A glimpse of my days at the Golden Temple and the streets of Amritsar. I was up at 4am to capture some early morning scenes. Had my morning chai, felt the morning prayers within the space and went around just being present with life around me.
The front gate guards and volunteers, handling the entrance into the golden temple.
It was cold and a beautiful night. We sat along the waters just listening to the calmness.
Devotees and Sikhs from all around the world, walking around the temple grounds during the early hours.
Years of donations build this ‘Kingdom’.
It was about 5am, and the sewadars (volunteers) were up sweeping away.
The scene of Golden temple at 5:30am.
No cameras allowed into the entrance of the temple. I still don’t get why. Visitors waiting their turns to get in.
A volunteer cleaning the wet sides and walk way with the cloth. Sewa (service) is the main practice here, where you volunteer yourself, devote into this practice, clean the temple grounds, cook in the kitchen and serve.
A father wiping his son dry after a dip in the holy pool.
Newly weds. many come to get blessings.
This guard was very interested in my travels and my contacts in Malaysia, his questions were very detail like how much can a worker earn and what a day income like.
At dawn about 6am.. guard passing by.
A mother waiting for her family beside the holy pool of Amritsar.
Apparently Coke is a popular brand there. A coke shop right outside the grounds of Golden Temple, each coke bottle drink was sold at 5 rupees.
The donated clothes being taken out of the temple grounds. Thousands of clothes and blankets are being donated to the temple, some are thrown away and some given to the poor.
A tourist wearing the traditional punjabi attire. Felt like she knew I’ll take this photo when she passed me, and started smiling.
Devotees washing the dishes with ash, according to the volunteers it makes the dishes holi and pure.
She explained why they use ash to wash the dishes here.
Girl scouts at the temple grounds of Amritsar, India.
A Khalsa, Sikh.
