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Published: October 2nd 2010
There was one place in North India I did not want to miss as everyone mentioned how great the experience is to stay at the golden temple and to attend the Wagah border ceremony between India and Pakistan. So I did.
Amritsar is in Punjab where you will find predominantly Sikhs. Approximately 2% (24million) of the Indian population are Sikh and most of them are in Punjab. So Turbans everywhere!!!!! The golden Temple is the Sikh’s main pilgrimage site, like Mecca for Muslims.
You are not allowed inside the temple with your shoes on and your head uncovered. The temple complex is beautiful - marble everywhere and gold plated temple roofs. Many Sikhs take a bath in the supposedly holy water around the main golden temple. It certainly is much cleaner than the Ganges and women get a closed section where they can bath, but I still didn’t want to get into the water.
Instead I went up to the canteen where food is served 24hours nonstop and it doesn’t cost a penny. You can donate money though. It’s a proper queuing system and everything works like an assembly line. You pick up your plates, donate some
money, go upstairs, somebody there will tell you where to sit on the floor - in a line, back to back with somebody else, workers come around and splash the food onto your plate, you eat and finish, you go downstairs, someone will take your spoon, someone else the plate and bowl and then you walk outside and you see people peeling garlic gloves and chopping food - that is another way of donating. The food is very basic and the picture doesn’t look very appetizing, but the yellow rice was delicious. Worth the experience, but I wouldn’t eat there twice.
In the evening I visited the Wagah border ceremony, where India and Pakistan go crazy, celebrating the closing of the border at sunset with some funny/ aggressive dancing. After the ceremony they open the gates and shake hands. Quiet strange to see between two rival countries. The Indian side was packed with people much more than the Pakistani side, but still the celebration was equally loud on both sides. Interesting observation was that although it was in Punjab more Hindus attended then Sikhs. Not sure why, but I’m sure I will find out one day.
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