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6 December 1905 — Jullundur | |
Wednesday. 6th [December 1905]. We went by a morning train to Amritzar & got there abt 11—went to the house of Judge & Mrs Henry who are distant connections of the Aldersons. They received us kindly & gave us breakfast– Then Mrs Henry went out with us & took us to see the Golden Temple wh is really most beautiful. It is small & well finished & stands in the midst of a huge tank—over wh it is approached by long bridges. We were made to take off our shoes & put on sort of big slippers before we were allowed into the precincts– It appears that the Wales in consequence of this being insisted on will not enter the place, but will content themselves with a view from outside– The place is most wonderfully picturesque—beggars sit about asking for alms, worshippers sit before shrines—priests lurk in every corner—sacred bulls roam about, men & women sell their wares—children play & shout, the whole place is uncared for in the way of dirt. Round the platform that surrounds the tank are the half ruined palaces & chapels of the great families, who keep them to live in when they come to take part in the various religious festivals. We went (under the care of a policeman) to the Golden Temple & looked in to the low portal—saw an old priest with his acolyte seated before the shrine wh was covered with a cloth. Women came in thro’ the door behind him & deposited their little offerings of sweets & flowers at the side of the priest who took them & put them into the shrine. On the ground in front of them people threw pieces of money & received in return a necklace of marigold or a few sugar plums– We went on round the outer platform to see other gardens, chapels & shrines—& at one place saw the poor receiving food given away gratis– The whole place tho’ most curious has a peculiar look of squalor & dirt—animals, human beings, all muddled up together. The temple alone is bright & complete– From the Temple we went to see a great carpet manufactory in the town where mostly boys are employed. The work is so fine that only their small fingers can do the work. We had intended returning to Jullundur in the afternoon but the Henrys kindly suggested that we should remain the night with them—so we sent Henry’s servant back for our beds & night things & accepted the invitation. | |
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