Amritsar is a centre for the sikh religion, and on a normal evening it is not unusual to see a great many sikhs in attendance at the golden temple. Surprisingly, and quite unlike the muslim and probably the Xtian religions, Sikhs are welcoming of non-sikhs at any time including when they are engaged in worship themselves. So it was that we witnessed the rituals that take place on a nightly basis here.

To enter the temple you must wear long trousers, have your head covered and be bare-foot (washing the feet and hands before entry is also considered good form). What greeted us on entering, as we did, in the evening was perhaps one of the more impressive sights we have seen so far on this trip. The golden temple is a beautiful structure set in the middle of a lake surrounded by a white marble quad and with a single bridge allowing you to cross to the temple itself. Lit up in the evening it is a majestic sight. Form dictates that having entered you progress in a clockwise direction around the quad (allowing you to view the temple from all angles) before crossing the bridge to the temple proper. Once past the queues and inside you are free to roam at will around the temple and as such we spent a happy hour or so sitting on the roof simply chilling, chatting to folks and watching the world go by. A very pleasant way to kill an hour in quite stunning surroundings.

At around 9:30 they boot everyone out for the closing ceremony. This involves carrying the book of sikh back across the bridge from the temple to its nightly resting place. This is far from a solemn occasion, however, as everyone is expected to pitch in as the book is passed on its golden covered carrier from hand to hand between a raft of eager sikhs (and anyone else who gets caught up in the crowd). Once again you are struck by the openness and friendliness of the people here as you sit on the edge of the lake and watch this spectacle take place with Sikhs wandering steadily by smiling and nodding as they go.