On to Amritsar in the Punjab region in Northwestern India

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The Golden temple is a place of prayer and pilgrimage. There are also “Langar” meals served three times a day to upwards of 100,000 people a day. All people of every faith, race, sex, creed, etc… are invited to eat at Langar and visit the temple. The Langar and the cleaning of the Golden Temple are done completely using volunteers providing “seva” or service. I washed dishes for 20 minutes and it was a wonderful feeling of many people working together to provide meals. Inside the temple are Kirtan performances of the hymns and reading from the Guru Granth Sahib, the holy book of Sikhs. The book is housed in the Golden temple

Learning about Sikhism in Amritsar where Sikhism’s holiest site, the Golden Temple, or “Harimandar” (house of God) as the Punjabis say is amazing.

Me at the entrance to the temple. Truly one of the most beautiful places I have been. We were greeted by some dignitaries that are affiliated with the University that we are staying at. They gave us these long orange colored scarves as an honor. They tied them into turbans for us as everyone is required to cover their hair in the Golden Temple..

We are staying at Guru Nanak Dev University. The hospitality and friendliness that Sikhs are known for certainly is on display here! I have attended wonderful “Kirtan” services two mornings with singing hymns in the gurudwara (Sikh temple).

Me and the musician that sang Kirtan in the service. His name is Jatinder. We are friends now.

We have attended classes and visited the Golden Temple. We will be going to a sad site of the 1919 Massacre at Amritsar called “Jallianwala Bagh” by Punjabis. My students from World Cultures class will remember the scene from the movie Gandhi when the British army killed 400 and injured over 1000 Indians who were gathering peacefully for a holiday near the Golden Temple in a garden. “Bagh” means Garden. I will also have time for shopping tomorrow. Yay! I must say I am dying for a cold Diet Coke and another Starbucks! We will get to see the Golden Temple during daytime too.

I have had very little internet service provided in Amritsar, so I have not been updating the blog. You can visit Instagram for more pics. Follow me @epalladino359

I plan to Blog more when I get to the next stop in Haridwar where we will study Hinduism. Hoping to get reliable internet.

Please check back!!

Published by epalladino359

World Cultures and History teacher at Marshfield High School, Marshfield MA. Knowledge and educational experience enthusiast.

Published

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