Punjab is one of India’s 29 states, and Amritsar is the second largest city in Punjab. The state of Punjab, with a total population of 27 million people, is the central headquarters of the Sikh faith, the 9th largest world religion.
There are 24 million Sikhs in the world, and 22 million of them live in Punjab. The largest concentration of Sikhs outside of India, is in Canada, numbering over 600,000, and the two major centres are in the Vancouver suburb of Surrey, BC (over 40% of the population) and in Brampton, Ontario. By religion, Punjab is close to 60% Sikh, just under 40% Hindu, 2% Muslim and 1% Christian, plus insignificant numbers of other religions.
I actually went over to one of them and asked how it would be possible to allow daggers into the airport. He said that since it is a vital part of their religion, if it is below a specified size, it is permitted.
There were thousands of people entering the temple and this goes on 24 hours a day all year.
Amritsar is a city of over one million people and there are two major tourist attractions in the area. One is the famous Sikh Golden Temple and the other is the daily changing of the guard and lowering of the flags at the nearby Indian - Pakistani border.
Before leaving the airport, we noticed a number of local turbaned Sikh men, all wearing daggers on their belt. It was kind of shocking. I have had nail clippers confiscated at airport security. I had three security people at the Rome airport discuss at length whether a very blunt jam spreader with a Venitian Murano glass handle found in my carry on luggage was considered a weapon (it was a gift for my mother and they eventually permitted me to take it on board). And here were many people walking around with daggers.
I actually went over to one of them and asked how it would be possible to allow daggers into the airport. He said that since it is a vital part of their religion, if it is below a specified size, it is permitted.
The dagger is called a “kirpan” and is one of the 5 k’s of Sikhism, which Sikh men are required to wear at all times: Kesh (uncut hair), Kangha (a wooden comb for the hair), Kara (an iron bracelet), Kachera (100% cotton tieable undergarment) and Kirpan (an iron dagger large enough to defend yourself).
The Five Ks are not just symbols, but articles of faith that collectively form the external identity of the Sikh.
I wonder how this would play out at any Canadian airport, if I would walk thru with a dagger claiming that I was Sikh, or is this only here in the heart of Sikhism, in Amitsar? When I googled it, I discovered that on domestic flights in India, a “kirpan” or ceremonial knife can be carried on board as long as the blade is less than two and a half inches in length (6 cm).
But then I was kind of shocked to discover that as of November 2017, the kirpan is permitted on domestic Canadian flights and International flights to places other than the USA, as we have adopted the same 6 cm. rule as well. No nail clippers, but a 6 cm. dagger?
On arrival, there was the ever present local guide holding a welcome sign with the words “India Kosher Travel” and the ever present SUV with our driver.
We headed into town to our hotel, the Holiday Inn. On the drive there, we immediately noticed a number of differences between this area and other areas we had visited in India.
While there was clearly a need for some infrastructure improvement here as well, it appeared that they were doing something about it. There were clearly delineated streets, with sidewalks and curbs. There were residential areas with neatly arranged homes and apartments. There was construction going on. And the farm fields that we passed from the airport to town were neatly arranged and very green. There were few cows around, and the few we saw, were in fields and in farm corrals. The majority of men here were wearing turbans of various colours but of the same style of turban wrapping (there are definitely regional differences in the way Indian men wrap their turbans). Nearly all the men had amazing facial hair, well kept beards and moustaches.
As I indicated above, the major attraction here in Amritsar is the Golden Temple and we had no idea whether Sikhism was a monotheistic religion and whether visiting the temple would present any problems to us. We had always thought of Sikhism as a branch of Hinduism, which would render visiting the temple as forbidden to us. But once we researched the subject, we discovered that it is very different from Hinduism, and when we asked the fellow from Chabad who organized our trip, he in fact confirmed that most of the religious Jews that come to India, do visit the Golden Temple, based on the fact that Sikhism is a monotheistic religion that forbids idol worship of any sort.
A little while after checking into the hotel our meals arrived from Chabad of Delhi. We explained our needs to the chef and once again, he was very eager to help. As we had experienced at a couple of hotels along our journey, he assigned a member of his staff, Rajneesh, to be our point person for all our meals. Rajneesh would go into the kitchen, bring out our meals in their plastic double wrapped containers and ask us which of these we would like to have warmed up in the microwave.
We explained to the kitchen staff in each of the hotels, the need to keep the Saran Wrap on the container during the microwaving, as you need a double wrap to ensure its kashrut. Rajneesh would remove all the dishes and table setting and then set our table with the Chabad supplied paper plates and plastic cutlery. It was great to have the same person at each meal in this hotel, which saved us having to re-explain our kosher laws and customs.
Our guide returned with the driver to take us to the Golden Temple for a view of the proceedings at night and their ceremony of their “Golden Ark”.
We drove thru the city and again noticed that it was much neater and better laid out than the cities previously visited. We then drove thru a very run down industrial area and pulled into a dark parking lot. We parked and emerged from the parking area into what looked like a modern, beautifully maintained wide promenade of streets and store fronts. Proper storefronts facing the streets with apartments and hotels on the floors above them. Everything was clean and pristine; there was no garbage in the streets; the area was dust free; it was like you went from chaos and unkempt streets and stores, to a Disneyland atmosphere, in the space of a couple of blocks. Everything was brightly lit, there was no vehicular traffic allowed and the place was teeming with people, all headed in the direction of the Golden Temple.
Our guide had warned us to dress with modesty, and had told Fran to wear leggings or trousers or a long skirt to cover her legs. He also told her that when entering the Temple area, her hair would have to be covered. I jokingly asked him whether her shaitel (wig) would do and he replied “no”. He told me that my hair would also have to be covered and my kippah would not be sufficient a covering. And so we bought two thin material “tichels” or bandanas that we would put on when entering the area. He said that we would have to enter barefoot, no shoes or socks allowed. Not even pantyhose for women.
There were thousands of people entering the temple and this goes on 24 hours a day all year.
The temple is managed by a charitable trust that collects donations to maintain the area. There is no fee to enter and no outward appeal to leave a donation. There are charity boxes at specific locations where one can make a contribution. Most of the people working at the temple are volunteers.
The Golden Temple is the centre of the Sikh religion. And as we had been told at a number of locations in India about the Hindus need to visit the Ganges, or another specific temple, at least once in their lifetime, we were again told this at the Golden Temple. A follower of the Sikh religion would have to visit here at least once in their lifetime, and so there are many pilgrims.
The temple is situated on a man made large pond, connected to the edge of the pond by a causeway. Whether you visit by day or night, it is a dramatic sight to behold, although we thought that at night, brightly lit up, with its colourful reflection in the still waters of the pond, the sight is amazing. Around the perimeter of the pond are many buildings which house the Sikh administrative offices, treasury and museums, as well as the headquarters of the main political party of the State of Punjab.
In addition, there is a massive kitchen and eating area, which will be explained in detail below.
The area was designated as a holy site by a Sikh Guru in the 1500s. Over the next couple of centuries, the entire temple area took form with the construction of the pond, the Temple and the surrounding buildings. In the 1700s, there were a number of conflicts between the Sikhs and the Mughal Empire. There were incidents where Sikhs were barred from praying in the temple, where the pond was emptied and filled with sand, where carcasses and entrails of slaughtered animals were brought into the temple, where the sanctity of the temple was defiled by its conversion into an entertainment centre with dancing girls, and finally in 1762, when the temple was blown up with gunpowder.
In 1764, money was collected to rebuild the structure and over the next 5 decades the current structure of marble and gold took shape. There is 750 kgs of gold in the structure which has a dollar equivalent at today’s prices of $32 million.
There are four gates by which one can enter the courtyard, indicating the Sikh principle of welcoming all people and all religions equally. Sikh pilgrims consider the entire complex holy and therefore many were prostrating themselves flat on the ground or on their knees, as they entered the area. The waters are considered holy as well, and many would immerse themselves in the water or fill bottles with the water to transport home with them. There were special “tzniut” (modest) tent enclosures, where women could immerse themselves in privacy.
The central Sikh belief is their holy scripture, which they regard as their “guru” or guide to living. It is called Guru Granth Sahib, has 1430 pages and is divided into 39 chapters. All copies are exactly alike. The Sikhs are forbidden from making any changes to the text within this scripture. It was compiled by the fifth guru of the Sikhs, was started in 1601 and finished in 1604.
Before entering the courtyard, there is an area with benches where you can remove your shoes and leave them in the supervised shoe check area. You then go to the hand washing stations and proceed to walk thru a shallow water filled trough which constitutes the requirement to wash your feet before entering thru one of the four gates.
The sight, as you emerge from the gate, is very dramatic. The temple all covered in gold and reflecting on the calm waters of the surrounding pond. The other buildings are painted in various colours and are also beautiful as they reflect on the waters of the pond. The entire area is pristine and well maintained. It is also well supervised by hundreds of volunteers. There are fresh water stations, where volunteers hand out metal cups of water. Beside these stations are areas where other volunteers meticulously clean the used cups and prepare them for the next wave of visitors.
Our guide took us to the area where the elders were preparing the golden ark for its nightly pickup of the holy scripture. The ark was an ornate gold covered open carriage with poles on either side to allow it to be carried on the shoulders of four men. The open area had beautiful and colourful cushions where the scripture would rest while in transit. To the right of the temple was a building that housed the resting area of the scripture.
Every morning at daybreak, there is a ceremonial carrying of the scripture from its resting area into the temple and every evening, the golden ark would be carried into the temple to carry the scripture back to its resting place. There is a lengthy and elaborate ceremony of draping the ark with garlands of fresh flowers, each morning and evening.
There were thousands of people gathered to witness the evening ceremony and after the ark was on its way into the temple, we left and returned to our hotel for dinner and a well deserved rest.
In the late morning, we were picked up for our second visit to the temple, this time to see the kitchen and the daily preparation of meals for its visitors.
On the way, we passed by signs welcoming PM Justin and Sophie Trudeau who were due to arrive in Amritsar the next morning. And when we arrived at the temple area, the Temple Guards and local military and police were going thru a dress rehearsal for the grand welcome. I took the opportunity of posing with the guards.
One of the principles of Sikhism is the equality of all mankind. And to demonstrate that concept, the free kitchen or “langar” was started by the first Sikh Guru, Guru Nanak, where meals are served, the same meal to everyone, with everyone seated together, on the floor, at the same level (with no one “above”anyone else), with no divisions between sexes, race, colour, age, creed, religion, status, or financial standing.
This was a revolutionary concept in the caste ordered society of 16th century India where Sikhism began.
In addition to the ideals of equality, the tradition of langar expresses the ethics of sharing, community, inclusiveness and oneness of all humankind.
What is most remarkable is that on a normal day, like the one when we visited, approximately 40,000 meals are served; on a festival, 100,000 meals are served. This is all made possible through donations and volunteers.
Our tour today took us through the area where visitors lined up to receive their metal plates and cutlery (no disposables are used, as this would be costly and wasteful), the eating area (there are two areas, each capable of seating 5000 visitors at a time), the bakery (where flour grinders can process 12000 kgs of flour a day and the automatic roti machine can produce 25000 an hour), the food preparation area where volunteers are peeling vegetables and hand rolling rotis, the cooking area (where huge vats are cooking rice, lentils and soups, and where the contents of these vats are stirred with boat oars), and the washing area (where the reusable dishes and cutlery are each washed five times to ensure cleanliness).
At every stage, there are quality control personnel, to ensure the consistency of cleanliness and product.
And to ensure that everyone can eat, regardless of dietary restrictions, a traditional vegetarian meal of lentils, rice, vegetables and roti is served. It would be interesting to bring in a kashrut expert to analyze what kashrut issues, if any, are present for the kosher visitor.
This was a remarkable feat, to set up a free kitchen that would feed at least 40000 meals a day, every day, all year!
In the afternoon, we travelled 40 minutes west to the India - Pakistan border to watch the famous daily ceremony of the changing of the guard and the lowering of the flags.
Relations between India and Pakistan have been complex and largely hostile since British rule ended in 1947 and the formation of two new sovereign nations, the Dominion of India and the Dominion of Pakistan. India is a secular nation with a Hindu majority and Muslim minority, while Pakistan was originally a secular nation with a Muslim majority, later turning into an Islamic Republic. The partition literally split Punjab in half with Lahore on the Pakistani side and Amritsar on the Indian side, both about 30 kms. from the border.
Despite this tense relationship, both countries come together every sundown to produce a zealous, passionate ceremony that marks the nightly closing of the border.
After the uneventful drive to the border, we entered a large parking area, and then proceeded to walk the 1 kilometre to the security checkpoint, where men and women split into two lines, presented passports and were frisked before being allowed to enter the area where the ceremony would be held.
There were hundreds of transport trucks and tractor trailers parked in the area, which reminded us that we were at the only active legal border crossing between India and Pakistan, where goods are transported daily in either direction.
Grandstands capable of seating 10000 people lined both sides of the Indian side of the street with separate specific areas designated for special guests and VIPs, for foreigners like us and for Indian nationals.
Less than 50m away from where we were seated, the border fence and Pakistan’s grandstands were clearly visible. While our side had mixed seating, on the Pakistani side, everyone was separated by sex.
Clad in a white tracksuit, our MC for the evening, who was clearly there to warm up the crowd and build audience participation into a frenzy of pro Indian excitement, encouraged shouts of "Hindustan Zindabad!” (long live India!) from our side of the border, while echoes of "Pakistan!" could be heard coming back from across the gate.
It was hard to remember that we were literally toeing the line between two countries that have a tumultuous and violent relationship.
After a couple of performances by singing groups and dance troupes to warm up the audience, the ceremony began. The stadium on our side had filled to about 75%, an estimated crowd of 7000 people.
And then the ceremony began. The Indian border guards in their official khaki uniforms, wearing tall red-fanned hats that resembled the plumage of an exotic bird, gathered in official formation in the centre of the stadium floor. A serious looking guard stepped up to the microphone, let out a long bellowing yell that was echoed from the other side. He was in direct competition with his Pakistani counterpart. Two men from two different countries, less than 100m apart, were participating in a good old-fashioned scream-off.
When our guard completed his call to attention, he briskly marched down the lane towards Pakistan, with well rehearsed stomps and kicks, and upon nearing the border fence, would complete his march with a high kick, a menacing glare and arm and fist movements, and chest beating, designed to send the message that we, India, are stronger and we are in command. If you would glance over to the other side, you would see the almost identical manoeuvres and performances by the Pakistani troops.
What followed were a series of these shows with two men, two women, soldiers with machine guns, with dogs, etc. and with each march, the MC would whip the crowd into a deafening frenzy to show those guys on the other side of the border exactly who was boss!
And then it was over!
The brief nightly 45 minute show came to an abrupt end when each nation’s flag was lowered at precisely the same time, a quick handshake between the two head guards and the gates slammed shut.
This happens every night. Thousands of people travel from each side of the border for a brief ceremony, and when it ends and you begin your 15 minute walk back to your car or bus, an entire market has been suddenly erected on both sides of the highway to try and entice you to buy a souvenir or trinket to remember your participation in this unique and rather strange display of border superiority.
While these two countries have had a long and conflicted relationship, it is ironic to see that for a brief moment every night they are somewhat united by the closing of gates and lowering of flags.
We drove back to our hotel and packed for our flight back to Delhi on Wednesday afternoon.
When we arrived in Delhi, our driver was there and we were escorted to the Holiday Inn in Aero City, about one km. from the International Airport. India Kosher Travel had wisely recommended, that rather than hang out at the airport awaiting our 1 AM departure for Toronto, that we should check into the hotel, relax and unwind and that they would send us our Chabad meal to the hotel and that well rested, we could make our way to the airport in time for our flight home.
Aero City is a huge complex of dozens of hotels, and in the centre of all these buildings, lies a newly completed shopping area, where travelers like us, in transit, can pass the time in a relaxed atmosphere, catch a meal and perhaps do some last minute shopping. The Holiday Inn was a very nice and busy hotel.
Well, we have completed three weeks in India. A nation of extremes. And a nation of extremely friendly people.
We will be posting once more with our overall impressions. This was perhaps the most unique destination that we have ever visited, in terms of the cultural and societal differences, and it took us a few days to absorb the initial shock....but more on that when we post our observations.
Thanks for listening....
All the best
Fran and David
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