From Mcleod Ganj we drove to Amritsar descending to the hot plains of Punjab. Our driver before getting in his car lights incense to an image of the Goddess Kali installed upon the dashboard of the car. Similarly virtually every driver of every vehicle in India from motor rikshaws to cars, trucks and buses daily acknowledges the deity he believes will protect his journey.
We arrived in Amritsar, the Sikh’s holiest city, in time to visit the stunning Golden Temple.
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Amritsar Golden Temple
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Revered as one of the holiest shrines in the Sikh faith, the Golden Temple is one of the greatest spiritual monument in India. Shoes must be removed, feet washed and heads covered before we can enter. We instantly recognize the Hari Mandir (Divine Temple) or Darbar Sahib (Court of the Lord), the marble-and-gold sanctuary at the center of the Amrit Sarovar the Pool of Nectar the sacred water tank within the temple complex.
Amritsar Golden Temple |
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The Golden Temple (1574) is a surprisingly small building which features copper cupolas and white marble walls encrusted with precious stones arranged in decorative floral patterns that show strong Islamic influence. 100 kg of gold cover the inverted lotus-shaped dome. Four chattris flank the structure.
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Amritsar Golden Temple
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To reach the temple we followed clockwise the Parikrama which circumscribes the pool where Sikh pilgrims bathe. We joined the many devotees who crossed the gateway called Darshani Deorhi, with magnificent silver doors, and the marble Guru’s Bridge, which symbolizes the journey of the soul after death, to pay our respects to the Guru Granth Sahib the Holy Book.
The scene is fascinating. Beneath a canopy studded with jewels, among a crowd of devotees, musicians and singers continually sing scriptures from the Holy Book with a melodic recital (known as the Akhand Path), while a chauri, or whisk, is repeatedly waved in the air above the Book. The Granth Sahib is an object of devotion in its own right.
At the end of the day there is the the Palki Sahib, or night ceremony, during which the Granth Sahib is carried to the sanctum where it rests for a few hours until the opening ceremony the following morning.
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Amritsar Golden Temple
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The Guru-ka-Langar, a dining hall where each day thousand of people , irrespective of caste or creed, are fed by temple volunteers.
Amritsar Golden Temple |
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