NAMASTE Y’ALL.
Shanti’s experience in Amritsar has been pretty interesting to say the least. Amritsar is known as the spiritual center for the Sikhs and home of the Golden Temple, Harmandir Sahib. The temple is MAGNIFICENT. If you’d like to see images of the holy temple, feel free to Google: “Harmandir Sahib”. I guarantee the pictures hardly do it justice, you must come see it for yourself. I promise you, it is truly breathtaking. And if you are really serious about coming, be sure to bring a cover for your head! Some students wanted to experience sleeping right outside the temple for a night like a true Sikh pilgrim. Despite the abrupt awakening at 3 AM in the morning to clean the floor… it was still an amazing privilege to be in the presence of people who were not judgmental about our lack of knowledge on Sikh customs. The people were truly welcoming to newcomers and took the time to kindly educate us on the culture with tips to preserve the sacred space. We stored our luggage in an inn that was a walking distance from the temple and met a vibrant group of westerners exploring India! I can truly say it was a very easy going experience to share a room with 15 other people. Masses of people (up to 40,000) were fed everyday… for FREE. The food is vegetarian and served to any visitor regardless of their religious background was off the chain. If you decide to eat somewhere else, I suggest finding a place to get either the Amrisari aloo, kulcha, and a lassi. You will NOT regret it.
On our last day, we made an excursion to the Mata temple where we walked and crawled through passages, stairways and tunneling ankle-deep in water to the main shrine. Many women who wish to get pregnant visit this temple to pray. After seeing the main shrine, we were invited by the guru to eat with him and his disciples who make daily trips to the temple! The sweets were delicious! After giving much thanks to the guru, we headed to the border.
Amritsar is also known for sharing a boundary with Pakistan. Every evening, there are guards from both countries who handshake in the Wagah border. People on both sides were cheering in the background showing off their Hindustani and Pakistani pride. Women and children on India’s side were running up and down the walkway waving large flags with The women who were sitting at the ladies gallery got up to dance as the music played! It was a ball~~~~!
It’s been real.
It’s been fun.
It’s been real fun.
Namaste,
Jaimie