The Golden Temple in Amritsar, India, has hundreds of years of history. It is one of the holy places of Buddhist civilization, with a very rich religious historical value and cultural atmosphere, as well as many ancient rituals and ceremonies, especially the free banquet for 10,000 people. Here is a travel guide to the Golden Temple in Amritsar, India.
Is there really a free lunch in the world?
If you were asked to name a landmark in India, I believe many people's first impression would be the Taj Mahal. But in fact, there is such a pearl in India, which has more visitors than the Taj Mahal, provides you with free meals, accommodation, and purifies your soul. How can you miss this good place?
It is the Golden Temple, located in Amritsar, Punjab, a holy place for Sikhs in India. It is the most expensive, cleanest and most generous temple I have ever visited.
Most expensive:
The Golden Temple, located in the center of the holy lake, was built in 1604. It was made of 750 kilograms of gold and is gilded all over. It is extremely spectacular. Its reflection in the sparkling water makes it look more dignified and majestic. During the four days in Amritsar, I came here every day and visited it several times a day. I never got tired of its beauty.
Golden Temple in the morning, evening and night
Cleanest:
Everyone must take off their shoes, wash their hands and feet, and cover their heads before entering the temple to keep it clean. Every day, volunteers clean the temple. They bend down and polish every place respectfully, leaving no trace of dust.
The children also participated in the cleaning
Most generous:
The Golden Temple provides 24-hour free food, bathing and accommodation to pilgrims, wanderers and backpackers from all over the world. After experiencing the light of communism, I instantly felt that I had no regrets in my life.
The world's largest free canteen (Langar) is a major feature of my trip. Sikhism believes that people must be full to pursue spiritual beliefs, so a 24-hour canteen was built to provide unlimited meals and welcome pilgrims of different religions, skin colors, and nationalities. About 50,000 people eat here every day, and the number doubles on holidays. The canteen consumes an astonishing amount of food every day: 12,000 kilograms of flour, 1,500 kilograms of rice, and 2,000 kilograms of vegetables.
Everyone, just follow my video and find out.
Amritsar Golden Temple: The world's largest free canteen_Tencent Video
When I walked to the entrance of the canteen, volunteers lined up to distribute tableware, and I followed the huge crowd into the canteen. People ate in batches, and the first floor could accommodate 5,000 people at the same time. When there were many people, you had to wait for 10 minutes before entering the hall.
After everyone was seated, the old man led everyone in prayer, and volunteers distributed food in an orderly manner.
About 500 years ago, the caste system deeply bound every aspect of India. It affected people's beliefs, occupations, marriages, and also determined what people could eat and who they could eat with. Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism, revolutionized the idea that everyone is equal, so he created such a canteen where everyone, regardless of their status, Sikhism, Hinduism, or Islam, could sit together on the floor and enjoy the same food equally.
This view is very progressive even today.
The food in the cafeteria is very simple, but clean, nutritious and delicious. The pure vegetarian food here also meets the needs of different religions. The daily meals here are basically dal soup, vegetable curry, pancakes and milk pudding. You must try milk pudding (Kheer) when you come here. This sticky milk porridge is so delicious that it is bursting with flavor.
Afterwards, volunteers will come over again and again to see if you need more food or dishes to ensure that everyone has enough to eat.
Because there are still many people waiting to eat, people never drag their feet when eating, and leave quietly after eating to give their seats to the next person. Each round of eating takes about 10-15 minutes.
After leaving the restaurant, we came to the plate recycling area, where the volunteers were mostly elderly people. When I handed them the plates, they would clasp their hands together devoutly to express their gratitude. At that moment, I was moved by their simplicity. It was obviously me who should say thank you.
In order to explore this magical canteen, I visited the kitchen several days in a row. I found that all the kitchen utensils here were surprisingly large. The diameter of a pot was so large that two people might not be able to hug it. I approached a burning iron pot and my feet were already burning. The old man was very friendly and pulled a mat for me, washed the big spoon, and let me stand on it to satisfy my cooking desire. This is really a strenuous job. Seeing the old man calm and relaxed, I can't even turn around a circle myself.
Huge servings of fruit and vegetables
This big pot can cook 700 kilograms of dal at a time!
The modern Roti Machine here is also worth mentioning. It can make 25,000 roti in an hour!
When I walked to the dishwashing area, I was even more surprised at the high level of teamwork. The dishes were washed three times in turn and rinsed twice. The cleaning standard was really conscientious. I kept listening to the clatter of pots and pans and watching the volunteers' hands never stopping. I couldn't help but sigh, with such order and efficiency, are they from the army?!
Volunteer dishwashing
After being nourished by the canteen for four days, I have been thinking about how the canteen can maintain its free operation. The reason is very simple, one is donations, and the other is volunteers.
Sikhs are known as the most hardworking and brave people in India. Their most obvious characteristic is that they never cut their hair (because the perfect God created perfect people, and they just need to maintain their natural beauty). They wrap their hair with colorful turbans and have the last name Singh, which means lion. Cantonese people like to call them "Baotouxing". Sikhs are smart and honest in business, so they are relatively wealthy. Walking on the clean streets of Amritsar, I can feel the strength of this city to some extent. The Golden Temple is their spiritual home, and many believers will donate 10% of their annual income to the temple to maintain its astronomical expenses.
Amritsar is full of handsome grandfathers with long beards
Secondly, Sikhism places great emphasis on the spirit of dedication (Sewa, selfless servant). Believers contribute money and labor, and very few people come simply to eat and drink. Therefore, the Golden Temple canteen has only more than 300 full-time employees, and the remaining 90% are volunteers. Some people serve for a few hours, some come every day, some are elderly, and some are children. Everyone feels that labor is necessary. From mopping the floor, patrolling, distributing dishes, cutting vegetables, cooking to looking after luggage, volunteers are everywhere. And their attitude is also very touching. Every time I hand them shoes and dishes, they put their hands together and smile. I think the volunteers here have not received systematic training, but they have managed the entire temple in an orderly manner. To a large extent, it is because they sincerely give themselves to God to serve all living beings. An old volunteer even said, "As long as I can stand for a day, I will serve for a day."
As long as you are willing, as a tourist you can join the volunteer team at any time and contribute a little bit of your strength.
Women peeling garlic
Is there anything else free at the Golden Temple?
1. Free shuttle bus from the railway station to the Golden Temple, 20 minutes drive.
2. 24-hour free luggage storage. Haven't checked in yet but have a lot of luggage? You can drop off your luggage here and walk around freely.
3. Free accommodation. Many Indians sleep on the ground inside and outside the Golden Temple. Not far to the southwest of the Golden Temple, there is a large courtyard that provides free accommodation. There is also a special accommodation area for foreigners, and there are uncles guarding the door all day, which gives you a sense of security. There are public bathrooms and several rooms inside, which can accommodate more than 30 backpackers. The conditions here are very ordinary, but it is still an interesting experience. Where else can you get so close to the shining of the divine light, where can you be so rooted in the Indian crowd? When you go out, you will see groups of Indians lying on the ground sleeping or praying devoutly. The beauty of travel lies in the understanding of different lives.
Indians sleeping on the floor at night
4. Priceless spiritual sublimation .
I have been to so many temples in India, but the Golden Temple is the most spiritual one. One day I got up at 4 o'clock to visit. It was still dark outside, but there were so many people inside. I was shocked again. Didn't everyone sleep? Here I felt the power of faith, which has surpassed human laziness. My most wonderful experience in the Golden Temple was to sit on the rooftop in the early morning, feel the cool marble floor, listen to the melodious hymns, close my eyes and meditate, letting the light from the sky warm me up little by little.
Devout believers
I met a Canadian here. He was dressed in white, with a turban and a sword. He converted to Sikhism five years ago and admired its open and inclusive teachings. He once asked me to imagine what it would be like if the world became a canteen in the Golden Temple, with open arms to care and love everyone regardless of their background, and at the same time, the people being loved would give selflessly to serve all living beings.
Unexpectedly, the prototype of this utopia has quietly blossomed in a corner of India.
