Friday, 18 October 2013

All that glitters - Amritsar


We travelled a long long way to get here and actually, there's not much else other than the Golden Temple to write home (or blog!) about but, WOW!! It was definitely worth the detour.  We loved it so much that we went three times, for sunrise, sunset and then again for a guided tour! 


What the photos can't express is the incredibly evocative atmosphere generated by the thousands of Sikh pilgrims, praying and chanting readings from their holy book and which are sung and broadcast throughout the complex. 


Sikhism is a very open religion, rejecting caste distinctions and offering a 'free kitchen' to all who attend to the temple (which is open 24 hours a day and is free of charge). It is also incidentally the no1 restaurant on Trip Advisor! We were told it serves up to 10,000 meals a day and after our tour of the kitchens we could believe it! 


It's pretty clear from the photo that we were just about the only tourists there. Most of the attention that this generated (and there was a LOT of it) was friendly and respectful but it's fair to say we have a lot more sympathy for Angelina now!




1 comment:

  1. Loving Amritsar photos... PLEASE tell Ralph you had a brilliant time, always felt safe and didn't get ill so I can persuade him to put India back on his list of experiences.
    Gill
    xx

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