My final destination in my circuit around India was the famous Punjabi city of Amritsar. This amazing town is the holy city for the members of the Sikh faith–often characterized by turban, beard, and sometimes a dagger or sword. Sikhs consider themselves to be “protectors” and dress in similar fashion in order to identify one another. They carry the sword or dagger as a symbol of this responsibility to protect.

Amritsar is centered around Harimandir Sahib, or the Golden temple as it is more popularly known in the West. This unbelievable temple is truly a sight to be seen with its constant flow of Sikh pilgrims, gold encrusted everything, and a perpetual reading of the holy book every hour of the day. While there are multiple copies of the holy book in the Golden Temple, one of them is considered to be the most important, and I felt privileged to witness the beautiful ceremony that puts the book “to bed” every night.

I also had the opportunity to view the Wagah border ceremony. This daily tradition is a ritualized closing of the border gates between Pakistan and India (two countries not known for their friendliness with one another) that is filled with song, dance, and elaborate marching. It was amazing to see and hear the crowds that assembled at each side of the border cheering for their country as if we were at a sporting event.

While my time in Amritsar was shorter than I would’ve liked, I truly enjoyed every minute I was there and look forward to going back as soon as I return to India.

This entry was posted on Sunday, April 15th, 2007 at 10:22 pm. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site. You can also contact Jeff to provide feedback.

View other entries