The Gurdwara Bangla Sahib

This Saturday after a morning in the hospital, we set off in search of another sight on our bucket list of things to see in Delhi. The place in question was the Gurdwara Bangla Sahib - the biggest Sikh temple in Delhi. 

We took off our shoes, covered our heads and approached the huge marble building. To get in we first walked through a refreshing pool of fresh running water to clean our feet and then up the steps to the main marble courtyard outside of the temple. Only here did we start to appreciate the sheer size of the building! 

Following the other people visiting the temple, we bought some Kara Prasad, which is a sweet paste like food made from wheat, sugar and ghee. You paid what you could afford to pay for it (which could be nothing - a very nice idea), and all the proceeds went to help the poor. Half of this food was then given as an offering, and went to feed others, and the other half was yours to eat. Initially we just followed the example of people walking in front of us and so were a bit confused as to what we were expected to do with the bowl of brown paste we'd been given, and even more bemused when we handed it to another official person and half of it was taken away! Eventually we saw other people eating it and worked out it must be edible, and really enjoyed it - Google was very useful in enlightening us as to what we'd just done!

It was a really nice idea, fitting in with the Sikh custom of providing free food to anybody who walks in. In every Sikh temple there is a Langar where anyone can go and receive free food, and anyone can also go and help out there. We instantly felt very welcome, and at peace as we wondered into the magnificent temple. From the outside you could hear Sikh leaders singing from the Guru Granth Sahib (the holy book), the practise of which I think is called Shabad Kirtan (anyone who knows more about this please correct us!). It was beautiful and almost hypnotic, and inside lots of people were sat around listening to this. We spent a little bit of time sharing in that, before going back outside. 

Ready to go into the Gurdwara

In the marble courtyard of the Gurdwara

In the grounds of the Gurdwara is a huge square pool known as the Sarovar, and the water is considered to be holy and is known as Amrit. The eighth Sikh Guru lived on this site during a smallpox and cholera epidemic. He helped by giving people fresh water from a well at his house, before he eventually died from the illness. A tank was then built over the well, and it remains today. We saw many people touching the water and splashing it onto different bits of their bodies, and it is still very much considered holy today. We walked around this beautiful pool watching the reflection of the setting sun and the gold topped Gurdwara shimmering in the water.

Looking back across the Sarovar to the impressive Gurdwara

The sun starting to set over Delhi

Once we had finished seeing all of the Gurdwara, we headed off to a place recommended to have expert henna artists, to treat ourselves to some hand henna. The ladies who did ours for us were really lovely, and also told us all about the kind of henna decorations you have at weddings, which are incredible and include little pictures and symbols each carrying a special significance. You must have to sit still for hours whilst it dries, because it is done on both hands (back and palm) and arms, feet and legs! We just went for the back of a hand each so that we could still do things whilst it dried, and we were blown away by the speed and skill of the ladies! 

Emma's henna being applied...check out the one handed photo taking...

Michaela gets her henna done

Having accomplished what we set out to do, we popped to one of our favourite cake shops on the way home (we are becoming regulars...Indians do sweets very well) and hopped on the metro back.

To leave you with a final thought - over dinner that evening with a few of our Indian friends, we attempted to try and describe marmite to people who had never heard of it...turns out to be very hard to describe! 

Henna, all dried and starting to crack

The dried henna removed, this was the finished product!