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Published: March 10th 2012
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AMRITSAR
Leaving the hustle, bustle and diesel fumes behind we headed overland in our truck “Josh” for Amritsar. It’s a truly wonderful city in the north east of India. It’s most famous site is the Golden Temple. It is the centre of the Sikh religion and is an incredibly beautiful and serene site. The site was once a lake surrounded by a forest and the Buddha is said to have spent time here in contemplation. Another philosopher, Guru Nanak came to this site; he is the founder of the Sikh religion. Amritsar was founded in 1577 it is home to the holiest shrine in Sikhism, the Golden Temple, by the fourth Sikh guru, Ram Das. The gold-plated gurdwara, the Harmandir, Sahib is the Golden Temple itself. It appears to be floating in the middle of a sacred pool. It is accessible by a bridge from the edge of the pool. It attracts millions of pilgrims from all over the world. The temple is rated by many tourists as a highlight of their visit to India. Also at the Golden Temple is the Central Sikh Museum, which is devoted to a large gallery of paintings, mostly showing the gruesome
ways countless Sikhs have been martyred. The most interesting part is the area where the pilgrims are served a free and simple meal of dahl, chapatti, and rice pudding. Everyone in this area of the temple is a volunteer from the cooks, to the servers and the dishwashers. No one is turned away; everyone Sikh or not is offered a free meal and of course, I’m not one to shy away from a free Indian meal.
DHARAMSALA
We then headed up into the Himalayas to the spiritual town of Dharamsala. It is an old hill station on the Dalaudar stretch of the Himalaya, the town is in two parts: Dharamsala and Mc Leod Ganj. Dharamsala (elevation 1 770 m) is known as the home of His Holiness, the 14
th Dalai Lama. Most travelers come here simply because the Dalai Lama resides here and this is why I have come as well. Meeting the Dalai Lama is a lifelong dream for many but private audiences are rarely granted. The Dalai Lama of course is far too occupied with responsibilities such as spiritual duties and running a government in exile to meet everyone who comes to Dharamsala. Tibetan
refugees however are automatically granted an audience, but travelers must be satisfied with the occasional public teachings which you must register in advance for or be content with a drive by sighting and blessing as His Holiness travels between the temple and his residence. I was fortunate enough to be one of the many travelers by the side of the road to see and hopefully have received a blessing as His Holiness drove by. Quite honestly, I wasn’t even sure which car His Holiness was in as he drove by but am satisfied with knowing that I was in his presence and that he saw ME!
The main focus of visiting pilgrims, monks and travelers is the Tsuglagkhang that houses the official residence of the Dalai Lama, the Namgyal Gompa, Tibet Museum and the Tsuglagkhang itself. The Tsuglagkhang is the exiles’ equivalent of the Jokhangg Temple in Lhasa which is sacred to Avalokitesvara (Chenrezi in Tibet), the Tibetan deity of compassion; it enshrines a 3m high gilded statue of the Sakyamuni Buddha, flanked on either side by Avalokitesvara and Padmasambhava, the Indian scholar who introduced Buddhism to Tibet. The Avalokitesvara statue contains several relics rescued from the
Jokhang Temple during the Cultural Revolution. Next to the Tsuglagkhang is the Kalachakra Temple which was built in 1992 which contains murals of the Kalachakra mandala (wheel of time).
Just inside the main gate is the Tibet Museum which recounts the story of the Chinese occupation and the Tibetan exodus through photographs, interviews and video clips. Each year 2 500 Tibetans risk the dangerous crossing over the mountains into India, and it’s estimated that about 130 000 refugees are now living outside their homeland. Most of these refugees initially come to Dharamsala where they get support from their community, their government-in-exile and a legion of NGOs. About 80 000 exiles live around Dharamsala today.
SHIMLA
Shimla was once a part of the Nepali Kingdom. Its name is derived from Goddess Shyamala, the Hindu goddess who is the destroyer of evil. Despite its name, Shimla is a picturesque mountain town speckled with brightly coloured homes surrounded by evergreens and the Himalayas as its backdrop. Shimla was undiscovered by visitors until Charles Kennedy, a Scottish civil servant built a summer home here in 1822 and nothing was ever the same again. The entire Indian government
fled here every summer until 1939. When the Kalka-Shimla railway line was built in 1903, Shimla became known as India’s premier hill station. It stretches along a 12km ridge cascading down the hillsides where bazars are filled with shops selling everything from undergarments, mountain bikes, spices and fabric.
The Viceregal Lodge is a majestic structure ringed by tall pines. It was built in 1888 as the residence of Viceroy Lord Dufferin. The Lodge has an important historical significance; the negotiations for the partition of India took place at a round table in one of the board rooms of the Lodge. It’s now called Rashtrapapti Niwas; the Lodge houses the Indian Institute of Advanced Study. An area called the Mall is the setting for the most prominent building, the yellow Christ Church, reputed to be the second oldest church in northern India. The Mall is filled with people strolling and people watching people go by.
All throughout our travels of northern India, we have been stared at and photographed by the locals. Now I truly know what it is like to be spied on and photographed without permission. Lesson learned. I will always ask if I have permission to
take someone’s picture. The locals aren’t part of the scenery as we foreigners often assume.
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Agnès
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Beautiful Mina... it seems that the spirit is with you! xoxo