Border Patrol and Temples Galore

By Kat and Denise


Parting Delhi, we took the six hour train ride to Amritsar, on a air conditioned train with an 800 course meal, including multiple rounds of tea, and several more rounds of tea, in addition to more tea. Our first afternoon in Amritsar, after taking a tuc tuc to our hotel, hidden down a sketch alley called Hotel Lane, we were greeted by an extraordinarily shy Sikh man, who was not accustomed to interacting with the opposite gender. He was quite polite, but laughed awkwardly after everything he said to us. The room was pleasantly sufficient and the food was magnificent. 

We spent our first afternoon, venturing to the Pakistan border, which was half an hour away. In the scorching heat, we found ourselves in the daily mob of proud, enthusiastic Indians waiting to show down with Pakistan. Every single day, since the time of the Partition, the two countries have engaged in a theatrically orchestrated military show down, at the time of the border closing at sunset. The crowd surged forward as one, after being let in through the first gate, through an entrance no larger than a doorframe. After a short a walk, the foreigners were ushered through a separate gate. The arena itself was divided on the India side into Indians, and then within the foreigners VIP section, we were essentially divided by race. The guards, with their rooster caps and shrill whistles, had a hell of a time with one biracial couple, and tried several times to determine their proper placement. As we spent about an hour waiting for the official festivities to begin, and slowly becoming drenched in our own sweat, we were entertained with chanting, flag running, and a spontaneous (though probably daily) Bollywood danceathon that consisted of women, girls, and a few young boys. When the time came for the official walk off, the rooster capped guards in their high water khakis, nearly concussed themselves as they marched towards the border gate, reminiscent of Monty Python. Across the border, the Pakistani guards followed suit, with high kicks to make cheerleaders proud. The actual ceremony lasted approximately 20 minutes, after the hour plus pregame. We were in awe of the patriotism, pride, and energy demonstrated by the at-least-one-thousand attendees, most of whom return every night.  Temples, forts, and holy rivers aside, this was definitely an absolute highlight of the trip. 

The Mata Temple...

While in Amritsar, in addition to Kat’s 2pm marathon nap (coma?) from which she woke at 7am the next morning, we visited the Sikh Golden Temple, the historic Jallianwala Bagh, and the eerie Mata Temple. Amritsar, located in the Punjab, is a predominantly Sikh area. According to our shy Sikh, Sikhs pride themselves on being hard working, honest, and family oriented. Additionally, they have historically been much more tolerant of other religions and peoples. At the temple, they serve meals to over 40,000 people of all different religions, castes, and ethnicities. Daily. In order to enter, one must remove and check their shoes, wash their feet, and cover their head. Upon approaching the temple from the questionable neighborhood surroundings, we were impressed but not astounded as the white marbled building loomed before us. However, the gem is hidden just inside. Within is an enormous pool, on which the dazzling golden shrine itself is reflected. Even though we visited at dawn, the wait to enter the inner temple itself must’ve taken six hours. The view itself however was breathtaking, and the entire place had a tangibly sacred aura. 

Jallianwala Bagh, once merely a popular meeting grounds in downtown Amritsar, was made famous during the fight for independence against the British, when colonial soldiers opened fire on peaceful protesters, leaving many dead, and opening the eyes of the world, to the injustice of the British rule. The park allowed no escape, and in addition to the many killed by gunfire, a number jumped to their death in what is now known as Martyr’s Well. The crowd was civilian, and no mercy was spared even the women and children. The park now stands as a walking memorial to honor the citizens who lost their lives to free India. 

Another gem at the Mata Temple

The Mata Temple. Kat’s favorite. Pretty sure she spent the next week saying “remember the Mata Temple,” and giggling at least once a day. The Mata Temple celebrates female deities and is often visited by women hoping to become pregnant. The temple itself was advertised as a cave temple, but was comprised of a manmade labyrinth and cement tunnels. The entire maze was decorated with colorful, eerie, its-a-small-world style statues, carvings, mosaics and shrines within caged off shrines. We were encouraged to pray and give offerings to the deities, and were given sugary rice krispies and flower petals, ground into cheese-like blocks. Denise was certain her mother must’ve come here before marriage, as she clearly had deity like fertility. 

After Amritsar, we took our first sleeper train, and spent a day in Agra. Despite being over 115 degrees outside, in the unshaded heat and in the reflection of white marble, the Taj Mahal was still spectacular. There is no way one could overrate the beauty and awe-inspiring nature of the Taj Mahal. Despite the fact that we had both seen a million pictures, walking on to the grounds was still surreal. As it turns out, the mausoleum is open 3 days a year. Coincidentally, it was open during our visit, in honor of the birthday of the woman to whom it was devoted. We spent a few more hours in Agra, before boarding another sleeper, to Varanasi.