The Golden Temple

It is easy to suffer from temple fatigue in India, regardless of how amazing they are, (and they are incredible, whether they are Jain or Hindu Temples, mosques or Brahma Temples). However, the Sikh Golden Temple in Amritsar (Punjab) restores the faith. It is a glorious gold edifice sitting in sparkling water in a fabulous courtyard. Officially known as The Harmandir Sahib (The abode of God), on entry, one must don some headgear (a bandana works fine) and relinquish footwear as a sign of respect, before setting off to explore this exquisite jewel.

One of the joys of this magnificent complex is not only the splendidness of the temple itself but the ethos and joy of those at work here, it is a fully functioning kitchen serving extremely tasty, and free meals to all and sundry, no matter what colour, creed or caste. The community kitchen is made possible through an immense and dazzling array of volunteers and all eat together, all on the floor and all as equals. It really is an overwhelmingly lovely display of selflessness and harmony. Impressive in it’s constancy, the kitchen can and does serve around 40,000 people per day. That involves some mighty dishwashing.

Anton is your go-to guy for temples in India. Email him to get the details.