Amritsar

In the state of Punjab, Amritsar is predominantly a Sikh city and has the Golden Temple. Sikhism is another of India's many religions and historically, it's an offshoot of hinduism. It stems mainly from the teachings of Guru Nanak.

Sikhs follow a disciplined way of life...they don't cut their hair and wear turbans. There are 5 things that a Sikh must wear at all times:

1. a special Sikh comb


2. special Sikh underwear


3. an iron bracelet


4. a dagger


5. not sure about the 5th thing...I think that they shouldn't cut their hair

In theory, Sikhism is a very inclusive and tolerant religion. Like many other faiths, extremism can take hold and the result is some violence.

We went to the Golden Temple in the evening to see the holy book get put away for the night. It's a very involved ritualistic process that is neat to see. The temple it self really is golden...it's covered with cold leaf. The rest of the complex is made of white marbel. There is also a pool that surrounds the temple and people bathe in it as a purification thing.

Amritsar itself was pretty busy when we were there...the were celebrating the birthday of Guru Nanak...I was pertty beat so I sat and watched the start of Australia and the West Indies cricket semi-final match. In my time in India, I've learned to like watching cricket...it's an interesting game and somehow I end up watching for a few hours at a time.

Amritsar was the last stop on the tour...we rode yet another overnight train back to Delhi.