PHOTO GALLERY: The Golden Temple of Amritsar, India

2013/11/02

one of my photos of Golden Temple of Amritsar India

PHOTO GALLERY:

The Golden Temple of Amritsar, India

The famed Golden Temple of Amritsar is the Sikh religion’s most revered & holy temple. Sikhs welcome visitors of all faiths, genders and walks of life to come bask in the amazing glow and ambiance of their shining temple complex.

In fact, not only do they invite all people to visit, they also offer free vegetarian meals round the clock and a variety of accommodation, including free sleeping quarters for pilgrims. Foreign guests are treated to a private dormitory with Sikh guards on duty to prevent any locals from entering.

Sikh holy men at Golden Temple

The temple’s vast dining hall is said to be the world’s largest. It routinely serves 70,000-80,000 meals per day, topping 100,000 meals on weekends and holidays. Any time of day or night visitors can go to the dining hall to eat daal bhat, vegetables and chai tea.

The glorious Golden Temple was built in the late 1500s. After completion, musicians began performing inside the temple. That tradition has continued, non-stop ever since. For well over 400 years, the soothing sounds of sublime male vocals, tabla drums, sitar and Indian accordion have been filling the temple complex, creating an otherworldly ambiance.

Entirely covered in real gold, the main temple rests in the middle of a large pool of ‘holy’ water, referred to as the Pool of Nectar. From certain angles the temple appears to be floating on water.

Wide open-air marble walkways surround the pool. Pilgrims circle the holy water and gilded temple, enjoying its beauty from different vantage points.

The entire complex continuously changes color subtly throughout the day as sun rises, climbs through the sky then sets. At night, the temple glows luminously under strategically placed lighting.

This photo gallery presents 25 images of the sublime Golden Temple of Amritsar.

SEE PHOTOS OF GOLDEN TEMPLE

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