a suggested itinerary
GOLDEN TRIANGLE & HIMALAYA
Amritsar, in north-west India, is a vibrant and friendly city. It is most famous for the spectacular Golden Temple, the holiest shrine of the Sikh religion. Sacked by the Afghans in 1761, the shrine was rebuilt by the Sikhs’ greatest secular leader, Maharajah Ranjit Singh. He donated the gold top, believed to be gilded with 100kg of pure gold, which gave it the name Swarn Mandir, or Golden Temple. On average 75,000 people a day eat for free from the temple’s kitchen, which is open 24 hours and serves simple but wholesome vegetarian food including traditional dal.