Sam began the day with a couple hours of school time with April on Webex. It was good to get several math lessons in before we boarded the train tonight and may not have great internet. We will actually have some down time to get some homework done.
We headed out a little later than normal and went right to Gurudwara Nagla Sahib aka The Golden Temple. This is one of the Sikh’s temples and their largest one in Delhi. Like I explained earlier they are a breakoff about 350 years ago from Hinduism as a ruling mughol king was forcing people to become Muslim they fought against this forced conversion and became the holy warriors. They broke off into their own faith and had 10 prophets and went from Hindus millions of gods to 1 god. Part of their faith is giving 10% of their earnings to the church as a tithe, like we do as well as Mormons. They also believe in giving and providing for others and as a result as we toured around the temple the most interesting part was their amazing kitchen. There they prepare up to 50,000 meals a day for anyone. They sit shoulder to shoulder and eat, all castes, all races, all classes,all genders as brothers and sisters. They have huge cauldrons that they were cooking soups and rice and making thousands of rounds of naan bread. Sikhs and others from all faiths come and volunteer their time. This temple and serves almost as a community center for all those that choose to come regardless of any distinctions. I was so impressed. I would love to have known and planned to come and work in the kitchen. They serve food continuously from noon until evening. Sam had a turn at churning one of the cauldrons and I was amazed at the sheer size of it. It felt similar to the cannerys that our church have where volunteers from our church come and spend the day canning fresh peaches and corn which then gets distributed to those in need. It is so fun to work side by side others and in almost a procession line. I could see the sense of community as people were giving of their time and means to feed these people in their country. I loved it and again have so much respect.
We headed out a little later than normal and went right to Gurudwara Nagla Sahib aka The Golden Temple. This is one of the Sikh’s temples and their largest one in Delhi. Like I explained earlier they are a breakoff about 350 years ago from Hinduism as a ruling mughol king was forcing people to become Muslim they fought against this forced conversion and became the holy warriors. They broke off into their own faith and had 10 prophets and went from Hindus millions of gods to 1 god. Part of their faith is giving 10% of their earnings to the church as a tithe, like we do as well as Mormons. They also believe in giving and providing for others and as a result as we toured around the temple the most interesting part was their amazing kitchen. There they prepare up to 50,000 meals a day for anyone. They sit shoulder to shoulder and eat, all castes, all races, all classes,all genders as brothers and sisters. They have huge cauldrons that they were cooking soups and rice and making thousands of rounds of naan bread. Sikhs and others from all faiths come and volunteer their time. This temple and serves almost as a community center for all those that choose to come regardless of any distinctions. I was so impressed. I would love to have known and planned to come and work in the kitchen. They serve food continuously from noon until evening. Sam had a turn at churning one of the cauldrons and I was amazed at the sheer size of it. It felt similar to the cannerys that our church have where volunteers from our church come and spend the day canning fresh peaches and corn which then gets distributed to those in need. It is so fun to work side by side others and in almost a procession line. I could see the sense of community as people were giving of their time and means to feed these people in their country. I loved it and again have so much respect.
We entered inside the Golden Temple and sure enough it was covered in gold leaf and there were musicians playing and singing their praises through god, which is one of the ways they workship while others knelt in prayer and others just made donations and then walked around the perimeter where one of their priests sat and read from their holy book. This particular temple was named after an 8 year old prophet that came here and he put his feet in the spring water that was here inside this home of a ruler and as people drank of this water they were healed of their small pox. He was credited for healing these people which the disease had been epidemic and then he caught the disease and died. He was proclaimed a prophet and one of their 10 holy prophets. Here people come and drink and sprinkle water from this same spring on their head. They also have a large pool where people come and purify themselves where the water comes from the same well.
Interesting enough as we walked into the temple, 3 tall Sikhs dressed in colorful robes and turbans holding HUGE double edged swords came up into the temple and as they were exciting we asked our guide who is part of this congregation about them. He asked them if we could have a picture with them and then they handed Sam his huge sword to carry. They are men that are like monks in the Sikh’s faith and devote their life to this temple and take on celebicy and no drinking and a life of service and a protector of the temple and a “servant” to the temple. They were gentle men despite their intimidating stature and weapons. They honestly looked like the 3 wise men that came to visit Christ, but they are holy warriors and gentle giants. Apparently they are also very good at wielding their swords and on special festivals will put on a knife wielding display. It was fascinating.
We bid farewell to our guide there and with Benson, the owner of Abish Travel, we moved onto the newest Hindu temple and sightseeing attraction in Delhi, Akshardham. Akshardham was interesting and one of the most intricately carved temples I have ever seen. The carvings done in this stone and marble temple, which tell hundreds of the Hindu stories, you just don’t see anymore not even in the ancient temples because most of it has weathered or been destroyed. It was amazing to see. But it was also interesting because the temple was really seemed to be dedicated to a holy man, not a god and so there was no worshipping here. All Hindu temples people come bearing flowers, water, incense, money and there was no worshiping here at all. It was really like a museum, with incredible grounds. There was such tight security getting in and you cant take any pictures. I thought maybe no photos so that they can sell postcards or other things, because it was also free to come into. But photos were mere cents and a book of photos was less than a $1. So it wasn’t for worship, wasn’t for money,… I was stumped why build such an incredible Hindu structure that has no priests or anyone to give blessings or explain the carvings… But regardless of it’s purpose, it was a magnificent piece of artwork and architecture with lovely gardens and grassy areas, of which you can’t sit on the grass either or bring any food in…??
Benson took us to a great spot for lunch. There we talked as new friends and as fellow members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. We had an open exchange about his faith as a Mormon in India and about being a Christian in a Hindu/Muslim country and it’s challenges. He is a remarkable person and his story is fascinating. He talked about the challenges that come as a Mormon when English isn’t your first language and the Hindi translations of the Book of Mormon and other materials aren’t well translated from English to Hindi. This can affect the understanding and sometimes the inspiration that comes from when we read and study our faith. He also talked about challenges with Indian culture and how women have often been devalued and how that comes into conflict with how the LDS Church teaches that women are to be respected, they have a voice and are taught to be leaders. We discussed many things and reminded him that although it may be easier to leave with the education he has and the opportunities that would be available to him outside India and the support he would have to be surrounded by strong members of the LDS Church, … he is needed here in his country more than he is needed anywhere else. That India and the Mormons here need his good example, his understanding and his skills. I am inspired by the experiences he has had which make him and will continue to make him a great leader and example in his community.
That evening we regrouped at the hotel before leaving for the Maharaja Express. 
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