Our Indian adventure ended in the Punjabi city of Amritsar. Varanasi is the holiest city and main pilgrimage site for Hindus, but Amritsar is the main pilgrimage city for Sikhs, specifically the Golden Temple. This made Amritsar the perfect ending to a wonderful adventure.
Golden Temple Night Ceremony
We went to the Golden Temple twice, so we could experience it more fully. Our first trip was to watch the special ceremony held each night when the holy book is put to rest for the night.
As told to us by our guide, a Sikh himself, essentially, a long time ago, the leader of the Sikh faith was worried what would happen in the future, so he had all of the teachings written in a book. After his death, the book became the place to turn for guidance and wisdom instead of a living person. Over time, this has made the book an item of worship and devotion. It is treated as a living thing. Because of this, it is ceremoniously put to bed each night.
The ceremony begins with the decoration of a palanquin for the book with lush leis of beautiful saffron and yellow and red and white carnations. There is chanting and praying as this goes on. Then the platform is carried to the heart of the Golden Temple where the book is read from all day. A procession with ram’s horn and more then takes the book to a lovely building where it is carried on the high priest’s head into its resting chamber.
The complex is stunning at night and day. The Golden Temple sits on an island in the middle of a reservoir surrounded by many buildings for various religious purposes. At night the molded gold building glows stunningly and reflects brightly on the dark water. It is a beacon for all who enter.
Golden Temple by Day
The next morning we returned to this special place for a longer excursion. Again, the air was heavy with solemnity as pilgrims and visitors walked through the foot-washing pools to enter the sacred space. People were praying, washing, and worshipping as they knew how. It was a truly special experience.
During the day, the temple still radiates because it is literally covered in polished gold. It does not reflect as starkly on the water, but still seems to float in the air above the pond.
Though the buildings were beautiful and feeling of reverence palpable, the highlight was a walkthrough of the 24-hour kitchen that serves thousands of meals a day to anyone who desires. It is a community kitchen where people volunteer to help cook and clean. It is a place where no matter your background, your position, or your rank you eat as one with all sitting on the floor eating together on equal ground.
We were taken through the kitchens to see them make the massive amounts of food. I was stupefied by the sheer number of utensils they had at the ready and the size of the cauldrons they used for cooking. All of the food comes from donations as does the labor. It is a true example of one heart and one mind on a scale that any person would envy if they wanted to replicate it without that unity of purpose.
A Hindu Replica of the Golden Temple
A gold-covered temple sits at the end of a long walkway in the middle of water. Its shape is the same, but the art covering it is very different. This one has Hindu gods and goddesses molded into the gold and elaborate mosaics of glass inside and out. Not too far from the Sikh Gurdwara (temple) is a Hindu temple that bears a striking resemblance. That’s because it is a copy of the Sikh holy place. We visited this sanctuary as well, but I’ll admit it felt different. It didn’t have the same palpable reverence and didn’t seem to be as well maintained as the original.
How people can imagine the Sikhs as being anything but peace-loving baffles me, especially after visiting their holy place.
