Description: Amritsar is mainly visited for its Golden Temple (also named Harmandir Sahib or Darbar Sahib), the most sacred shrine of Sikhism. Sikhs from all over the world come to pray in this temple and it is an occasion for me to see how they practise their rituals.
Like in any Sikh shrine, entrance is free. There are four entrances to the Golden Temple, which mean for the Sikhs the importance of acceptance and openness. Any person, irrespective of nationality, sex or religion may enter the Temple. There are a few restrictions though: no one can smoke cigarettes, drink alcohol, take drugs or eat meat in the Golden Temple Complex and around the Temple if one can see it. I left my shoes in my Niwas (guesthouse/lodge) and I covered my head with an orange scarf provided in the premises and washed my feet (there are small pools at each entrance) before entering the premises.
During my first visit, the weather was still cloudy and the light was not ideal to take photographs so I visited it again the next day in order to have better pictures. The first thing I noticed when entering the Golden Temple was its water lake (the Sarovar) full of Amrit (holy water) (thus the name of the city: 'Amrit Sarovar' became 'Amritsar'). The marble promenade around the artificial lake is called the Pakarma and it was the only place where I could take photographs. Even though the weather was hot, the marble floor was remaining cool and I did not burn the sole of my feet. It was not crowded and I could walk peacefully around it.
Sikhs were praying all around the lake and queuing on a bridge leading to Harmandir Sahib (the temple in the middle of the lake). Despite the fact that there were few people on the Pakarma, there was quite a crowd on that bridge and people were pushing each other to enter first. I tried to remain calm and polite. I do not like undisciplined crowds (and I usually let people know) but I could not show my frustration in the holiest Sikh shrine.
The Harmandir Sahib has three floors: the first floors walls are in white marble and the two upper floors walls are gold-plated. The 750kg gold dome is shaped like an inverted lotus. Inside, I could see the Adi Granth (the Sikh ‘Bible’) on a canopy and being recited by priests. It is said that a full reading of the text can take up to 48 hours.
The Golden Temple is a visit not to be missed if you are interested in the rituals of a particular monotheist religion, Sikhism, born from the best in Muslim and Hindu philosophies.
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