An evening in Golden Temple, Amritsar

I'm from Pune and I had a dream to see the breathtaking Golden temple once in my life time. So, we are a family of four planned a trip to Amritsar which could cover Golden Temple visit & Wagah Border. We flew to Delhi from Pune & then a connecting flight to Amritsar, which reached Amritsar around 9.15am on a sunny morning. We checked into our hotel, had our breakfast and visited Jallianwala Bagh, Durgiana Temple, Wagah Border Ceremony followed by Golden Temple for the day. Golden Temple Visit Religion or faith have no bar here. You could even be non-religious. Yet, the sanctity of Harmandir Sahib, popularly known as Golden Temple will touch your heart. It is located in the city of Amritsar in one of the northern states of India, Punjab.

The temple is located in the streets of a shopping area and there in the corner you can see the temple entrance. There is a huge "Chappal stand" provided to leave the devotees sandles, which is well maintained. The white tile below itself gives you the devotional feeling as well as the light Gurudwara music. Once you enter the temple, there you see the long path in the lake is the approach to the main temple. Inspite of round the clock devotees, discipline prevails with lots & lots devotees waiting for darshan. The Golden Temple is the most revered gurudwara for the Sikhs. Harmandir Sahib is its official name. But due to its the gold plated building, devotees lovingly refer to it as the Golden Temple. The main building of the Golden Temple is surrounded by a lake. People of all religions come here in huge numbers to offer prayers and take a dip in this supposedly holy lake.

We spent a wonderful evening at the Golden temple. Spent hours sitting by the lake on the sparkling clean floor, admiring the beautiful Golden Temple in front. We could just feel the devotion in the air. The best part is the Illumination of the golden temple which is done every evenings, this is a must watch. Temple is filled with beautiful yellow and blue lights. You can actually spend the entire night at the Golden Temple. Just get a sleeping mat and lie down on the marble around the holy lake and enjoy a blissful night.

The long wait in the queue to get inside the Golden Temple is totally worth it. Have patience as the queue slowly but steadily inches forward. Because The insides have to be seen to be believed. Photography isn't permitted inside. You have to store in your memory the beauty that accosts you. It is two floors of sheer brilliance.

The complete visit is still in front of my eyes if I remember even today. Such a devotional place it is. I wish everyone could visit this place. It's a celebration out there, the celebration of the higher, and without a care of worldly matters. I experienced it all, at sundown when the lights came up, at early morning prayer recitals, in the day when the sun lit up everything golden leaving me blinded, and underneath the rain clouds as I saw the skies turn incandescent. But there's a lot more to Amritsar, that could be seen on the next day.