After a 6 hr bus ride, then a 10hr night train and another 2 hr train (all lower class) we arrived in the
Punjabi town of
Amritsar.
Amritsar is famous for the Golden Temple, which is the holiest shrine of the
Sikh religion. The is by far the greatest religious sight I've ever visited. It's estimated that there are tens of thousands of pilgrims that visit daily. The most amazing part is that every visitor (
Sikh or not) is welcome to stay for free in the guest house and eat for free. We were fortunate to dine several times with
at least a couple of thousand pilgrims. It is truly amazing feeling to be so warmly welcomed and then handed fresh curry and chapati while sitting on the floor with thousands of other people. Of the three days we spent in
Amritsar we visited the Golden Temple 3 times each day.
The Golden Temple is located inside the Temple complex in the middle of the holy tank. The temple is covered in 750kg of gold and holy men are reading prayers all day from inside, which is broadcast to the entire complex. There are more photos on our picasa page follow the link in the upper right.
This picture was taken during one of our meals with Hindu, Sikh and anyone else wishing to have a meal. The meal room emptied and filled every 10min with a new group 24/7. Outside the temple volunteers cut vegetables and cleaned plates endlessly.
The Golden Temple is located inside the Temple complex in the middle of the holy tank. The temple is covered in 750kg of gold and holy men are reading prayers all day from inside, which is broadcast to the entire complex. There are more photos on our picasa page follow the link in the upper right.
This picture was taken during one of our meals with Hindu, Sikh and anyone else wishing to have a meal. The meal room emptied and filled every 10min with a new group 24/7. Outside the temple volunteers cut vegetables and cleaned plates endlessly.
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