The Train Diaries - by Andrew McRae

Annie in front of the Golden Temple at Amritsar

Welcome to the first instalment of Train Diaries, a new series from Darjeeling Tours traveller Andrew McRae. In this opening entry, Andrew takes us off the beaten track in Punjab, sharing his experiences of exploring beyond Amritsar’s better-known sights before joining our Himalayan Hill Railways tour.

Off the Beaten Track with Annie… in Punjab    ​

One of the joys of DTL railway holidays in India is that they’re certainly not all about trains! That statement may sound odd - and may even offend the hardened rivet-counting gricer! However, for the occasionally long-suffering partner of one such ‘rail nut’, it holds the key to just how well DTL offer a rewarding balance between all the “clickety-click, clickety-clack” fun and a much broader experience. Witness our recent visit to northern India on DTL’s “Himalayan Hill Railways” tour, which was to start its trek across northern India in Amritsar… ​

Amritsar is a city we had previously visited but we nonetheless decided to enjoy an extra couple of days there, before the arrival of the tour group, in order that we might not just enjoy the ‘star attractions’ of the Golden Temple, Jallianwala Bagh, the Partition Museum and the border closing ceremony at Attari-Wagah, but also explore a little further afield… ​

Tarn Taran

Annie at Tarn Taran

And so, on the first of our two additional days, DTL’s local agent Gurinder provided us with a car and driver and arranged for us to visit Tarn Taran, some 30km to the south of Amritsar, the site of yet another spectacular ‘Golden Temple’ set in a vast Sarovar (the pool of sacred waters). As always when visiting a gurdwara, a warm welcome awaited us! And being a bit off the ‘beaten track’ we also sensed that we were arousing a little more curiosity than is prevalent in Amritsar itself, where locals are perhaps more used to seeing tourists. Within minutes we found ourselves chatting with one of the temple’s handsomely attired attendants and in no time at all found ourselves being invited to talk on his mobile phone to his son – who happened to be on a train from Luton into London!   A short while later, when strolling around the Sarovar, we made eye contact with a Sikh family group of four and kindly smiles immediately led to an enquiry from the turbaned younger son, in an unmistakable Black Country accent “…so, where are you guys from?”. It turned out he and his brother, mum and dad were also on holiday, from their home in Dudley; evidently, he could easily pick out a fellow West Midlander! ​

On leaving Tarn Taran and its impressive temple complex, we made our way across country towards Sarai Amanat Khan, a Mughal era caravan station on the road between Agra and Lahore.

This protected ancient monument, intended to provide shelter to travellers along the route, was built by the calligrapher known for his work the Taj Mahal. As we approached the north gate of the ‘caravanserai’, we noticed, high on the ramparts, an attractively dressed couple posing for pictures being taken by a professional photographer and a support team of three… were they models, or movie stars? With no other visitors on site, it was easy to fall into conversation with them and the accents of this glamorous pair again revealed unexpected roots… they were from California and were undertaking an exhaustive tour of northern India for their ‘pre-wedding photoshoot’! Wishing the young couple well and having nearly been trampled upon by a flock of goats being shepherded through the ancient monument, we rejoined our driver, Aman, to continue our tour of rural Punjab. Aman spoke little English (our Punjabi is non-existent other than the traditional Sikh greeting of “Sat Siri Akal”) but he had already realised that visiting gurdwaras very much ‘our thing’ and on sighting a temple he’d make a detour from the main highway enabling us to take a closer look. Shoes and socks were on and off numerous times during the afternoon!

Couple at Sarai Amanat Khan

Sarai Amanat Khan

Goats being shepherded through Sarai Amanat Khan

Eventually it was back to Amritsar and another opportunity to jump into an auto-rickshaw outside the hotel and go to see the Golden Temple at night…surely one of the most magnificent sights in India! Arriving shortly before 9pm, it was evident that the queue to enter the Harimandir itself at the heart of the complex was noticeably shorter than is usually the case, when it can often involve a three-hours or more slow shuffle to gain access to this most sacred building. So, we joined the back of the queue and after little more than 45 minutes were rewarded with the exceptional privilege of being able to enter the Harimandir and to witness the day’s closing ceremony, when the holy book, the Adi Granth, was being ‘put to bed’. ​

Golden Temple, Amritsar, lit at night

Golden Temple, Amritsar, lit up at night

Inside the Harimandir - Golden Temple, Amritsar

The following morning, having been joined by Simon, another early arrival ahead of the main tour party, we decided to add to our experience of Amritsar by visiting Ram Bagh, an extensive garden area in the north of the city, at the centre of which is the former Summer Palace of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the ‘Lion of the Punjab’ who ruled the empire of the Sikhs from 1801 to 1839. Sad to say, the gardens of Ram Bagh are in a very poor state of repair and, whilst accessible, present numerous ‘health and safety’ concerns which understandably place the site outside scope for visiting tourist groups. Which is a terrible shame because, as we discovered, the former palace now houses a brilliant museum featuring extraordinary life size models of the Maharajah and his court, together with a wealth of information and historic artifacts. Yet during the two hours or more we spent on site it was apparent that the three of us were the only visitors…

​Ram Bagh and the Summer Palace really should be on the ‘tourist trail’ and not just left to those able to stray off the ‘beaten track’! ​

Ram-Bagh in poor repair

Annie in front of the Summer Palace of Maharaja Ranjit Singh