The Golden Temple in Amritsar Punjab is the most holiest and sacred place of worship for the Sikh communities all around the globe. A large number of people come every day to visit the golden temple from Sikh as well as other communities.
If you are planning a visit to the golden temple then you are in a right place to know certain rules you should follow before going to the holy place.
10 rules to follow while visiting the golden temple
1. Keep your head covered
Keep your head covered throughout your visit inside the golden temple. The volunteers inside the temple are very rigid and they see that everyone coming inside the temple keep their head covered whether you are a Sikh or non-Sikh, whether you are a man or a woman.
They will shout at you and this might embarrass you and make your visit a bitter experience. It is better to give respect to the rules and regulations of the place.
Do not feel bad if it happens unintentionally. They are not hurting you but respecting their culture and tradition which we ourselves follow for our culture and traditions.
2. Splash your feet in the water at entrance
Splash your feet in the water at the entrance. This will cleanse your feet before entering the golden temple.
Have a feeling of cleaning all your negativity at the entrance and taking only positivity with you inside, the cleanest form of you.
The almighty, the higher power inside the temple will happily bestow your blessings in abundance to your clean body and mind.
3. Do not carry tobacco and alcohol
Do not carry any tobacco and alcohol with you while inside the golden temple. If you are caught carrying them with you, you will be taken out from the temple and you will not be able to experience the wonder and positivity of the shrine.
Enter into the Golden temple with complete honor and respect for the holy golden temple to receive blessings and good fortunes.
You are in one of the finest places in the entire world to seek happiness and blessing so your attitude and behavior should be positive.
Wear appropriate dress
You should wear an appropriate and decent dress when entering the Golden Temple which covers your leg and shoulders.
You can wear jeans but you should wear a decent top. Also, always remember to cover your head. You can wear a long Kurti with jeans or regular kurta pajamas.
Do not wear shorts while inside the temple. Avoid wearing sleeveless while in golden temple.
Do not misbehave
Do not misbehave by any means; you will be watched throughout your visit inside the shrine by the volunteers and staff of the temple committee.
Do not keep your feet towards the temple and lake
Do not keep your feet towards the temple and the lake. This is from my own experience I am sharing.
Last October we were in the Golden temple. After taking a grand tour around the temple I thought of dipping my feet in the lake while praying, but I was immediately stopped by the guard and asked me to take my feet out from the lake.
So while sitting around the temple too you need to be extra cautious.
Do not break the line
While standing in the queue for the holy darshan to the shrine inside the main temple be in your line and do not try to break the line.
While in the line I was praying inside my heart and offering gratitude to be in here in Golden temple, the positivity of the place, the good vibes I was receiving.
All of a sudden I was poked by a man and heard somebody shouting. Then I realized that my dupatta had fallen down and my head was open. I immediately covered my head.
Don’t eat your ‘prasad’ immediately
See that you will not eat your Prasad as soon as you get it from the counter after collecting the coupon. Prasad should be deposited at the counter where a small amount of Prasad is collected to distribute all around the temples prasad counter.
It is a practice of sharing with others whatever we have. This practice touched my heart. It is giving us an opportunity to share and to add good karma to our account.
Eat your Prasad at the place provided by the temple. There is a place near the prasad counter for the devotees to have their Prasad. There is provision for the water to wash hands as well as to drink water.
Take off your shoes
Shoes should be taken off before entering the temple. Take off your shoes and deposit them in the cloakroom. They will not charge any money for that.
Follow rules for photography
You can take photographs around the outer part of the temple but strictly prohibited inside the shrine. You should either switch off your mobile or keep it on silent mode while inside the main temple.
Rules are made by man to have easy-going things. If we follow them sincerely then everything will move smoothly without having problems for us and others.
Hope you have a wonderful visit to the Golden Temple. To sum up the rules, here they are once again.
- Keep your head covered.
- Do not carry tobacco and alcohol.
- Splash your feet in the water at the entrance.
- Do not misbehave.
- Wear appropriate dress.
- Do not keep your feet towards the lake or the main temple.
- Do not break the line.
- Eat your Prasad at the place provided.
- Take off your shoes
- Rules for photography