Amritsar

You don’t need me to tell you that Sikhs are not Muslims. And that even if they are, there is never a good reason for the violence that transpired in Wisconsin yesterday. My heart goes out to the victims and their families.

In 2010, I was blessed to visit Amritsar, the holiest hub for those of the Sikh religion – and the most calming and pleasant place I experienced in all of India. If you’ve read any of my posts on India, you’d know that “calming” and “pleasant” are not words I would normally use to describe anything in that country. Most of my time in India can be described simply as “intense.” However, of the 3,000+ kilometers I covered there, the Sikh city of Amritsar was my safe haven.

I felt at peace there, I felt at ease in this Sikh community. Amritsar was the only city I visited in India (besides Goa) where I could freely walk the streets without facing hostility and/or a public groping. On my first trip to India, the experiences I had in this particular city were among the few reasons I wanted to return to the country a second time (Click here to read about my apprehension for India trip #2).

Amritsar is best known for the Golden Temple, pictured above and immediately below. This temple attracts a couple hundred thousand visitors per day – that’s more daily visitors than at the Taj Mahal! It’s especially beautiful at nighttime when the temple is aglow and reflecting on the water surrounding it.

Most visitors come here to worship, yet they’re happy to indulge the curiosities of their non-Sikh company. Due to the language barrier, I didn’t get a chance to really learn about the religion, but was gently encouraged to enter worship rooms and to take in the mesmerizing music and chantings. It was so moving…intoxicating almost.

Amritsar is also about a half hour from the India-Pakistan border. It’s known as the Wagah Border – the only road crossing between the two countries – where an intensely fascinating parade and flag-lowering ceremony takes place every day at sunset to mark the relationship between India and Pakistan.

It was strangely joyous yet contemptuous at the same time. The crowd was wildly patriotic, with Bollywood-esque dancing and cheering in the stands. Then there was the fierce militant exchange between soldiers. They puffed their chests at each other, battled each other in marching choreography and shook hands firmly with a tinge of mutual hostility. It was like, “Hey, we don’t really like you, but let’s do this thang anyway.”

The ceremony closed when both sides slammed their border gates shut with a LOUD booming clank. A couple months after I attended the ceremony, I read online that there were calls to tone down the aggression so the two countries could actively try to promote a better relationship. In any case, I found the ceremony incredibly riveting and peculiar. This hour-long ritual has taken place every single day for over 50 years!

The Golden Temple, the Wagah Border…both are so very intriguing and worth a visit to Amritsar.

For me, however, it’s the people that have me wanting to come back. The people of Amritsar – predominantly Sikh – were gentle and soft-spoken. My smiles were met with even bigger smiles, and there was an air of kindness everywhere I went.

The local Sikh community in Amritsar has reacted with grief and sadness over news of the Wisconsin massacre. They’re planning a three-day vigil at the Golden Temple to honor those who lost their lives. I hope the Sikh communities all over the world can heal and move forward without fear. My heart goes out to them.

Here are a few more photos from my time in Amritsar.