Temples and such....

July 5, 2008-(Saturday)- Amritsar, India
• The sacred city of the Amritsar, which was founded by the fourth Sikh Guru Ram Dass ji, has come to assume a special significance in Hindu cosmology because of various mythical and historical connections. Amritsar is particularly nearer and dearer to Hindus as it is believed that the Lov-Kush along with their mother Mata Sita spent their early childhood in the ashram of Bhagwan Maharishi Balmiki ji in the land of Amritsar.
Due to the heat, I was exhausted and slept like a log. I got up and was ready by 8:10 and went down to the lobby. Then Anna and I were given a lecture about being “on time” by the whiners, AKA the time police. I then wanted breakfast. My idea was to have a relaxing breakfast and then go to the Golden Temple. Nope, again the whiners took charge and insisted that we rush and grab a “bag of chips or something” and rush over to the Golden Temple. Again, I was annoyed. I had planned the trip, made the arrangements, and now the people who only decided to go at the last minute were ordering me around. I wanted to confront them with this, but instead, I murmured under my breath and insisted that I needed at least one cup of Chai (tea) first. One of the whiners said
“ can’t you just drink a coke?”, I wanted to strangle her ! Instead I said that I’d find a chai vendor and that it would only take a few moments, I needed my chai in the morning. They sighed, acted as if it were a huge inconvenience, and then waited while I went to get some tea. One of the whiners was complaining about cramps. Now it’s not that I am not compassionate, it’s just that this girl has complained about pain after pain since we arrived here in India. While I am sure that she was “really ill” twice, still it is not necessary to recap the illness over and over again in conversation. Not to mention the complaining about everything else. Her sarcasm is depressing, and I don’t know how she functions like this. I would feel sorry for her, except that is what she wants-- Pity and attention. Can we say Borderline Personality Disorder? I am not the only one that feels this way. I have overheard several of the volunteers talk about this as well as seen them roll their eyes when she makes a sarcastic comment or a complaint. All I know is I am going to spend as little time with her as possible.

After I drank my chai, it was off to the Golden Temple. Before going even into the outer court of the temple, we had to cover our heads and take off our shoes. I bought a cheap scarf and wrapped it around my head. Then we took off our shoes and “checked them” as one might check a coat at a fancy event. We then entered the outer court of the temple and it was beautiful. The carvings and stone work were remarkable. Then we saw it, the Golden Temple appearing as if it were floating on the water. The temple itself is set in the middle of a man made lake.

About the Golden Temple or Sri Harmandir Sahib
Sri Harmandir Sahib, also known as Sri Darbar Sahib or The Golden Temple for the English speaking world, is known world round on account of its scenic beauty and golden coating). The Sikhs all over the world, daily wish to pay visit to Sri Amritsar and to pay obeisance here. Guru Arjan Sahib, the Fifth Nanak, conceived the idea of creating a central place of worship for the Sikhs and he himself designed the architecture of Sri Harmandir Sahib. Earlier the planning to excavate the holy tank (Amritsar or Amrit Sarovar ) was chalked out by Guru Amardas Sahib, the Third Nanak, but it was executed by Guru Ramdas Sahib under the supervision of Baba Budha ji. The land for the site was acquired by the earlier Guru Sahibs on payment or free of cost from the Zamindars (landlords) of native villages. The plan to establish a town settlement was also made. Therefore, the construction work on the Sarovar(the tank) and the town started simultaneously in 1570. The work on both projects completed in 1577 A.D. Guru Arjan Sahib got its foundation laid by a Muslim saint Hazrat Mian Mir ji of Lahore on 1st of Magh, 1545 Bikrmi Samvat. The construction work was directly supervised by Guru Arjan Sahib himself and he was assisted by prominent Sikh personalities like Baba Budha ji, Bhai Gurdas ji, Bhai Sahlo ji and many other devoted Sikhs. Unlike erecting the structure on the higher level(a tradition in Hindu Temple architecture), Guru Arjan Sahib got it built on the lower level and unlike Hindu Temples having only one gate for the entrance and exit, Guru Sahib got it open from four sides. Thus he created a symbol of new faith, Sikhism. Guru Sahib made it accessible to every person without any distinction of Caste, creed, sex or religion.

Sri Harmandir Sahib, is built on a 67ft. square platform in the centre of the Sarovar(tank). The temple itself is 40.5ft. square. It has a door each on the East, West, North and South. The Darshani Deori (an arch) stands at the shore end of the causeway. The door frame of the arch is about 10ft in height and 8ft 6inches in breath. The door panes are decorated with artistic style. It opens on to the causeway or bridge that leads to the main building of Sri Harmandir Sahib. It is 202 feet in length and 21 feet in width. The bridge is connected with the 13 feet wide ‘Pardakshna’ (circumambulatory path). It runs round the main shrine and it leads to the ‘Har ki Paure’ (steps of God). On the first floor of ‘Har ki Paure’, there is continuous reading of Guru Granth Sahib. The main structure of Sri Harmandir Sahib, functionally as well as technically is a three-storied one. The front, which faces the bridge, is decorated with repeated cusped arches and the roof of the first floor is at the height of the 26 feet and 9 inches. At the top of the first floor 4 feet high parapet rises on all the sides which has also four ‘Mamtees’ on the four corners and exactly on the top of the central hall of the main sanctuary rises the third story. It is a small square room and has three gates. A regular recitation of Guru Granth Sahib is also held there. On the top of this room stands the low fluted ‘Gumbaz’(dome) having lotus petal motif in relief at the base inverted lotus at the top which supports the ‘Kalash’ having a beautiful ‘Chhatri’ at the end. Its architecture represents a unique harmony between the Muslims and the Hindus way of construction work and this is considered the best architectural specimen of the world. It is often quoted that this architecture has created an independent Sikh school of architecture in the history of art in India.
While there we also visited the Sikh museum. It was dedicated to Sikhs who had been massacred by the Muslims. It was sad to see yet another slaughter by people claiming that their religion was the “correct” one. I wonder how many people over the centuries have died needlessly in the name of one religion or another. We had only been at the temple for a short time, an hour or so, when the BPD (Borderline Personality Disorder, AKA whiner) began complaining about menstrual cramps and dehydration. She wanted us to hurry up so we could leave and go back to the hotel and get her some Advil or Tylenol. I was again angry. I didn’t come over 9000 miles to see this temple only to be hurried away due to menstrual cramps! I suggested we split up and meet up later, and I was looked at as if I had said a profanity. In my opinion, had I been sick, I would have excused myself to go back to the hotel and arrange to meet up with the others later. I wouldn’t dare to complicate another’s vacation on my own account. After all, menstrual cramps come every month, I visit India only once in a lifetime. I didn’t say anything more, but I didn’t rush. I looked at everything I wanted to look at, took tons of pictures, (except in the inner temple where it is prohibited), and talked to many people who stopped us because we were foreigners. The people were very nice and I had a good time speaking with them. Some spoke a little English, while others were fluent. Most spoke no English at all, but I was finding that a smile is universal for “ hello”. I smiled at anyone and everyone, and most smiled back.
After we finished at The Golden Temple, we headed back to the hotel so that we could get some pain reliever for the whiner. She wanted to rest a while, so the rest of us walked around a little near the hotel and shopped. I bought a few things, bargaining to get the best price. I love bargaining. I will surely miss it when I get back to the states again. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could do this at Walmart ?!
Finally it was time for a meal ! For me, the food of a culture is just as interesting as its dress, religion, etc. Besides, I love to eat! (did I mention I’m GAINING weight?) I have been really enjoying the food here, probably more than I should. I was anxious to try a Punjabi restaurant. I suggested a place around the corner from the hotel. The whiners wanted to go back to the pizza place and said that they have more than pizza. I strongly suggested we try something different, and as no one wanted to make a decision, I said, “let’s try it” and walked into the restaurant. The food ended up being FANTASTIC! I finally writing down the names of things I like so I can learn how to say and order them at other places. The things I love are as follows:
• Dal Makhani: Lentils in a spicy brownish sauce, very good over rice, or eaten like soup.
• Tomato Paneer: chunks of cheese cooked in a spicy tomato based sauce, good with rice or bread.
• Chanamasala: Chick peas (or Garbanzo beans) cooked with Indian spices, good with rice or bread.
• Prantha –Leche(plain): A plain wheat based fried bread. (also available stuffed or spiced, for example garlic prantha.
• Mixed Vegetable Uthapam: vegetables in some type of omelet or crepe or mixture of the two.
• Biryani: a type of rice dish with meat (usually chicken), in a tomato based spicy sauce.
• Afghani Chicken: A chicken dish – spices unknown but DELICIOUS !
• Roti: a whole wheat pita made fresh to eat with many types of meals. We have this daily at the house, and it’s great.—no wonder I’m gaining weight!
After lunch we made our way to Jallianwala Bagh. Jallianwala Bagh is a public garden in Amritsar located in the Punjab province of India. It houses a memorial of national importance, established in 1951 to commemorate the murder of peaceful demonstrators on the occasion of Punjabi New Year on April 13, 1919 in what has since been called, the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre. This event, also known as the Amritsar Massacre, was named after the Jallianwala Bagh (Garden). On April 13, 1919, British Indian Army soldiers under the command of Brigadier-General Reginald Dyer opened fire on an unarmed gathering of men, women and children. The firing lasted about 10 minutes and 1650 rounds were fired, or 33 rounds per soldier. Official British Raj sources placed the fatalities at 379. According to private sources there were over 1000 deaths, with more than 2000 wounded, and Civil Surgeon Dr. Smith indicated that there were 1,526 casualties.

The memorial itself was pretty nice as memorials go. The gardens were beautiful. Unfortunately it was now the hottest part of the day and I was drenched in sweat. I soaked a hankie in water and used it to cool my neck and forehead. It was dry in 5 minutes. I don’t know the exact temperature, but I’ll guess it was close to 115 degrees F. I was drinking water quicker than I could buy it. While walking around, I met some teen- aged girls from another part of India. They asked me if I would mind taking some pictures with their camera of them in front of the monument. This was a turn around, but a pleasant one. We chatted for a few minutes and went on our own ways. I was walking around alone because I’d left the group to go to the toilet. I told them that I’d meet them in the front entrance at 1:30. Once we met up again we all went back to the hotel to take a short rest or to shop. We had arranged to meet our driver at 3:30 for transport to the India-Pakistani Border where we would view the elaborate ceremony staged daily as they closed the borders for the night. We agreed to meet in the lobby at 3pm.
I laid down on the bed, in the A/C and fell immediately to sleep. Anna and I woke at 10 min. to 3, splashed some water on our faces, put on our shoes, and were about to walk to the lobby when one of the whiners comes banging on our door saying, “are you coming, are you coming, it’s 3pm”. We stated that according to our watches it was 3:06. I finally had enough and said “ time is relative in India, it’s only a few minutes, our driver is not going to leave us if we are 5 or 10 minutes late”. I got no response. We hurried down and got to the parking garage at 3:25. Our driver took us to the Border.
When we got to the border, we had to wait in a crowd of hundreds of people in the heat for the gate to the stadium to open. We got there at 4pm, and the gates would not open until 5. An hour of standing in the heat, is this what I was rushed for? At 5pm, we were allowed into the bleachers area. The attending soldiers instructed us to sit as close together as possible. I was cramped, but so were the other 499 or so people. The actual ceremony wasn’t to start until 6:30, but there were other activities to keep us busy. First, the soldiers picked some volunteers from the audience to run up and down the course with the Indian flag. There were loud cheers as first a young boy, then an elderly woman, and several others in turn, took the flag and paraded it, or ran it, down towards the border gate and back. After that, There were patriotic songs in Hindi where everyone sang and waved their small plastic flags. As we were doing this, the Pakistani side was congregating. Quieter than us, and in smaller numbers, they came. The speakers with their patriotic songs tried to drown out ours, but the Indians sang louder. Following the patriotic songs, they began to play Hindi/ Punjabi dance music. Indians, old and young walked down off the bleachers to dance in the area below. I saw some “westerners” with them also, and they were all just dancing together. I noticed that the dancers didn’t know each other as they were coming from all parts of the stadium. I longed to go down there and join the dance. I asked the 4 girls who were with me, but they said no, that the music was going to end soon anyway. I didn’t want to go by myself, yet I wanted to go so bad--- here was my chance to dance in India with the natives. I finally got the courage up to do it and began walking down the bleachers. I had to step over the throngs of people, but each time I walked down a step, the people cheered me on! I got about ½ way down when the music stopped. The dancers took their seats. I was crushed, my procrastination ruined my chance. I went back to my seat and there was another few comments from the soldiers. There were chants of Long Live India in Hindi. We had a shouting duel with the Pakistanis over who could chant the loudest. I promised myself that, if by chance the dancing began again, I would go down and dance. About ½ hour later, the dancing and music began again. This time I started down the bleachers right away. I saw a girl there who recognized me from the lecture in Dharmasala. She was with the CCS Dharmasala group. She grabbed my arm and said CCS ? I said “yes, I’m going down to dance – I don’t want to miss my chance to dance with the Indians. This is a once in a lifetime event. Want to come?” She said “sure”, and the two of us made our way down to the bottom. As soon as we got down there the girls invited us into their dancing circle. I felt like an honorary Indian. They tried to teach me some Punjabi moves, but I’m not sure I did it correctly. No one cared, we were having a blast. It was then that an elderly, maybe late 70’s, aged Indian woman pulled my arm and smiled broadly and began dancing with me. It was wonderful. I can’t remember feeling so joyful—ever ! I felt so unconditionally loved and accepted at that moment, I can’t describe it. That people from a foreign country would welcome and include me so freely touched me in ways I can’t describe. Me, pudgy and in western clothes, they in Saris or elaborate Punjabi dresses. Nothing mattered, at that moment we were all human beings dancing with joy. After a time, the music stopped and sweaty but content I made my way back to the stands. On the way up, a woman stopped me and said, “ I love your spirit”. I was close to tears. Others were ‘high-fiving’ me as well. When I returned to my spot, the whiners said nothing as I related my experience. One of the other girls told me later that she wished she had the boldness to have gone down to dance. I’m glad I followed my heart. It was an experience I will never forget.
By the time we got back to the hotel, we were all exhausted. Still, I was determined to see the Golden Temple lit up at night. We girls, minus the two whiners, went back to the temple. It was a sight to see and worth the effort. The glitter of the temple reflected over the water. It was magnificent. We didn’t stay long, just took some pictures, then left. When Anna and I got back to the room, I collapsed into a deep sleep.