25 November 2018

Exploring Sikhism in Amritsar

A few years ago, I took portrait photographs of Thai diaspora Sikhs in Bangkok (blog post: Seeking Sikhs in Bangkok) and the photographed subjects told me about Sikhism in general and the Golden Temple in India.

The Golden Temple aka Sri Harmandir Sahib ("abode of god") is a gurdwara located in the city of Amritsar in the Indian state of Punjab. It is the holiest Sikh temple in the world and the most important pilgrimage site of Sikhism. It is open for all men and women, from all walks of life and faith. The temple has a square plan with four entrances and a circumambulation path around the pool. Thousands of people visit the holy shrine daily for worship; a free Sikh community run kitchen and dining hall, a langar, serves a simple vegetarian meal to all visitors who want it, regardless of faith, gender or economic background.

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High-res portrait photographs with full exif data, precise geotags and technical details in Matt Hahnewald's