“Sri Harmandir Sahib” also known, as the “Golden Temple” in Amritsar, India is the holiest shrine in Sikhism, thus it’s a major destination for Sikhs from all over the world, as well as a popular tourist attraction. The “Golden Temple” and the Sikh religion were created during a time when there was a strong caste system in India and thus low caste people had to suffer and live miserably. During this time the Mughals had invaded India and were forcefully converting Hindus into Islam. Thus the religion, Sikhism was created to fight off these foreign invaders who were forcefully converting people into their religion and to give equality to everyone regardless of caste, gender, wealth, etc. I visited this place with Matt, who is my friend from
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When we entered the Golden Temple complex he was blown away by the structure’s architectural beauty and just like every other tourist he quickly took out his camera and started taking pictures. On the other hand, when I first laid my eyes on the temple I quickly bowed down towards the sanctity in this enshrined place and in an instant I felt a spiritual connection develop inside of me. To enter the golden structure we had to walk in a clockwise direction around a large pool of water that is connected to a pathway made of marble to enter the building. As we were walking down the pathway he was enjoying the traditional music being projected in the entire complex, despite the fact that he didn’t understand a single word. He was just enjoying the sound of the different classical instruments being played. Whereas when I listened to the music I understood its meaning and I felt divinely touched and I never felt more connected to God than I was at this …show more content…
So I took a moment to explain to him that there were doors located at the North, South, West, and East sides of the complex. The reason that there are fours doors to enter the complex was to welcome everyone from all around the world to come to the Golden Temple regardless of their faith or status. Followed by this when we reached the marble complex connecting the pathway to the Golden Temple, I asked him if that pathway symbolized anything for him and he stated “no” and that it’s part of the architecture to make it look unique. Thus I explained to him that this pathway symbolizes the journey of the soul after death. Basically, it shows that regardless of which religion, caste, gender, or status we belong to, we all will be going down the same last journey. After visiting the temple, we went to the dining hall refereed to as “Guru-ka-langar” which has been serving free food to everyone twenty-four hours a day since it was built in 1601. Upon entering the dining hall, Matt was amused by the large number of volunteers preparing food to serve a larger number of people. Here he noticed that everyone sat on the ground and ate their food, but he didn’t think much of it. He was impressed by the fact that this place has been feeding people every since the establishment of the Golden Temple. My experience in
When we entered the Golden Temple complex he was blown away by the structure’s architectural beauty and just like every other tourist he quickly took out his camera and started taking pictures. On the other hand, when I first laid my eyes on the temple I quickly bowed down towards the sanctity in this enshrined place and in an instant I felt a spiritual connection develop inside of me. To enter the golden structure we had to walk in a clockwise direction around a large pool of water that is connected to a pathway made of marble to enter the building. As we were walking down the pathway he was enjoying the traditional music being projected in the entire complex, despite the fact that he didn’t understand a single word. He was just enjoying the sound of the different classical instruments being played. Whereas when I listened to the music I understood its meaning and I felt divinely touched and I never felt more connected to God than I was at this …show more content…
So I took a moment to explain to him that there were doors located at the North, South, West, and East sides of the complex. The reason that there are fours doors to enter the complex was to welcome everyone from all around the world to come to the Golden Temple regardless of their faith or status. Followed by this when we reached the marble complex connecting the pathway to the Golden Temple, I asked him if that pathway symbolized anything for him and he stated “no” and that it’s part of the architecture to make it look unique. Thus I explained to him that this pathway symbolizes the journey of the soul after death. Basically, it shows that regardless of which religion, caste, gender, or status we belong to, we all will be going down the same last journey. After visiting the temple, we went to the dining hall refereed to as “Guru-ka-langar” which has been serving free food to everyone twenty-four hours a day since it was built in 1601. Upon entering the dining hall, Matt was amused by the large number of volunteers preparing food to serve a larger number of people. Here he noticed that everyone sat on the ground and ate their food, but he didn’t think much of it. He was impressed by the fact that this place has been feeding people every since the establishment of the Golden Temple. My experience in