Our first stop in India is the Amritsar in the Punjab. This is the holy city of the Sikh people, even the airport is named after Guru Ram Das the founder of the town. The city itself is filled with crazy traffic, blasting horns and colourful saris and turbans - overwhelming and exciting. Our wonderful guide for the day, Jessie is a Sikh and on our first day he takes us from the tranquility of the Golden Tulip Hotel to Gowindal Sahib, approx 45 minutes from Amritsar. This small town is the home town of three of the Sikh gurus, and is also famous for its healing pool at the base of 84 steps. It is traditional to recite the Jaapji on each step and the take a holy dip in the pool. To do the entire 84 recitations and dips takes approximately 17 hours.
We made our way down the very crowded 84 steps on the women's side whilst our men used the men's side of the steps. We intended to say Jaapji and take a holy dip at least once, hoping to recite Jaapji on the bottom step. It was very crowded but there were a couple of areas curtained of that held hooks so you could undress and dip in your underwear or swimmers. By the time we got to the holy pool there was a crowd so after a quick dip to heal the body and wash away our karma we decided to head back up to the top step and chant Jaapji there. As far as I could tell we were the only ones chanting and we soon drew a fascinated crowd around us. By the time we finished the 15 minute long holy prayer of the Sikhs the white marble below my feet seemed to vibrate with sacred energy. The entire white marble and gold temple complex radiates peace and harmony and there are only a few stalls selling holy articles, and no one will bother you unless you want to buy something. From the temple we walked 5 minutes to the house where three Sikh gurus lived, this humble house is filled with an aura of tranquility and it's easy to believe that so many people have been miraculously cured in this place.
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