the first monument as you approach the golden temple

the tradesmen were already open at this time

the temple is fronted by a large piazza..where you deposit your shoes and wash your feet prior to entering…

first glimpse of the famed temple through the arches….

even in black and white, the temple shimmered in the night, floating on a lake

and in colour, the golden temple lived up to its name….the crowds queuing to get in can be seen on the right

brilliantly golden!

magnificent from every angle…here contrasted against another building

end on view

prostrate worshipper

intricate detail

and as the sun came up, the worshippers still came

and then to my surprise I saw a few birds hovering over the lake….

it was the unmistakeable shape of a kingfisher!

A pied kingfisher…one of the prettiest kingfishers which typically hovers in the sky and then plummets into the water to catch a fish…..

hovering…

assuming the position…

sighting its prey….it plummets downwards

and splashes into the lake

before emerging….

and flying off…it was so unexpected seeing the pied kingfisher right inside the golden temple…..and of course I didn’t have my birding cameras with me so these were taken with my manual Leica M10P and 75mm lens with some from the Canon 24-105mm zoom.