Wandering through the narrow crowded streets to the Golden Temple, we were bombarded with requests to buy orange head scarves.Bare feet and covered heads are mandatory in the temple for both men and women. Our guide suggested that we wear them in the streets to eliminate the begging to buy. The first stop was the shoe removal benches. Volunteers man the shoe shelves, and there is a pool of water for everyone to walk through and sinks and water for hand washing.

The Golden Temple is the focal point of a complex of buildings with the sacred water tank filled with water from the Ganges surrounding the temple in the center. The lay-out resembles Italian piazza plans. This is the central worship place for all Sikhs around the world, their St. Peters. I met a young Indian family who visit from Atlanta, GA at least once a year. We entered…