The Golden Temple—a magical experience
YES I made it! This
year I actually visited The Golden Temple in Amritsar, Punjab, India. Not on
purpose but there seems to be some connection between The Golden Temple, mind
blowing Punjabi food and me. Visiting the Golden Temple— also known as Sri
Harmandir Sahib is the holiest Gurdwara of the Sikh religion— was without a
doubt the highlight of my trip to Punjab. Though you can get a flight from
Delhi to Amritsar, I choose to take a bus from Delhi bus stand to the state of
Punjab where the city of Amritsar lies.
I arrived in Amritsar
in the mid night after an exhausting 5-6 hours of bus ride from Delhi. Being
very worn out I could do nothing but take a hot shower, sneak into my cozy bed
and fall asleep. The next morning I woke up with an immense excitement for my
first encounter with the Golden Temple.
I visited the Golden
Temple in the afternoon. The Golden
Temple is open to everyone— no
discrimination is allowed on the basis of caste, gender, statue—as the Sikh
strongly believe in the principles of brotherhood and universal equality.
Hidden in the middle
of four huge white marble walls, you cannot actually see the Golden Temple
until you pass through one of the four gates. As per the rule, I left my shoes
at a booth, washed my hands at the taps provided then I covered my head and
proceeded to walk through a shallow pool of water that washed my feet. My bare
feet walked over a smooth marble floor and as I walked though a beautifully
carved archway, down a few steps, the mesmerizing sight of the Golden Temple
absolutely blew me away.
The entire top of the
temple is made of pure gold and is surrounded by a man-made lake where devotees
come to offer prayers and take a dip in this holy lake. The lake is also a home
to many exotic fish. Because of the overwhelming beauty that you get to see,
even the long wait in the queue to get inside the Golden Temple feels totally
worthy.
The cloudless blue
sky, the white marble walkway and the way the sun shimmers off the Golden
Temple that dazzle in the water fascinated me so much that I actually stayed
there for the entire evening. I spent hours sitting by the lake admiring the
beautiful Golden Temple in front. And as the sun sets, the Golden Temple
submersed in beautiful yellow lights and you experience the most glorious
moment of your life. You can even spend the entire night at the Golden Temple,
if you wish to.
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As the sun sets, the Golden Temple submersed in beautiful yellow lights and you experience the most glorious moment of your life. |
From few fellow
devotees I came to know about the Langar—the free kitchen—that serves meal to
over 50,000 meals a day to everyone regardless of religion, caste or class. So,
I decided to eat my dinner in Langar. As I entered the langar building I was
handed a clean metal plate, a spoon, and a bowl. Then I joined hundred other
people in a large room where I sat on the floor.
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The Langar—the free kitchen—that serves meal to over 50,000 meals a day to everyone regardless of religion, caste or class |
Soon after sitting,
men passes by with different foods, asking if I would like my plate be filled.
The langar meal was a simple yet tasty consisting of dal, rice and
chapati. It was extremely
humbling experience to be sitting cross legged with hundreds of other people,
enjoying a meal together, knowing it was lovingly made by hundreds of
volunteers.
Though Amritsar is
filled with “Punjabi Dhabas” that serves authentic Punjabi food, but if you are
in the Golden Temple, I would recommend you to try the meals in Langar.
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The langar meal was a simple yet tasty consisting of dal, rice and chapati. |
After my meal, I continued to walk around the Golden Temple for
sometime. Despite the crowd I could still feel the calmness in its art, music
and atmosphere. Overall, being in the Golden Temple was such a beautiful and
magical experience.
TEXT & PHOTOS BY: SHRADDHA THAPA