By Abigail DeWeese
After our homestay families wished us well, we headed off to Amritsar, the capital of Sikhism and one of India’s holiest cities. During our time there, we met up with Professor Baljinder Singh, who showed us Amritsar’s many treasures and provided insightful mini lectures about what we were seeing. Our hotel was in the center of a bustling shopping area and just a stone’s throw away from the Golden Temple.
Our first day, we explored a nearby marketplace and could see the tops of the Temple from the street. Each side of the road was packed with small, vibrant stores selling a variety of things ranging from beautiful scarves, shoes, keychains, to delicious snacks, such as kulfi (traditional Indian ice cream).
After thoroughly exploring the market and resisting the temptation to spend all of our rupees, we stopped off at Brother’s Dhaba, a renowned restaurant that makes traditional Punjabi food. Many of us also learned a very valuable lesson: if there is something that looks like a green bean, do not eat it. It is actually a very cleverly disguised chili that will make it seem as though you are breathing fire. Next up, we traveled to see the Wagah Border ceremony, which is an event that is meant to symbolize the cooperative relationship between India and Pakistan. It was fascinating to see how the spectators from each side reacted to the festivities. It almost felt like a sporting event, with two sides cheering on their soldiers and seeing who could make the most noise. Each grouping of soldiers has a perfectly choreographed routine involving theatrical hand motions and shouts in a dramatic show of rivalry.
The following morning, we set off with the Professor to the Partition Museum to learn about one of the most divisive times in Indian history. I could go on for days about all that we learned there, but I recommend you read the Partition blog entry for a thorough run down. Afterwards, Professor Singh gave us a lecture on the Fundamentals of Sikhism to orient us to the various religious and cultural practices we would come across on our trip. Fun fact: “thank you” establishes a bond or relationship between two people and is seen as a demonstration of humility. Also “Sikh” means “disciple” 🙂
Finally, we made it to the Golden Temple. It may not be one of the seven wonders of the world, but it really should be, this building is simply breathtaking. After chatting with the director of tourism at the temple, we made our way through an intricately decorated stone arch and there was the temple resting on the surface of the water, glinting in the afternoon sun.
We were guided through langar hall, a large soup kitchen, where over 100,000 people are served daily. A majority of this work is completely volunteer based, which aligns with one of the fundamental principles of Sikhism: service to society. The pots used to make all of this food are roughly the size of a hot tub. Some of us even got to be involved in making some chapati (flatbread).
The inside of the Golden Temple is just as magnificent as the outside. It has 3 levels: the main one has the holy text, Guru Grandh Sahib, where visitors go to make their donations and clamor for a space to pray, the second overlooks the first floor and more places for people to worship, and the roof has a spectacular view of the entire area surrounding the temple. Visitors come from all over the world to visit the capital of Sikhism. The entire Guru Grandh Sahib can be sung and the live recordings are piped throughout the surrounding building. Overall, it was an unforgettable experience full of religious and cultural insights that left an everlasting impact 🙂