GOLDEN TEMPLE, AMRITSAR

The Golden Temple is the Sikh religion’s most

Sacred site. In order to enter its marble beauty

You must remove your shoes, cross a small

(Marble) ditch and ensure your head is covered.

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I was wearing a peaked Nepalese cap, which

Was deemed sufficient head coverage, until I

Joined the queue to enter the Hari Mundar, the

Marble shrine at the heart of the Temple’s lake.

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A friendly guard, bedaggered, told me my head-

Wear was unsuitable. Another removed the cap,

Turned it round, baseball style, and smiled, and

With this technical adjustment I was in.

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However, a little later, I left the temple site without

Realising. Retracing my steps, another friendly

Guard told me the cap was now unsuitable. All

Was not lost. He had before him an oil drum,

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Filled to its brim with gaudy scraps of cloth. With

A stick, he poked and prodded, before selecting

A piece of spangled flamingo pink, which he care-

Fully and respectfully attached to my head.

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