Amritsar - the city which is Home to the glorious Golden Temple

Amritsar - the city which houses the spectacular Golden temple.
The one which is considered to be one of the holiest shrines of Sikhism in the country today, is indeed a sight to behold.
We landed in this mystical city after travelling for 4 hours and an airport wait time of more than 3 hours. But upon landing, we were sworn away by the chilly yet pleasant temperatures which the city had to offer. Considering the fact that we are south indians (west to be precise), we were rather skeptical of our abilities to handle the cold temperatures of the city and had carried an extra suitcase full of woolens, just in case the situation demands.
Tourism is one of the primary means of revenue generation and hence you will always be squandered by a host of auto drivers, cab drivers and hotel owners who will coax you to hire them to avail some of the best discounts on tour packages and shopping excursions. This will get a bit annoying after sometime, however the trick is to nod and refuse politely.
Having reached our hotel at around 8 pm, we couldn't wait to reach the temple and drench ourselves in the sight of this grandeur structure. We inquired at the reception and sensing our apprehension, the staff pacified us saying it was safe for us to venture out at this hour.
To and fro trips to the temple always costed us around 100 rs and it was somehow a joy to mete out a single note and get off the cab / rick every single time, without having to wait for the change or any sort of bargaining drama. We would have tried all the modes of transport there - Ola, Uber, a sharing rickshaw or a sharing tricycle. The people we encountered were usually humble and always willing to help. One of them opted to give us a ride while ferrying his 3 year old nephew with us all across the breadth of the city. He even bought a balloon for him, which unfortunately gave way within a couple of minutes. But i liked the faith of the child - unfathomable. He still had a smile plastered on his face even after this debacle.
You are usually dropped at a point from where you have to walk in order to get to the temple. The walkway to the temple is well developed and is quite a sight to view in the evenings. It is flaked by a number of stores and shopping complexes all of which have a similar signage pattern and colour which gives you an impression of having being transported to a different city. At the same time, there are tiny chawks which break out into these rustic old hubs of trade that give you a feeling of both - the old and new part of Amritsar being juxtaposed onto each other.
There will be stalls offering you everything - chai, kesar milk, kulfi, sweets to the famous amritsari wadiyaan papad to the lovely handcrafted phulkari dupattas and juttis. Many would tell you that it's expensive to shop at these places, however my take would be that the quality and prices are on par with what the other local markets have to offer. If you're short on time then please do not hesitate to shop here.
Footwear should be deposited at the entrance in exchange for a token number. This service is free of cost and considered as a part of seva by the disciples of  the Guru. The walk  against the cold marble flooring thereafter is a gruesome one. Although there are carpets which are laid out, often they are soggy & entrenched with dew drops of the early evening / night. After a while, your feet turn numb and the added ruggedness of the carpet starts to bite into the soles of your feet.
All of this seems worth it the minute you manage to get a glance of the temple from the entrance - the grandeur golden structure and its serene reflection in the pool of water surrounding it. I wouldn't be exaggerating if I called it a mirage, cause' it seemed like one to me.
Women need to have their heads covered at all times - not necessarily with a dupatta but any kind of head gear like a cap or a shawl. The same applies to men too. This is done as a hallmark of respect to the Guru Grant Sahib. In fact, bystanders will point out and offer to correct you in case your dupatta slips off accidentally - so this is one point which needs to be adhered to inside the temple premise.
The holy ceremony of the palki sahib which takes place early in the morning ( around 4 am) and at night ( at around 10 pm) is not to be missed at any cost! This ceremony involves a golden palki in which the holy book - Guru Grant Sahib is taken to the Akhal Takht as a resting place for the night. In the morning the same is repeated and the book in brought to the temple. Thereafter, randomly a page is opened and a verse is read by the priest. This verse is considered as the order of the day.
The Karah prasad which is a simple offering made of wheat flour and ghee is a mouth watering delight! especially in the winters. If you're interested in taking some prasad back home for your folks then they have a dry prasad called as pindi which is available in packet sizes of rs 20/- in the temple premise itself.
While strolling around the temple, do not miss to check out the museum which is a powerful repository of the history of Amritsar and the Ber trees which hold religious significance for the Sikhs. Do make it a point to witness the langar too. It's a selfless concept of serving a simple wholesome meal to the needy - devoid of any caste or religion. We devoured a simple meal of dal, two rotis and milk payasam and left the temple feeling satiated - mentally as well.