The Sikh Golden Temple

Golden Temple

The Sikh Golden Temple is a must see in Amritsar, Punjab and can be a very spiritual and heart warming experience of a customized India tour. One visit to the Golden Temple is not enough. You should visit during the day and return at night at 10pm or 3am to really absorb the beauty and spirituality of the temple. You will need to deposit your shoes at a free manned place, cover your head and step through the shallow water, a cleansing process, before entering the complex. As you enter, you will be awed by its size and beauty.

It is a huge complex with the Divine Temple (Hari Mandir Sahib) and the Court of the Lord (Darbar Sahib) located right in the middle of a massive pool which you can reach from the walkways. The name Golden Temple comes from the gold leaf that decorates it. The marble is inlayed with semi- precious stones in the shape of beautiful flowers. You walk clockwise around the pool. If you wish, you can take a dip in the holy water. Men and women dip separately and women dip in private. For people who do not have money and are making the pilgrimage to the Golden Temple, there are free rooms to stay in. To reach the pavilion on which the temple stands, you will need to cross the Guru’s Bridge which symbolizes the journey of the soul after death. To enter the Devine Temple, you will pass through unbelievable heavy silver doors to see the Sikh Holy Book. Musicians and singers are constantly playing and chanting while people pay respect to the Holy Book. The line to enter is often long but you absolutely can not come to the Golden Temple without seeing the Holy Book. I returned around 9pm to see the procession of putting the Holy Book away. The Golden Temple glowes at night and seems even more spiritual in the moonlight.

Communal Food

Seeing the Guru-ka-Langar or the communal kitchen at the Golden Temple is something you will not see anywhere else in the world. People who are rich and poor volunteer together to feed about 40,000 people daily.

The Sikhs believe in equality of all people and this is seen as people cook chapatis and dal, serve and wash dishes together. I left with such warmth in my heart.