THE LAKE OF THE NECTAR OF IMMORTALITY
Inner Peace
In India, I often feel like I don't have a moment to myself. Privacy and personal space are often very limited, especially in the cities. Even in the countryside, there are large crowds and almost constant noise. Therefore, I was surprised to experience such inner peace and relaxation at the Golden Temple in Amritsar, where up to a hundred thousand pilgrims travel daily.
The Breadbasket of India
Amritsar is the capital of the state of Punjab, often referred to as the “bread basket of India." In the endless plains, cereals, rice, sugarcane, fruits, and vegetables are grown. The area is one of the most fertile places on Earth.
Four Gates
Amritsar translates to "Lake of the Nectar of Immortality." The Golden Temple itself is located on an island in an artificial square-shaped lake, with wide marble walkways and expansive complexes of white stone buildings and gardens lining its shores. The Golden Temple is a sacred place for the Sikh religion. The complex is accessible through four identical gates, symbolizing the openness of this religion—everyone, from all corners of the world, is welcome.
Calm Meditation
To enter, I buy an orange head covering, which is required, and leave my shoes in the designated shoe rack at the entrance. Along with thousands of other pilgrims, I walk barefoot on a carpet that stretches all the way to the Golden Temple. The women and men around me smile, walk silently, and concentrate on their path. It's nine in the evening, and the men hide their long hair under turbans, their faces covered with long beards. They mostly wear long kurtas, iron bracelets, and some carry daggers at their waists. The women predominantly wear saris, and their hair is covered with scarves. Inside the Golden Temple, the Guru is reading aloud from large scrolls, while pilgrims quietly circle around, listen, sit, and meditate. The holy book of Sikhism, for example, says: "There is no place in the world like this." "Pride in one's social status is empty; pride in your personal glory is futile."
Everyone is Equal
The sacred silence, along with the soft murmur of tens of thousands of people, is suddenly interrupted by the clinking of metal. I follow this sound and, beyond another gate, am handed a metal tray. I feel like I'm in an ant colony, but I am in a huge dining hall, sitting on the ground next to others. It's estimated that around one hundred people are eating at once. Volunteers walk between us, serving lentils, rice, flatbreads, sweet porridge, and pouring water from large containers. I slowly eat my portion, absorbing both the noise and the surprising calm. The kitchen and dining hall operate 24 hours a day, and pilgrims take turns washing dishes and preparing food. "Here, the same portion is served to a woman, a man, a rich person, a poor one, a master, and a servant. Everyone sits next to each other and is equal, but it's only here that some of us often realize this," explains the philosophy of Sikhism to me by a pilgrim named Amit.
Clean Lake
The Golden Temple began construction in 1581 and operates on donations from pilgrims, the local community, and the foreign diaspora. It's said that up to two million dollars are collected monthly. The history here is fully intertwined with the most modern technology. The entire temple complex is under surveillance, and in the upper floors of the white buildings, there is a modern dispatch center. Uniformed helpers walk among the people. The lake, where tens of thousands of people bathe daily, is constantly cleaned by enormous purification systems.
Chaos from the Street
It's a little after midnight, and some pilgrims have already fallen asleep under the porticos or in the park, while others head toward the Golden Temple. The cycle has no end. I make my way to a nearby hotel. The city center around the temple is pedestrian-only—no rickshaws are even allowed here. A few streets away, the next morning, I am overwhelmed by the endless traffic chaos—honking, shouting people. The contrast with my experience at the Golden Temple couldn’t be more apparent
