The Golden Temple.

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The Golden Temple requires few words of description - it's a special place. Serene and spiritual without being serious and dull.

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Photos

The Golden Temple.
The atmosphere is genuinely spiritual.

The Golden Temple.
The dome is said to be gilded with 750kg of pure gold.

The Golden Temple.
The temple stands in the middle of the Amrit Sarovar (Pool of Nectar) which gives the town its name.

Sikhs.
Kesh (the unshaven beard and uncut hair symbolising saintliness), kirpan (sabre or sword symbolising power and dignity), and karra (steel bangle symbolising fearlessness).

The Pool of Nectar.
Sikh boys and sacred top-knots.

Bathing.
Some enjoy the bathing more than others! Women are not allowed in the pool.

Prayer.
On seeing the temple for the first time, many kneel and kiss the marble walkway.

Fun.
....and in the midst of all this faith, kids laugh and have fun, and clamour to have their photo taken!

Guard.
But the guards are fearsome!

Vigilence.
...and just keep guarding!

Sikh.
Some Sikhs manage to be cuddly and fearsome at the same time!

The Guru-Ka-Langar.
The free communal kitchen feeds up to 40,000 people a day - that's a lot of plates!

Cutlery!
....and a lot of forks and spoons. Everyone is welcome, as a mark of unity amongst people of all religions.

Vegetables...
It's all staffed by volunteers....

and more vegetables...
and everyone helps - even the very young try!

and yet more vegetables!
... but it's also a social activity.

The Chapati Line.
Rolling, kneading, chatting, rolling.

Chapati's cooking!
Hot, hot, hot!

Who's doing the washing up?
Crash, clatter, chatter.

It's never ending....
Water everywhere....

Stacking.
Plates a plenty!

Hah, job done!
Time for a breather!

A new day dawns.
...and the whole cycle begins over again.

Comments

[Sarah]

lovely photos
Trace - stunning photos. And very nice comments! Sarah xxxx

[hermien]

prachtige foto's
Trace, je had wel gelijk, wat een kleurrijke mensen en wat een mooie tempel, nog mooier dan de Taj-Mahal. gr