Jerusalem, in the era before Christ, had been the first capital of the then kingdom of Israel (as it is today of a democratic state). Jewish legend has it that the wise King Solomon, in 1034 BC, had built for his people a magnificent temple located on a high ground in the old city. Its site thus got to be known as the Temple Mount.

However, the Holy Land with Jerusalem as the prize had even then been coveted by Israel’s neighbours and wars over it were frequent. It is said that in 607 BC, when the Temple had been in existence for about four decades, a Babylonian Army under King Nebuchadnezzar attacked Jerusalem, occupied it and destroyed the Temple.

Considering the significance of the Temple for Judaism and its followers, the construction of a second Temple began at the same site in 515 BC, after Jerusalem had been retaken by the Jewish Kingdom. Jewish texts also speak of King Herod expanding the Temple in 19 BC, by building a retaining wall all around it. The second Temple, however, was not destined to last very much long thereafter.

In 70 AD, it was the Roman Army which sacked Jerusalem and, in the process, destroyed the Temple even more thoroughly. The only portion that remained was the western part of the retaining wall.

Whether that was incidental or, as some allege, intentional on the part of the Romans to remind the Jewish people every day of their humiliation, it is hard to say. In the intervening centuries, even though Jerusalem kept changing hands, the Temple was not rebuilt for the third time.

That Western Wall of the temple in the old city of Jerusalem is now the holiest site to which the Jews have access. When they come there to offer prayers, they are said to be grieving the loss of their two temples, one after the other, hence the “Wailing Wall”. They also pray that the third Temple is built soon.

The Wall is reached through one of the six gates of the old city in east Jerusalem. The entry takes one to a spacious plaza, with the Wailing Wall on the right side of the big, enclosed space. On any given day, thousands of visitors throng the plaza, biding their time to reach the Wall. On Jewish holy days, the lines are much longer and prayers are allowed during the night too. Some place their prayers, handwritten on a small piece of paper, into a crack in the Wall and leave it there.

Along the Wall, there are partitioned enclosures separating men and women worshippers. Among the men can be seen followers of the Orthodox Jewish sects who are very distinctive in their flowing beards and formal black attire: top hat, long coat and trousers.

They strictly follow the tenets of Judaism, and read their prayers out of the sacred book, often placed on a raised desk or wooden stand in front of the Wall. And no, you don’t hear any loud wailing.

Since 1967, when Israel got back east Jerusalem from Jordan after the six-Day War, the Jews have had an unhindered access to the Wall. The Jews perform the holy Bar Mitzvah ceremony there, for their children. Many bridal couples visit the place after their nuptials to offer prayers. Israel’s defence forces have also used the holy site to swear in the recruits.

On my return from Jerusalem, I had asked the head honcho of an Israeli firm (with whom I had a business meeting): “Do you think the Temple will be built a third time?”

He seemed to speak for everybody when he said: “That’s the hope of the Jews, wherever they be. But, it would require the goodwill of all citizens, Jews and Arabs, and lasting peace in the Holy Land.”

How to get there

By air, arrive at the Ben Gurion international airport in Israel. Jerusalem is about 45 minutes away on road. A mini-bus or taxi line operates 24X7. You can also take a bus or train. Public transport is not available during the Jewish Sabbath (from Friday afternoon to Saturday evening). Private taxis, however, ply regularly