Amritsar, Punjab

After Agra, we hopped on an overnight train to Amritsar in the Punjab Region. Amritsar is home to the famed "Golden Temple," the most important site in the world for the Sikh religion. Supposedly, the shrine attracts more visitors than the Taj Mahal - over 100,000 on a weekday alone!

We were only spending a single night in Amritsar, so as soon as we arrived we headed to see the temple but stopped on the way at the Jallianwala Bagh public garden. The gardens were the sight of a massacre in 1919 when British soldiers opened fire, without warning, on a group of unarmed men, women, and children who had gathered in the park to protest the Rowlatt Act (which indefinitely extended 'emergency measures' enacted during the First World War to control public unrest). Official sources at the time estimated the fatalities to be 379, with 1,100 wounded. Numbers quoted by the Indian National Congress estimated approximately 1,000 killed. Others place the death toll above 1,500. The park is a moving memorial to those who were killed. It includes an eternal flame, many of the original walls pock-marked with bullet holes, and a well into which hundreds of people jumped to their death in order to escape the gunfire.

On a lighter note, in the park we also had our worst photograph-the-white-people experience to date. It was absolutely nonstop. Throughout India, people taking your picture for no apparent reason in commonplace. No doubt it's harmless, but after a while it can become a seriously infuriating. This time we were followed around by people with their mobile phones at the ready to snap a photo:

After visiting the park, we headed over to the massive Golden Temple complex, which dominates Amritsar's skyline.

Upon entering the temple, you have to check your shoes and walk barefoot through pools to wash your feet.

The temple, which was completed in 1604, is surrounded by a large lake of holy water in which people bathe. As in all Sikh temples, the Golden Temple is open to all persons regardless of their religion, color, creed, or sex. There is a communal kitchen where anyone can take a free meal and accommodation for pilgrims that is practically free. Inside, the Sikh holy book is being read and broadcast over loud speakers across the complex. We went inside the main temple, but photos aren't allowed, so you will have to settle for some views from across the lake.

After spending the afternoon at the India-Pakistan border closing ceremony (next blog post), we returned to the temple again to get a glimpse of it at night.