect option for budget travelers visiting the Golden Temple in the city. The youth hostels offer very low priced accommodation and are generally meant for the backpacker travelers. Food is not provided inside the youth hostels, and these have to be procured from outside. The Youth hostels are located about five to six kilometers away from the temple. As a result, reaching the temple is easiest by foot from these hostels. The rooms in the youth hostels near the golden temple are very small, though the beds are those that are quite comfortable. Twin sharing is possible at the youth hostels in Amritsar.

Accommodation Inside the Golden Temple

There is also accommodation for travelers within the Golden Temple itself. However, procuring such accommodation is extremely difficult given that the preferred clientele for such accommodation is usually the members of the Sikh community who live overseas. It is the Sikh people living in other parts of the world that get preference when it comes for getting accommodation inside the golden temple. There are as many as a hundred rooms for accommodation inside the golden temple. These are basically very ordinary rooms with an attached private bath. Meals are not served inside the room, and these have to be procured from the Dining Hall down below.

The rates per night are highly affordable ranging between five hundred and a thousand rupees. Accommodation at the Golden Temple in Amritsar is meant primarily for pilgrims visiting this destination from abroad. Accommodation here also has to be booked in advance given that there are thousands of pilgrims visiting the temple every day.

Best Time to Visit the Golden Temple

The best time to visit the golden temple in the city of Amritsar would be the winter time that is during the months of January and March. At this time, the climate in Amritsar is at its best. The summers in Amritsar are really hot when the average temperature soaring to as high as forty five degrees Celsius. The monsoons feature heavy rainfall. It is only during the winter time that the temperature is between twenty and thirty five degrees Celsius, and there is extraordinarily little rain. Once in a while a cold wave has been known to strike the city of Amritsar with temperatures going to down to minus three degrees centigrade. However, such situations have only been very occasional. The winter months in Amritsar are the times of bright sun and absolutely no humidity. Consequently this is the time when travelers can move about without experiencing any discomfort.

Five Sarovers in Amritsar

There are as many as five sacred shrines or sarovers that are worth exploring in the city of Amritsar in India. Of these Amritsar is the most famous pond or sarover. This was constructed in the year 1586 and is visited by pilgrims in large numbers at all times of the year. The Santokhsar and the Ramsar are two other famous Sarovers in Amritsar. These were constructed in the period of late 16th Centuary and early 17th century and look remarkably pure and pristine.

The waters from these sarovers are consumed for a blessed living by members of the Sikh community. The Kaulsar and the Bibeksar are the two remaining important sarovers in the city of Amritsar in India. The former was constructed in 1627 while the latter was constructed in the year 1628. The latter lies a few kilometers away from the famous Golden Temple in the city of Amritsar.

How to Reach Golden Temple

The Golden Temple in the Indian city of Amritsar can be accessed in various ways. The most common means of transport that is used to reach the temple is a bus. Buses are known to operate on a regular basis in the city of Amritsar and buses travel to the Golden Temple at least twice or thrice in a day. Trams and taxis can also be taken to reach Golden Temple at the Amritsar city. The taxis ensure a smooth navigation of the city right up to the Golden Temple. The time taken to reach the temple using a taxi would be about ten to twenty minutes. Amritsar is well connected with the railway network and airways. There are public transport options that can be availed of in order to travel from here to the Golden Temple.