Aladdin’s Home Town

As we enter the holy city of Amritsar, I suddenly feel like I have seen this place before. The people are all wearing large turbans on their heads and  long beards coming down from their faces. The women have very colorful outfits and the men have the oh-so-familiar curly toe shoes. We are in Aladdin’s hometown! To further prove my theory, as we go further in the city, the architecture of the city has the same look and feel of jasmine’s city. The entrance of the golden temple reminds me of the walls that surround the castle that the sultan lived in. Overhead you can hear a loud voice welcoming you to the holy city and warning of pickpockets. I imagine Aladdin and Abu jumping between the many rickshaws  to run away from guards. The streets are full of trash and rubbish, confusing me how this can be such a holy city.

Once we enter the gates of the temple, I am struck by a completely different atmosphere. Everything is calm here and very spiritual. We are asked to take off our shoes and cover our hair before we enter the fully marble paved compound. Then, as we walk further into the courtyard, I am stunned by the fully gold incrusted temple that lies in the middle of the courtyard protected by the pond - called “the nectar of life”.

There is a narrow passage way leading to the temples with gold incrusted railings leading the way. People bow down and pray when they saw the temple. Others circle around the pond humming prayers on the red carpets lining the outsides. This truly felt like a holy place. I had forgotten my runny nose and cold as I was walking barefoot on the marble absorbing the ambience of the place. Fortunately, we arrived as the palanquin was being lifted and carried around the temple, reminding me of the palanquin used to cary princess Jasmine. I knew nothing of the religion, the people or the culture but I was impressed by their dedication and spirituality. Many people were volunteering to help with different tasks like langar - the offering of food served to all who came to eat, polishing the railings and packing up to the rugs that were laid out all day. The servitude and unity of the people in the temple was impressive.

Then when we stepped back out into the city and I was jolted back into the reality of where this temple lies, hidden inside Aladdin’s tattered city of thieves and pickpockets.