February 26, 2016

February 26, 2016

We went back to the Golden Temple in Amritsar again this morning.  It looks a lot different in the daylight.  Our guide starts out with an overview of the Sikh religion.  He said it was started by Guru Nanak as a challenge to the Hindu caste system. Sikhs believe everyone is equal and that there is only one god and he is formless and exists all around us.  Sikhs who choose to be baptized never cut their hair, wear a turban, and carry a small dagger.  The Sikhs as an ethnic group tend to be very tall and muscular, and thus highly sought after as guards and for the military.

Amritsar means “pool of nectar” and refers to the spring fed lake that the Golden Temple sits on.  It is considered holy water and we see lots of Sikhs bathing in it.

The Golden Temple complex also has a kitchen that serves all visitors a vegetarian meal free of charge.  They serve up to 100,000 people each day. Everyone eats sitting on the floor as equals.  Servers come by dispensing water, naan bread, and ladles of vegetable soup. We toured the kitchen where an army of volunteers prepare the meals, bake the bread and clean the plates and silverware.  It is something to see.

Very close to the temple is Jallianwalla Bagh. This garden, a sea of green, in an urban jungle is now a memorial to the 1919 massacre that occurred here.  Renewed calls for Indian Independence arose after WW1.  In an attempt to stomp it out, the British enacted some harsh laws .  Protesters who peacefully assembled in this open square were fired upon by a group of British soldiers and 1000 people were slaughtered. The brutality stunned the nation and elevated the independence movement.

On the walk back to the car, Aimee couldn’t help but stop at a local shoe store.  I bought her a pair of pretty sandals to go with an Indian outfit that a friend back home gave her.

The Grand Trunk Road has spanned the Indian subcontinent for 2000 years connecting East and West.   After resting in our hotel room for a couple hours we drove a 20-mile section west to Pakistan.  It takes nearly an hour because of heavy Amritsar traffic.  West of town on the “open road” our driver is continually weaving left and right dodging cars, motorcycles and even ox carts. Short of the border we are forced to get out of the car and walk the last half mile. We pass through a half dozen pat-downs and Passport checks.  Straddling the border on both sides are large grandstands so several thousand people can watch the daily border closing ceremony.  It feels more like a party. A large group of girls is dancing to the beat of a Bollywood musical blaring on loudspeakers.  An emcee fires up the crowd with cheers for India.  The border guards all dressed in peacock like outfits start strutting and high stepping toward the gate.  I get a sense that India’s movements are being mirrored on the Pakistani side but it is hard to tell.  As foreigners we have preferential seating but we are still 50 yards away. Super VIPs are even closer, but two large metal gates that only open a short time hamper the view.