THE
GOLDEN TEMPLE
INTRODUCTION
The Golden Temple or Darbar Sahib, situated in Amritsar,
Punjab, is the most sacred temple for Sikhs. It is a symbol
of the magnificence and strength of the Sikh people all
over the world. In the evolution of the Darbar Sahib, is
entwined the history and ideology of Sikhism. In its architecture
are included, symbols associated with other places of worship.
This is an example of the spirit of tolerance and acceptance
that the Sikh philosophy propounds.
HISTORY OF GOLDEN TEMPLE
The Sri Harmandir Sahib was invaded and destroyed many
a times by the Afghan and other invaders. Each and every
time the Sikhs had to sacrifice their lives in order to
liberate it and restore its sanctity. After the martyrdom
of Bhai Mani Singh ji in 1737, Massa Ranghar, the Kotwal
of Amritsar took charge of Sri Harmandir Sahib in 1740 and
converted it into a civil court and began to hold notch
parties. This act created great resentment among the Sikhs.
Two warriors, Sukha Singh and Mahtab Singh avenged the insult
by a dare devil act. They entered the temple complex in
guise of peasants, severed the head of Massa Ranghar with
a single blow of kirpan and fled away with decapitated head
on one of the their spears.
Guru Arjan Sahib got its foundation laid by a muslim saint
Hazrat Mian Mir ji of Lahore on 1st of Magh, 1644 Bikrmi
Samvat(December,1588). The construction work was directly
supervised by Guru Arjan Sahib himself and he was assisted
by the prominent Sikh personalities like Baba Budha ji,
Bhai Gurdas ji, Bhai Sahlo ji and many other devoted Sikhs.
Unlike erecting the structure on the higher level(a tradition
in Hindu Temple architecture), Guru Arjan Sahib got it built
on the lower level and unlike Hindu Temples having only
one gate for the entrance and exit, Guru Sahib got it open
from four sides. Thus he created a symbol of new faith,
Sikhism. Guru Sahib made it accessible to every person without
any distinction of Caste, creed, sex and religion.
DESCRIPTION OF GOLDEN TEMPLE
 The
Golden Temple sits on a rectangular platform in the centre
of the Amrit Sarovar. It is surrounded by a white marble corridor,
through which pilgrims visiting the shrine walk, circumnavigating
the temple. A narrow causeway links the Harmandir, or Darbar
Sahib, as the temple is also called. The entrance to the temple
is through an ornate archway with intricate inlay work, inscribed
with verses from the Granth Sahib.
The temple building is three storeys high and is crowned
with a dome shaped like an inverted lotus. The lower storey
is in white marble, while the two upper storeys have gold
plating. The temple has four entrances instead of the usual
single entry, symbolic of the openness of Sikhism and the
fact that followers of all faiths are welcome here. The
walls within are decorated with carved wooden panels and
elaborate inlay work in silver and gold. The Adi Granth,
compiled by Guru Arjan Dev, rests on a throne beneath a
jewel-encrusted canopy. Priests continuously recite verses
from the holy book in 3-hour shifts. A complete reading
of the text takes 48 hours.
The Akal Takht, next to the Golden Temple, is the seat of
the Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee, the religious
governing body of the Sikhs. The building of the Akal Takht
was begun by Guru Arjan Dev and completed in 1609 by Guru
Hargobind. The Adi Granth is housed in the Akal Takht and
is taken out in procession every morning to be placed at
the Harmandir, and is brought back to the Akal Takht at
night.
Shrines on the northern edge of the corridor are venerated
as the 68 holy shrines of the Hindus. According to the teachings
of Guru Arjan Dev, it was enough for the devout to visit
these shrines and not visit all the original Hindu shrines
which are distributed across India. Many of these shrines
have now been converted into a martyr’s gallery showing
the gruesome history of the Sikhs. Around the Parikrama,
or pathway, are four rectangular cubicles where Granthis
(priests) sit and recite the Granth Sahib. Pilgrims leave
offerings at the steps, and can also get the holy book recited
in their names for a donation.
The Jubi tree, at the northwestern corner of the complex,
was planted some 450 years ago by the temple’s first
head priest. The old, gnarled tree is believed to have special
powers and childless women tie strips of cloth on it to
be blessed with sons. Marriage deals are also fixed under
the tree, though this practice is disapproved of by the
temple authorities.
HOW TO REACH GOLDEN TEMPLE
Air- The Rajasansi Airport of Amritsar
is linked to Delhi, Srinagar, Chandigarh and other cities.
Rail- Amritsar Railway Station has the
regular trains for all major cities in the country.
Road- Amritsar is connected by good roads
with other cities of Punjab as well as the country. Regular
buses ply for Amritsar from cities and towns within the
state as well as outside the state. For local transport
rented cars, taxis, local buses, unmetered auto-rickshaws
and cycle rickshaws are available.
BEST TIME TO VISIT
November to March
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