Last week I mentioned that my time in India was short, and I basically just had one evening in New Delhi to go explore around. Well, after leaving the India Gate, my cab driver just sort of drove me around past some of the more notable landmarks in the city, all of which were closed by this point. That is, until we got to the Sikh Temple, Gurudwara Bangla Sahib (try saying that three times fast… or… once for that matter). The temple has lots of classic Indian architecture with domes and arches everywhere, and so when the driver asked if I wanted to stop, I of course said yes!
The driver, who’s English wasn’t that great, parked the car and walked me to the gate. The guy standing at the gate gave us the nod, and so the driver just turned me loose to go photograph. While I was there taking pictures, of what turned out to be the side of the temple, I heard some singing and so I went to investigate… well, that’s when things got interesting. I topped a flight of stairs and saw a large pool (known as a Sarovar) of water and so I immediately began thinking of reflection shots. With camera and tripod slung over my shoulder I confidently walked through a group of people with plans to go to the other side of the pool, when some of them started yelling at me. Hmmmmm…. Two guys ran over to me and upon realizing I only spoke English, one of the guys took over. Turns out, had I entered the temple from the front, I would have realized you’re supposed to take off your socks and shoes, and cover your head with something. Whoopsie! The guys were super nice about the whole thing, understanding it was an honest mistake. They showed me where I could check my shoes and found a bandanna for me to cover my head (I was apparently not the first person to show up unprepared), then showed me how to wash my feet before entering the temple again. The guy then proceeded to walk me around and show me where I could and couldn’t take pictures.
Super neat place, but uhh… maybe I’ll go during the day next time when it’s a little more obvious what you’re supposed to do as a guest!
–Dan Thompson