The Gora visits Punjab, pt 1

My last days of 2011 in India were spent in the northern India state of Pun-jab, known as the “land of five rivers.” An invitation I had long been waiting for had finally come—an offer to attend a Punjabi wedding. For some time I had been told not to miss the opportunity to go to a Punjabi wedding, so when a dear friend and co-worker invited me to his brother’s wedding in Gurdaspur (Punjab), I knew there was no way I could miss it. Thus, I began thoroughly planning an ambitious trip that would ultimately become the most exciting adventure of 2012 for me.

With only 4 days to make the trip, I had to figure out the best plan of attack to see everything I wanted to see. This was complicated by the fact that I soon realized that Gurdaspur was nearly halfway between Amritsar (Punjab) and Dharamshala (Himachal Pradesh). An intriguing idea came into my mind to pay a visit to the Dalai Lama in search of “eternal consciousness,” to steal a line from Bill Murray in Caddyshack. Okay, so seeing the Dalai Lama might have been a bit of a stretch, but visiting Macleod Ganj where the he resides and the Tibetan government is in exile seemed like a realistic possibility. I set about to pull off the trip of the year and it certainly did not disappoint. Though the plane ticket to fly into Amritsar and out of Dharamsala were not cheap, the experience was incredible. It also took a great deal of coordination to maximize my limited time and without the help of a number of friends with good connections, I could not have managed such a fantastic trip. I really only had to worry about my flights and navigating my way to the accommodations in Dharamsala.

I took a big risk by catching an early morning flight to Delhi, which often has major delays due to fog during the winter. I also only had about an hour layover to catch my connecting flight to Amritsar. With that in mind, I did not check any luggage and just managed to hustle my way from the arrival terminal to the departure terminal to make the flight to Amritsar. I arrived shortly after 10am and upon exiting the airport terminal was met by my driver. He didn’t speak much English, but was pre-coordinated and pre-briefed on the day’s itinerary.

First view of the "Golden Temple"

He whisked me away straight to the “Golden Temple,” which is in the center of Amritsar and a good drive from the airport. This is the most important place of worship for Sikhs and a popular tourist attraction. The “Golden Temple” is surrounded on all sides by a large pool with a long, narrow causeway that leads to the entrance. Before entering the area, we were required to take off our shoes and cover our heads. The glistening gold temple is an impressive site that unfolds as you walk through walk a wide hallway that opens up into the temple area. White marble surrounds the pool and people wander or sit and meditate. Most end up waiting in line for probably at least 45-60 mins, but I was fortunate enough to get the VIP treatment and be escorted via the line of exiting visitors. The temple is not very large, but there are two floors. In the center, a number of priests sit while one reads or recites verses from the book that they worship. This book was compiled by the last of 10 gurus and is a collection of their writings, which is why the book is worshipped and revered. People crowd walk around or sit in the outer enclosure of the temple. Some make their way upstairs as we did to have a better view. 

Upon exiting, we circled around the pool on our way to the communal lunch. My friend had recommended eating lunch there and it did not disappoint. Everyone sits together on the floor and is served the same food, which is to be accepted graciously. It was a delicious meal, a lovely communal experience, and a wonderful reminder of how God intends for us to enjoy fellowship with one another. As a Christian, I believe that is why Jesus came... to reconcile us to God, to each other, and to God's creation, so this meal was a little taste of what I expect heaven will be like!

After leaving the temple area, we made our way to a memorial park where British troops had massacred hundreds of Punjabis in 1919 because they were part of the freedom movement. It is a large open courtyard surrounded by buildings, some of which still have bullet holes left in the walls. There is also a well into which many people jumped to escape the bullets.

With time winding down and a trip to the Pakistan border planned, we hit the road. It took us about an hour to reach the Wagah Border crossing and as we neared it, I was surprised to see hundreds of trucks filled with fruit and vegetables that were headed to Pakistan. We arrived just before sunset to see the flag lowering ceremony that is pretty colorful. I again was hooked up with a great view of the festivities. On either side of the border, large grandstands are set up for the masses of people who come to see the event and make patriotic cheers for country. The large iron gates are at the center of the foot-stomping and leg-kicking action. The emotional fervor shown by the marching guards was worthy of an Emmy. The whole thing lasted about an hour and ended as the sunset…

Ever tried to kick yourself in the face? Well then, I might have a job for you...

Does he know his weapon is on safety?

“From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the LORD is to be praised!” Psalm 113:3