We get back from the border closing and go the hotel to take a nap and relax a bit only to be startled by loud explosions. Crap, I guess Pakistan really did not like the way the border closing went. We go to the lobby and front door to see fireworks going off over the Golden Temple and we ask the manager what was going on. Apparently it was the fifth guru’s birthday; one of the most celebrated days in the Sik region calendar.
We put on our warm clothes and make our way to the temple across the street. We take off our shoes and socks at the shoe and sock stand. Everyone must be barefoot and wash their feet in the pools of water before walking down a flight of stairs to the Parkarma, which is the freezing cold white marble walkway surrounding the a pool of water called the Amrit Sarovar, the Pool of Nectar. In the center of the pool, connected to the Parkarma by a walkway, sits the Golden Temple. The temple complex was lit up for the Guru’s birthday with thousands of golden lights. The electric lights blended with the candles burning at the holy pool’s edge and the rhythmic chanting of the holy men from the Har Mandir Sahib inside the Golden Temple were broadcasted over loudspeakers made for a surreal scene. We slowly made our way around the water’s edge soaking up the energy of the complex. We decided to call it a night when we completed a circuit and our feet had gone numb.
The next morning we depart to see the temple in full sunlight. We repeat the process of taking off our shoes and socks, checking them into the counter, and washing our feet before entering the complex. The temple looks just as it was named, golden; the sun glistened off the golden facade of the temple. The gold dome is said to be gilded with 750 kg of pure gold. We walk around the Parkarma to the bridge and enter into the Har Mandir Sahib. Its here that Sik priests keep up the continuous chant from the Sik holy book. The chant is accompanied by drums and another instrument that looks sort of like an accordion. The whole effect was enchanting. We walked up the stairs and sat down on the floor among the worshipers to listen for awhile. This is Sikhism’s most holiest shrine and although such a sacred place, we never felt awkward or uncomfortable there, just welcome.
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| Golden Temple during festvile night |
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| Golden Temple during the day on the Parkarma |
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| Sitting on the Parkarma |
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Inside the Golden Temple listening the chanting
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