The Sikhs are incredibly inclusive and welcoming – and provide free accommodation and food for anyone who visits the temple – regardless of religion or ethnicity. They have donation boxes – but no one asks.
Having made my way to the Golden Temple I find the building in which people are housed and find that Westerners are all put in what is effectively a large single dorm room crammed full of beds. Luckily for me, someone is just leaving one of the smaller side rooms that has only three beds in, and I get assigned my home for the next three days.
It's basic – but serviceable.
Clothes drying in the courtyard of the dormitory building:
I end up feeling slightly guilty staying here - while I'm sleeping on a reasonably comfortable bed with a fan – there are men and woman who must be in there 80's sleeping on the floor in the courtyard outside. It doesn't feel right somehow...
After dropping off my bag, I decided to head straight out to see the temple. I've heard a few people say it's very under-whelming – but I was really impressed by it. It's clearly a religious site, which includes everything that goes with that – but it feels very relaxed – people are clearly enjoying themselves as they walk around the large pool chatting away.
The Golden Temple:
After a quick meal – I head back in the evening to see the temple at night. It's an impressive sight – and given that it's fairly quite – I take the opportunity to cross the causeway into the small temple in the centre of the pool.
A video – taken at night – complete with singing and people chatting in the background (click to view):
I join the queue to cross the causeway, and join the hundreds of pilgrims – some singing along with the music, others waiting in silence as we shuffle ever closer to the temple. There's none of the pushing that a queue in India would usually entail.
There's a solemn religious fervor – but it all feels very relaxed as we near the door that leads into the small building.
Inside is a small room where a band is playing music and singing words from the Guru Granth Sahib: the Sikhs Holy Book. People linger – respectful of the place and each other. I'm surprised at how small the room is - just enough room to accommodate the band, and fifty or so worshipers.
Walking out of the main room towards the back of the small temple people are drinking the water from the pool - Amritsar means “The Pool Of The Nectar Of Immortality”.
Upstairs – people are sitting on the floor in a beautifully ornate small room reading the Guru Granth Sahib.
As I leave – at the end of the causeway – a man is handing out Kara Parshad – a special food offering given to everyone who visits the temple. Not wanting to intrude I try and sneak out – but the man calls me over and shows me how to receive the Parshad.
The Golden Temple – the large building behind is used to store the original copy of the Guru Granth Sahib:
The white marble entrance into the complex:
And a close up of the clock tower:
It's certainly a memorable experience.
After a rather good coffee and a wander around I head to the communal dining room for lunch – where I discovered that there actually is such a thing as a free lunch.
I queued up with the rest of the people and take a metal tray, spoon, and cup, and follow the crowd upstairs to the second of the two large dining halls.
Everyone sits in rows on the floor, and men walk around with large metal buckets filled with Dhal , vegetable curry, or rice using huge ladles to fill the plates. Steaming hot chappati are handed out and everyone digs in. Seconds are readily given out, and I have to stop my plate from being continually topped up. After the dhal is gone a man comes around handing out sweet rice.
As we eat upstairs the downstairs dining room is being prepared for the next round. The scale and organization is impressive - the dining hall feeds up to 40,000 people every single day, and the kitchen is run on an industrial scale with the largest pots of curry I've ever seen.
Once everyone has eaten, we stream out and head down to the washing up area. Plates, spoons, and cups are handed to a gang of men who sort them and then send them down the line to where they are washed. As I walk out – pausing to wash my hands at the large bank of taps – people are chopping garlic and onions for the next round of diners.
The professional approach and organization is impressive. Even late at night people are being fed here. And no one asks for a single Rupee, although there are donation boxes. As I discovered, the “menu” changes every day – and the food (while simple) is nutritious and tasty.
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