Before we leave for the Indian border, we have an important visit to one of the largest mosques in the world. We should not postpone anything for the way home, there are things that do not tolerate any postponement.
The Badshahi Mosque
After all, we do not suffer from an undersupply of mosques, on the contrary. Traveling through the Islamic world, we continually get to witness unheard-of architectural masterpieces. Just think of Tehran and Herat, Kandahar, Kabul.
But in the years to come, other equally great masterpieces will unfold their magic, be it in Madurai or Kathmandu, or Angkor Wat .
But there are exceptions that go beyond that. For example the Badshahi Mosque in Lahore, one of the largest and most impressive buildings in the world.
It has a capacity of 100'000 visitors and was built between 1671 and 1674 by order of the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb in the Mughal architectural style and is considered one of the most important works of Indo-Islamic sacred architecture of the Mughal period.
You feel lost on the huge square in front of the mosque. It was probably intended by the builders. Man is supposed to feel tiny in comparison to Allah.
Of course, the entrance to the interior of the mosque is forbidden for us non-believers, so we just admire it from the outside. The closer you get, the more magnificent the octagonal minarets with the attached pavilions, the three white marble domes, the lotus flowers and gilded spheres appear.
At this day the square, in fact the courtyard, is almost empty, which makes it seem even bigger. Imagine when it is filled with 100'000 devoted believers on important days.
Even we unbelievers get a peculiar feeling. It is like standing in front of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome or the Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon. There is something about the spiritual aura of these places, and even if you have nothing to do with the religion in question, there is something palpable that's not easy to understand.
The Indian border
But then we say good-bye to Lahore - until next year.
The distance from Lahore to Amritsar is short, but since it crosses the border of two hostile countries, it is somewhat special. If one wants to display the road on Google Maps today, a strange message is being displayed:
The route by car fromLahore, Punjab, Pakistanto Amritsar, Punjab, Indiacould not be calculated.
In plain language, it means that there is at present no road connection between the two countries. In the context of geopolitical relations, this is understandable, but nevertheless a foolish act.
Anyway, in 1974 this strange situation does not yet exist, after a short drive we reach the border town of Wagahand with a sense of pride and a high-five (which didn't even exist at the time) we cross the border.
We notice on November 15, 1974, after almost two months on the road, we have arrived at the first destination of the trip - India.
In fact, Champagne would now be the order of the day, at least a bottle of Moët & Chandon Dom Perignon to celebrate the day. We made it, against all predictions, despite all obstacles.
Amritsar - The sacred city of the Sikhs
A few kilometers after the border we reach Amritsar, the sacred city of the Sikhs. And once again we are plunged into a world that seems as alien as Mars.
Turban-clad men with hard determined faces dominate the cityscape. Their headgear is colorful, orange, yellow, red, all shades of it. And their hair and beards are long, more on that see below.
Somehow we feel at ease from the beginning, although pretty much everything seems strange and unfamiliar. The hustle and bustle in the streets and squares reflects the Sikhs' strong sense of business. No wonder that a large part of the Indian business world is dominated by them. This circumstance repeatedly leads to conflicts with the Hindus, the largest ethnic group in the country.
Amritsar also played a crucial role in the war of liberation against British occupation. In 1919 the Amritsar Massacre was a part of it.
In hindsight, it is unimaginable and incomprehensible the brutality with which the British occupiers acted against the peacefully demonstrating people. Not surprisingly, Gandhi, who was already active in the liberation fight at that time, gratefully accepted the event in his favor.
The Golden Temple
Just like the mosque in Lahore, the Golden Temple in Amritsar (also called Harmandir Sahib) wonderfully demonstrates the intrinsic relationship of the faithful.
The temple was built in the 16th century and underwent further expansion in the form of the golden dome in the 19th century.
Wikipedia knows more about it:
The temple is covered with gold foil and is located on an island within an artificially created lake, the Amrit Sarovar. The temple is surrounded by a palace complex. It has a gate on each of the four sides, symbolizing the openness of the Sikhs to all people and religions. In the temple itself, verses from the holy book Guru Granth Sahib are recited during the daytime. These chants are accompanied by music and can be heard over loudspeakers throughout the temple complex. The temple is always open and is visited daily by thousands of pilgrims, including not only Sikhs.
We are, as always in such cases, very reluctant during the visit. We do not belong to the life of these people, not to their culture nor to their religion, we are strangers in a strange world, and it will stay that way.
We move slowly around the lake (which might be a little cleaner, but we are in India, so any requirements in this regard must be moderated a bit), our gaze, as if magnetically attracted, remains fixed on the temple. It shines in the evening sun, casting an unearthly glow on the water.
We cannot help but sense the feeling that something has indeed been created here that is dedicated to the glory of God.
But as a visitor, can you feel more than admiration and respect for this kind of artwork? I think not. It is their world, their merit, their work.
It is simply breathtaking. And so we leave the center of the Sikh world and wish it permanence for all eternity. (The following years show that this is not the case, see Wikipedia).
The Sikhs
Back to the normal world.
And thus in the midst of Sikh reality. Of course, you will see them throughout India (many years later on a hike, completely unexpectedly, in an equally unexpected place - I meet a Sikh family).
The religion of the Sikhs is a monotheistic religion that emerged in the 15th century in the Indian Punjab (where we are now). Today it has around 25 to 27 million followers, the majority of whom live in India.
The Sikh religion emphasizes the unity of creation and worships a formless creator god who is gender neutral. In religious practice there are various formal requirements, for example regarding clothing, naming and appearance.
Practicing Sikhs, especially male religious followers, can be recognized by an elaborately tied turban. The headgear, including uncut hair - a tradition that gradually gained in importance during the times of the gurus - expresses, according to the self-image of the Sikhs, worldliness, nobility and respect for creation. The turban is to be worn at all times and in all places.
A rickshaw ride to remember
Towards evening we head for the center of town, I share a bicycle rickshaw with Roli. The driver, whose skinny figure should have been a warning to us from the beginning, starts pedalling, his legs show the effort, but we make fast progress. At a bridge over the railroad tracks the road becomes too steep, we dismount, the driver nods gratefully to us.
At the top, we happily sit down again, after all, it's now downhill. However, we have forgotten a few laws of physics, namely the combination of weight (all people together roughly estimated at over 200 kilograms), the inclination angle of the descent and the limited capacity of the rickshaw driver, so a pretty bad starting position.
And so we race down the bridge at breakneck speed, the driver trying to warn the other traffic participants with shrill shouts, which doesn't do much good, though. People jump to safety at the last second, while we hold on to each other and firmly believe that our last hour has arrived.
But somehow - like so many other things in India - it works out well with a lot of luck and the grace of all the Indian gods. A short time later, we get out of the rickshaw with somewhat weak knees. The driver really deserves the generous baksheesh.
Matching song for the year: 10cc – The Wall Street Shuffle
And here the trail continues… Kashmir is waiting
