It is easy to find - first find New Delhi, the capitol of India, then go North a little bit. Now you are in Punjab!

The Golden Temple is in the Punjab city of Amritsar, on the Pakistani border. Did you find it? Goindwal is in a town a little ways away, but it is not on the map...

I wonder what the design in the center of it represents?

It is a special place of blessings, miracles, and healing. Click on the photo to enlarge it, print it out, and meditate on it and experience healing in all aspects of your life.

Guru Amar Das began construction of Goindwal in 1559 in a farm field on the Beas river. He found it to be so peaceful and healing that he retired there. There are many fascinating stories that can be found at the following websites: http://www.sgpc.net and http://www.sikhnet.com.

Left to Right: Sangeet Young, Ardas Kaur, Jiwan Shakti Kaur, Sangeet Khalsa, Guru Simran Kaur, Dhan Want Kaur, Jaap Kaur, Hari Nam Singh, and Yash. If you look carefully, you can see our "Goindwal Glow"!

Looks pretty simple from here, eh?

This is the view from the top of the 84 Steps of Goindwal on the men's side. Note in the upper left corner the number "80" indicating the step underneath it is the 80th step. The photo was taken from the 84th step. The women's side is to the right of the wall that you can just barely see on the right side of the photo.

The steps are made of hand-crafted marble which is extremely slippery when wet - which was most of the time. And, if you slip - which happens occasionally - ouch, marble is hard!

If you look closely in the enlargement, you'll see several men at the "bottom" of the stairs. They are actually just on a landing, there are more stairs beyond. The stairs end in a well of beautiful healing water that you dip in.

This well, like most wells, is round. But this is an unusual well, you get to stand at the bottom and look up! In this picture, the photographer stood in the middle of the well (about chest deep in water) and pointed his camera straight up! Cool!

The temple's English name comes from the gold plating that encircles the entire upper half the the Temple. The Golden Temple is rich in history including playing a pivotal role in religious freedom.

For more information about the Golden Temple, please visit the "official" Harmander Sahib website at: http://www.sgpc.net. It is a wonderful educational resource.

If you look closely, you can see people sitting behind the low filigree wall that goes across the center of the photo. They are listening to the "kirtan" (holy music) being played live inside the temple. And, if you look really closely, you'll see a woman with a white turban sitting in the window on the second floor in the center of the photo. She is reciting the evening prayers (while her crafty friend the photographer takes her picture from across the "sarovar" or water).

India and the United States have had a strong political relationship for decades. Since the mid 1990's India and the United States have been developing a strong economic relationship in technology (almost every major software development company contracts some of the programming to Indian programing companies) and customer service (major companies from banks to technology companies outsource some of its technical support and customer service to Indian firms).

It is interesting to see some of this influence in India's news. Check out India's leading English language newspapers for yourself:

The Times of India  |  News India-Times

Sangeet and Hari Nam's trips to India are always organized by the 3HO Organization founded by Yogi Bhajan. They lead a well organized, educational, and affordable "yatra" (spiritual journey) about every year or so.

So, if your Soul is yearning to immerse itself in India, the Golden Temple, and Goindwal, periodically check their website: http://www.3ho.org or you can check in with us. We often know about the next yatra before it is published.