Namaste,
During our easter break we made a getaway to the beautiful Amritsar with the main purpose of spending some quality time at the infamous Golden Temple and to view some sweet nationalism at the India/Pakistan border closure.
Straight after the school day ended we jumped on a taxi to go catch our overnight train from Dehradun. The train was simply fantastic. This was our first time going first class (non ac) which so happens to be cheap and extremely awesome. With four beds, four people, a locking door and open windows what more could one want! I spent hours on end just staring in awe out the window watching India function in its organised yet chaotic state. I could never get bored of sitting outside of the craziness and just witnessing how people live on a day to day basis here in India.
On arrival we were all very tired.... After a hard time finding a good cheap place to stay we finally came across a nice lil place that overlooked one of the busiest streets in Amritsar. Noisey yes... But once again a place to sit and just witness the street life.
The 'Golden Temple' was everything and more than we expected. It would be to hard to describe in words the beauty and aura that the place has. It is the most important and holy place to the sikh people and I can see why. The whole area is immaculate and the feelings of peace and tranquilty you feel inside the temples walls is unmatched. its so hard to fathom the importance and the history of this special place. We spent long moments just 'being' and soaking in the gorgeous punjab music drifting in the airways while watching the sun set and the marble become cool beneath our bodies. Definately an experience that will never be forgotten. We found the warm smiles, the friendly community found within the temple and the incredible galleries showing the history of the temple and the sikh people extremely moving. The history of the place is so huge and extremely interesting. Although it was very emotionally draining at timesdue to the amount of lives lost to the british and other relegious groups for such unjust reasons.
Here are some photos of the 'Golden Temple'... Although photos never do justice to such incredible places like this!
We also really enjoyed visiting the Sri Durgiana temple which was kind of a Hindu knock off version of the Golden Temple. Very similar structure but no way near as beautiful. Although the early morning rickshaw ride, the live music and beautiful solid silver doors with intricate designs of Hindu gods carved into them made it well worth the visit.
On our final evening in Amritsar we set out to witness the infamous border closure between Pakistan and India. I have never seen such a ridiculous yet entertaining form of nationalism. Every night they have a huge ceremony which attracts hundreds of people to come and cheer on there country all over the closing of th border each night. The area kind of looks like the set up for a big sports tournament. On the Indian side you can see people running the flag down the middle of the road and loud chants are being screamed out from the bleachers. "Hindustan, Hindustan, Hindustan"! There is also a loud and obnoxious girls only dance party that takes place to celebrate this wonderful event when the two countries are seperated for the night. This is only then to be drowned out by the Pakistan side yelling out and parading there flags on the other side of the border. Finally a trumpet is blown and the ceremony begins.... Out come the tremendous costumes including wonderful peacock hats. Both sides have a routine that is perfectly synchronised and well practiced. This includes some ridiculous marching, stamping the ground so hard that you think there legs have broken and of course virtually kicking themselves in the face in signs of angst. Finally both parties reach the gate and there is a quick handshake between the two countries that you would miss if you blinked your eyes. The flags are then lowered at the same time while both sides of the border go wild. The gates are then slammed at full speed as the police march back to their little huts. LONG LIVE HINDUSTAN!
Thanks for reading!!!
During our easter break we made a getaway to the beautiful Amritsar with the main purpose of spending some quality time at the infamous Golden Temple and to view some sweet nationalism at the India/Pakistan border closure.
Straight after the school day ended we jumped on a taxi to go catch our overnight train from Dehradun. The train was simply fantastic. This was our first time going first class (non ac) which so happens to be cheap and extremely awesome. With four beds, four people, a locking door and open windows what more could one want! I spent hours on end just staring in awe out the window watching India function in its organised yet chaotic state. I could never get bored of sitting outside of the craziness and just witnessing how people live on a day to day basis here in India.
On arrival we were all very tired.... After a hard time finding a good cheap place to stay we finally came across a nice lil place that overlooked one of the busiest streets in Amritsar. Noisey yes... But once again a place to sit and just witness the street life.
The 'Golden Temple' was everything and more than we expected. It would be to hard to describe in words the beauty and aura that the place has. It is the most important and holy place to the sikh people and I can see why. The whole area is immaculate and the feelings of peace and tranquilty you feel inside the temples walls is unmatched. its so hard to fathom the importance and the history of this special place. We spent long moments just 'being' and soaking in the gorgeous punjab music drifting in the airways while watching the sun set and the marble become cool beneath our bodies. Definately an experience that will never be forgotten. We found the warm smiles, the friendly community found within the temple and the incredible galleries showing the history of the temple and the sikh people extremely moving. The history of the place is so huge and extremely interesting. Although it was very emotionally draining at timesdue to the amount of lives lost to the british and other relegious groups for such unjust reasons.
Here are some photos of the 'Golden Temple'... Although photos never do justice to such incredible places like this!
We also really enjoyed visiting the Sri Durgiana temple which was kind of a Hindu knock off version of the Golden Temple. Very similar structure but no way near as beautiful. Although the early morning rickshaw ride, the live music and beautiful solid silver doors with intricate designs of Hindu gods carved into them made it well worth the visit.
On our final evening in Amritsar we set out to witness the infamous border closure between Pakistan and India. I have never seen such a ridiculous yet entertaining form of nationalism. Every night they have a huge ceremony which attracts hundreds of people to come and cheer on there country all over the closing of th border each night. The area kind of looks like the set up for a big sports tournament. On the Indian side you can see people running the flag down the middle of the road and loud chants are being screamed out from the bleachers. "Hindustan, Hindustan, Hindustan"! There is also a loud and obnoxious girls only dance party that takes place to celebrate this wonderful event when the two countries are seperated for the night. This is only then to be drowned out by the Pakistan side yelling out and parading there flags on the other side of the border. Finally a trumpet is blown and the ceremony begins.... Out come the tremendous costumes including wonderful peacock hats. Both sides have a routine that is perfectly synchronised and well practiced. This includes some ridiculous marching, stamping the ground so hard that you think there legs have broken and of course virtually kicking themselves in the face in signs of angst. Finally both parties reach the gate and there is a quick handshake between the two countries that you would miss if you blinked your eyes. The flags are then lowered at the same time while both sides of the border go wild. The gates are then slammed at full speed as the police march back to their little huts. LONG LIVE HINDUSTAN!
