Juliet Sinclair's Trips

Woke up after 4 AM today, I guess I am getting better at recovering from Jet lagging. After another excellent breakfast, we visited an amazing Sikh Temple in Delhi.

The uniqueness of this Sikh Temples, called Gurudwara Bangla Sahib, is that they have a large kitchen hall that feeds anyone who is hungry, regardless of race and religion. At this temple, they are known to feed more than 10,000 people every day!! Many poor people actually set up their shelters just outside of the Temple, so they will never go hungry. I donated some money at the alter to help with their noble effort.

Inside, it was peaceful and tranquilizing. Three Sikhs were singing their prayer songs with traditional instruments, a Sikh holy man sitting in front of a large holy book. Some people were praying quietly. I was happy to see men and women were praying at the same area, not separate areas like some religions. By the way, anyone enters the temple must cover his/her head. I was happy to know that Steve and Evan need to cover their heads too, not just me. I like when a religion treats men and women equally.

A large reflecting pool is at the center of the temple. For the first time since I arrived, I felt calm and peaceful. The city itself is full of nervous energy, it was so nice for us to quiet our mind down for a while.

This is my favorite temple so far. It's too bad that Sikh people are harassed in US a lot because they wear turbans. They are actually the most generous and peaceful people in the world. Needless to say that no one should be harassed for their religion and beliefs.

After leaving this temple, we were heading to Agra, where Taj Mahal is located.

Along the way, we also saw the magnificent Lotus Temple and Akshardham Temple (the largest temple in India).

Lotus Temple is one of the Baha'i temples that located at several continents. The North American one is located near Chicago, so we have visited that one many times. It's so nice to visit their Asian Temple. Today is a no school day in India, so many school children were visiting there as well. They were lined up in an orderly fashion, and were ushered in the temple in absolute silence (no one is allowed to talk inside the temple).

We sit there quietly, marveling the intricate architectural design of the roof. When I asked Evan if he is ready to leave, he shook his head. We waited a bit longer and he was final ready to go. Outside, he told me that he needed more time to study to architecture design of the building, and explained in detail how they managed to build the lotus shape roof (which materials they used, and how everything was supported). I could only nod my head because I didn't quite understand everything he was saying. He really should be an architect when he grow up because he has gotten such a natural talent for it. He loves modern arts, very good at drawing, and unlike most people, as his IQ test has proven, he can design an entire object in his head in 3D; he loves geometry and math, and is incredibly creative. Perfect attributes for an architect. Well, we will just have to wait and see.

Akshardham Temple is no doubt magnificent! Getting inside was not easy for me though. They have a strict no electronic equipment rule, so we were not allowed to bring phones and cameras. The lady at the security checkpoint (men and women have different entrances) seemed to love their jobs too much. They checked my purse and told me not to bring a USB cable. So I ran back to the car and gave it to our driver, then ran back to the checkpoint. They checked my purse again and dug out my headphone. I was getting really annoyed, and was worried they would send me back again. The head lady waved me over to her, checked my Apple Watch and waved me through.

Meanwhile, Steve and Evan breezed through their checkpoint in seconds.

Finally inside, our mouths dropped open. We have never seen so much carvings in our lives! Well, when we were in Istanbul, we loved the lovely and complicated Islam design in their mosques, but nothing compared to the detailed carvings here! Every inch is the entire building is carved; and the building is HUGE! The artistry and detail for this every inch is unbelievable! Too bad we couldn't take any pictures, so bought some post cards so I can show everyone what it's like.

After this temple, we finally head to Agra. We arrived just in time to see Tan Mahal in a beautiful sunset.

Can't wait to see it again tomorrow morning!Читать далее