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the Sikh Temple
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We were staying at the YWCA International Guest House in Delhi the first week we got there to get oriented with the city, and we had random appointments and things we had to get finished like going to the police office to get registered or to go apartment hunting, but everything else was free time. So, a few days into the week, for some reason I woke up really early, which is definetly a first haha. I looked at my clock, and it said 4:30 AM....and I was sick of just laying in bed so I just got up and went outside in the little sitting area and sat there for an hour or two just watching the sky getting lighter. When there was enough light out to see by, I got up out of the chair to the gate. As I was walking to the gate, another girl in the program, Nayana, was also awake and wanting to go for a walk, and then the guy in charge dropped by to open the lock on the gate for us. We'd heard a lot of people telling us about the Sikh temple that was nearby so we decided to go looking for it. We walked down the street (Nayana kinda knew where it was so we weren't really wandering around aimlessly) and found the temple. There was this really nice lady at the front of the gate to the temple that motioned for us to follow her, and she showed us where to put our shoes to get a coin and then how to wash our feet before going on the marble steps leading to the temple, and then finally where to get a head scarf then just told us to go on in.
So, we went in and there was an altar in the middle with two guys sitting in the middle playing instruments and singing. You were supposed to go up to the altar and either bow down and touch the floor of the altar or just bow your head and give praise. Then, we figured this out after we'd already sat down and watched everyone else, you were supposed to go around to each side of the altar thingy and do the same thing. But, we just went around and sat down and listened to the guys singing. This was seriously my favorite thing ever. We just sat there for an hour listening to these guys singing songs to their god and it was amazing because they had awesome voices and were really good at the instruments. It just seemed like the perfect way to worship your god. No complicated rituals or recitations or sermons. You can just come in and listen and pray and stay for as long as you want. There aren't any restrictions or any certain way that you have to do everything, it's all just up to your own personal wishes on how long or in which way you want to praise God.
So after we'd sat there for about an hour we got up and got this offering that everyone gets when you get out of the temple, I don't know what it's called, but it was kinda sweet and oily. Then, right next to the temple there's this huge awesome rectangle pool that we walked all the way around, and it was the perfect time, cuz the sun was just rising and it was so beautiful seeing the sun rise and it's reflection in the pool. And, inside the pool there were tons and tons of fish. It was so weird, apparently someone just brought some one day and they repopulated and people just kept bringing different kinds. Like, there were catfish and some japanese fish that someone had brought when they visitied. But, it was pretty cool seeing all the fishies and you could feed them some of the offering that you got. It was crazy, they were like piling on top of each other trying to get some of the food, but still awesome to see them all swimming around with their weird whiskers sticking out. Here's a picture of them.
But, I seriously like loved that temple. I was so at peace just sitting there and listening to these guys pouring their hearts out in song. So, for the rest of the days that we were there, that was how I started my morning, and let me say it was the absolute perfect way to start your day.
. Just sitting there and listening to these guys singing and just having your own personal meditation....awesome!! This couldn't have come at a more perfect time. I've kinda been struggling with the whole idea of religion and God, but this helped to just get back to the basics and see how sometimes your religion can genuinely help you to relax and just strive to be a better person.
Latest Comments (1)
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exciting :) (reply)
Jul 14, 2007 14:09 EST by priyasodha
heyyyy angela. that sounds like what we do wen i go to my temple (mandir) its amazing huh? id love to go in india. sounds like having fun already!! hope u enjoy it smoreee and learn new things!
love UUUUUU -priya- :)
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