Golden Temple Amritsar | India Adventures

Hi guys!
I'm so excited to share the first instalment of my India Adventures with you! I've been in India for a whole three and a half weeks already, and it continues to surprise, impress and entertain me every day.

Most of our time so far has been taken up with completing our observership placement at the hospital, but our weekends have been free to go exploring...and exploring we have gone! Last weekend we visited the Golden Temple in Amritsar, and it was just as stunning as the name makes it sound.



A few quick practical notes for anyone who is looking to visit the temple, before I get into the good stuff!

• Being a Gurdwara (Sikh temple), there is no entrance fee to get into the temple
• There are no shoes allowed within the temple- but there are places to store your shoes before you go inside that are pretty reliable. 
• Both men and women alike should cover their heads inside the temple complex. We brought along scarves for this, but you can buy head coverings everywhere outside the temple very cheaply if you wish to (like the orange ones people are wearing in the below photo). 
• You will wash your hands and feet on the way inside the complex and before going into the Langar area (where you eat). 
• You'll have to be prepared for lines and crowds anytime you go-from what I've heard there aren't really any particularly quiet times to visit, as with most destinations in India. 

We arrived at the Golden Temple (otherwise known as the Harmandir Sahib) at about 10 AM, and as you can see from the photo below, it was pretty packed with people already. However, despite the throngs of people I was still struck by the peaceful atmosphere when entering the grounds. As you step through the gates there is gentle music playing and a strong sense of respect in the air. Your bare, freshly washed feet trace the cool tiles knowing so many have done so before.


In the week before our visit to the temple, we were somewhat disappointed at being told that photos had supposedly recently been banned everywhere at the Golden Temple (you can actually see the sign banning them in the first photo). However, there didn't seem to be any enforcement of this while we were there. Absolutely everyone was taking photos, and we were encouraged to by our guide who was an official temple attendant.

I believe the aim of 'banning' photos is to avoid people visiting only for the photo opportunity and missing the enormous religious significance of the temple, which I can completely understand. With that in mind, my advice would be to be respectful with your photo taking. I personally didn't feel comfortable taking much more than a couple of photos and felt that I achieved a decent balance of photo-taking and just taking in the moment.

On that note, photos are completely banned within the actual temple itself and even in the line to go inside I saw this being strictly enforced.



One aspect of the Golden Temple that I was completely unaware of before our visit is the huge Langar community-run kitchen and dining hall that it holds. The Langar is something that you will find in any Sikh temple, but what makes this one so special is the sheer magnitude of the operation they run. Here anyone can sit and eat as equals, no matter of their race or religion. It is completely run by volunteers and houses the most enormous cooking pots I have seen in my life!

I'll admit that I was a little sceptical about actually eating at the Langar, being a bit scared of food safety on my first weekend in India. However, the food was (so far as I can tell) safe and hygienic despite us all sitting on the floor to eat it! It was hot and very tasty, and none of our sensitive foreign bellies got sick afterwards.
Even if you're not planning on eating there, I'd recommend seeing this part of the temple as seeing the scale and speed of food preparation and the size of the pots was truly mind blowing!



After leaving the temple, there are lots of shops to wander past and explore, where you can buy anything from Punjabi Jutti (traditional Punjabi shoes) to scarves and sweets.



After a wonderful morning of exploring, we stopped at the restaurant Haveli (meaning mansion) on the way out of town. Haveli is a 'chain' restaurant of sorts-there are three locations, two of which we have tried and loved. It's a traditional Punjabi restaurant, with only vegetarian food...but the best vegetarian food you'll ever have!



Both Haveli restaurants that we have visited had incredible food, very affordable prices and amazing service and atmosphere. I would absolutely recommend a trip there if you're in the area!

                           

We returned home very full and happy after a day of spiritual experiences...both food related and otherwise!

Have you visited the Golden Temple, or do you plan to? Let me know in the comments!
Kate x