This morning we visit the Jallianwala Bagh Memorial Gardens, the site of the Amritsar massacre where on 13 April 1919 British Indian Army troops under the command of Colonel Reginald Dyer, fired into a crowd of peacefully protesting men, women and children - killing hundreds of unarmed civilians.
Afterwards we continue to the magnificent Golden Temple shining in the morning light, with its large dome surrounded by elegant minarets and splendidly gilded interior panelling. This temple is an important place of worship for devotees of the Sikh faith worldwide. We walk around the large lake that surrounds the temple and visit the Langar - the largest community kitchen in the world, which serves over 100,000 free meals every day. Here you can watch local volunteers preparing and serving food to devotees - an incredible sight.
In the evening we return to the Golden Temple so that you can photograph it lit up at night - a spectacular sight. If you wish, you can stay late to watch the daily Palki Sahib ceremony which takes place at 10pm. To the accompaniment of drums and hymns, a gold and silver gilded palanquin decorated with silk brocades and flowers is used to carry the Guru Granth Sahib (the Sikh holy book) from the main shrine to the gateway where it rest overnight. Do let your guide know if you don’t want to stay for the Palki Sahib ceremony, so that he can plan accordingly.
Note: You need to remove your shoes and socks and cover your head when visting the temple. Smoking and the consumption of alcohol is also forbidden.
There are huge queues to visit the inner sanctum of the temple (1.5 to 3-hours, depending on the time and day of the week, so if this is important to you we suggest queueing in the afternoon, whilst most people are at the Wagah Ceremony at the Pakistan border. Also try and avoid weekends and festivals, when queues are at their longest.