Unless you are heading up to or coming down from Kashmir, or planning to cross the border into Pakistan (a big no, no at the moment), Amritsar doesn’t really sit naturally on a journey through northern India. Make the effort to get there, however, and you will be rewarded with one of the most sublime temples in all India, the Golden Temple. This magnificent place of worship is Sikhism’s holiest place of veneration and a marvel to behold. Sikhs are known for their warm hospitality and if you sit awhile within the temple complex, it won’t be long before you are engaged in friendly conversation and taken into the fold like a long lost relative.
So true, what you write. The last time I was at the Golden Temple, in 2010, I got to talking with a turbaned Sikh from Britain who was visiting with his mother. He invited me to his ancestral village a few hours away, where his grandmother and an aunt still lived, and where he had a number of friends from summer visits he made there as a kid. I spent three or four days there, and it was one of the best experiences I had in India.
That’s the Golden Temple for you!
Great photo, nice story. India’s a place that makes us nervous, just don’t like getting sick and seems you’d can’t avoid getting sick there. But one day we’ll get there and this is a place I’d love to see.
Frank (bbqboy)
Thanks Frank and yep, you are right, it’s pretty hard not to get sick in India and on those days the country is pretty hard work and miserable but on the flip side, it is without doubt one of the most incredible countries out there for both of us (and also for Doug who has left the comment above!). In fact we are always planning our next trip to India, we don’t always get around to undertaking it as soon as we would have hoped but the visit is always mapped out. My advice to anyone thinking of going to India for the first time is to pick a small part and travel slowly – too many make the mistake of trying to ‘see’ all of India in a month or two and that’s not a good idea!
Great pic, we only had 10 days in India on our last visit. Next time we go we want to spend several months exploring, such a gorgeous country.
Thank you! 🙂 Yes, you could definitely spend several years exploring India and still not see it all! 😉 We do find visiting for a month or two at a time can help with sanity levels though! We’ve been around 50 times between us and still have more to see …
nice post. Golden temple is really a very famous place in India to visit. You have described it in a nice way through your blog.
Thank you for the compliment! Glad you enjoy it.