The Golden is situated in Amritsar in Punjab, India. In the 14th century, Guru Nanak Dev Ji pained by the caste and creed system prevailing in the society founded a new religion called Sikhism which considered all human beings as one. The Golden Temple is one of the most revered places of worship for the Sikh community. Here people from all religions are welcome.
The main deity of worship is Gurugrantha Sahib or the Holy book of Sikhs. Paths leading to Gurudwara is very clean and paved with tiles. There are old colonial-style lamps in the middle of the road. It is surrounded by heritage buildings. Near the Gurudwara, there is a free bag counter where we can deposit our bags and get a token. It was surprising to see that the Sardarji in the shoe counter did not wear gloves. It was their way of proclaiming to the world that no one was untouchable.
We have to wash our feet with water before entering the sacred shrine. The temple is located in the middle of the manmade lake called Amrit Sarovar. The ground floor of the three-storey shrine is immersed in water.750 kg of gold is used to cover the Gurudwara. Thousands of believers visit the temple daily. It is a very beautiful temple.
One has to stand for long hours in a queue to enter inside the inner sanctum, you can see a long queue that is waiting to enter inside the inner sanctum. Around the lake, the path is laid with white marble. Carpet can be used to walk when the marble gets heated during noontime. Around the path, there are white buildings that hoses various offices related to Gurudwara. There is an entry from all four sides to Gurudwara. Anyone can enter at any time inside the temple. Every human is equal is what Sikhism advocates.
You can see guards with spears, They help in controlling the crowd. Near the Gurudwara is located langer or kitchen that provides free food for thousands of people who visit the Temple daily. Here hundreds of people engage in preparing food without taking any money. It is considered as Seva to the temple. Here you can see dough prepared from corn powder. This is flattened with hand and fried. This is the famous Makki ki roti of Punjabis
There is an option for 500 people to have food at a time. We have to sit on the floor to have our meal. Roti ( Chapati ) will be given in your hands only. Water is distributed with the help of a special supplier. We have to leave the dirty plates at a place which will be washed the people there. Washing the plates is also considered Seva.
Around the Gurudwara, many places distributed free drinking water. Utensils are washed in soapy water before reusing. Cleanliness is very important for Sikhs.
Golden temple is not a mere place to see, It is a place to experience the goodness of Sikhs. Golden Temple is one of the most famous temples among the Sikhs and others also. Many foreigners also come to visit this temple.