The morning after we arrived in Amritsar we set off after breakfast armed with Google Maps. I managed to get us completely lost as we strode through the narrow streets in the city centre, fortunately quiet at that time of day. By a stroke of luck we ended up approaching the Temple from a rear entrance. We left our shoes and socks with an attendant and then walked through a freezing foot bath after which I was given a lurid pink headscarf by a smiling Sikh, through and archway, down some steps and then wham, into the brilliant white and gold buildings of the temple complex under a beautiful blue sky.
Thousands of Sikhs and other visitors filled the complex and in the presence of so much devotion I felt both moved and insecure, unsure how to behave and react. We quickly found ourselves close to the queue for the Golden Temple itself and so shuffled along with the devout along the pier over the central lake or "tank", all the while the music and chanting coming from the Temple were relayed through a PA system.
In the end it was a relief to reach our goal, where a small group of musicians and holy men were played and chanting surrounded by the faithful. A couple of hours passed very quickly and by the time I was putting on my shoes and socks again I felt as though I'd been drawn in and then spat out by something. Reflecting on the experience, the fact that the Temple had been the centre of a bloody siege in 1984 in which thousands died had added to the intensity and been very much on my mind throughout the trip. Indira Gandhi had ordered the troops and paramilitaries in and as a result was assassinated by her own Sikh bodyguards not long after.
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