Golden Temple (Harmandir Sahib), Amritsar

Golden Temple

The Golden Temple (informal name), is the most sacred and holiest shrine of Sikhism (the holy-of-holies of Sikhism). The official name of the Temple is: Harmandir Sahib[1] or Darbar Sahib[2], (Punjabi: ਹਰਿਮੰਦਰ ਸਾਹਿਬ ) which means literally (Harmandir Sahib meaning: The Abode of God).It is located in Amritsar (meaning: Pool of the Nectar of Immortality), the holiest city in Sikhism, in the state of Punjab, India. Sikh devotees, for whom the Temple is a symbol of infinite freedom and spiritual independence, come to the Temple from all over the world to enjoy its environs and offer their prayers.
Harmandir Sahib[3]

The Harmandir Sahib popularly known as the Golden Temple
Building information
Location Amritsar
Country India
Client Guru Arjan Dev
Construction start date 1588
Completion date 1601
Style Sikh architecture

History

The fourth Guru of Sikhism, Guru Ram Das (1534 -1581 A.D.), excavated a tank which subsequently became known as Amritsar (meaning: Pool of the Nectar of Immortality) and gave its name to the city that grew around it. In due course, a splendid Sikh edifice, Harmandir Sahib (meaning: The Abode of God), rose in the middle of this tank and became the supreme centre of the Sikhism. Its sanctorum came to house the adi granth confining compositions of Sikh Gurus and other saints considered to have Sikh values and philosophies e.g. Baba Farid, Kabir, etc. The compilation of the Adi granth was started by the fifth Guru of Sikhism, Guru Arjun Dev (1581 - 1606 a.d.). The Sikh Golden temple was fully completed by the time of the sixth Guru of Sikhism - Guru Hargobind.

The Amritsar area

Amritsar is located in the Majha region of the Punjab. Majha is also known as the Bari Doab, since it is the Doab or (fluvial) tract of land which lies between two of the five great rivers of the province, the Ravi and the Beas. As such, Majha lies in the heart of the ancient Punjab region. Besides Amritsar, it comprises Gurdaspur, Batala and Tarn Taran Sahib.

Construction of the Harmandir Sahib

Originally during 1574, the site of the temple was surrounded by a small lake, in a thin forest. The third of the six grand Mughals, emperor Akbar, who visited the third Sikh Guru, Guru Amar Das at the neighbouring town of Goindval, was so impressed by the way of life in the town that he assigned the revenues of several villages in the vicinity to the Guru's daughter, Bhani as a gift on her marriage to Bhai Jetha, who later became the fourth Sikh Guru, Guru Ram Das. He enlarged the lake and built a small township around it. The town was named after Guru Ram Das as 'Guru Ka Chak','Chak Ram Das' or 'Ram Das Pura'. It was during the leadership of the fifth Guru, Guru Arjan Dev (1581-1606), that the full fledged Temple was built. In December, 1588, the great Sufi of Lahore, Hazrat Mian Mir, who was a friend of Guru Arjan Dev Ji, initiated the construction of the building by laying the foundation stone. It was completed in 1601. The temple was later attacked by the Afghans under Ahmed Shah Abdali and had to be substantially rebuilt in the 1760s.

The Harmandir Sahib Complex and areas in its vicinity

The temple is surrounded by a small lake of water, known as the Sarovar which consists of Amrit (Holy Water). There are four entrances to the temple, signifying the importance of acceptance and openness; ostensibly, this concept is reminiscent of the tent of Abraham in the Old Testament -- his tent was open on all four sides in order to be able to welcome travelers from all directions. Anyone who wants to enter the Harmandir Sahib may do so, irrespective of religion, colour, creed or sex. The only restrictions are that the person must not drink alcohol, eat meat or smoke cigarettes or other drugs while in the shrine. All Sikh temples (Gurdwaras) in the world follow this traditional rule that everyone is welcome to enter. There are four doors to get into the Harmandir Sahib, meaning that Harmandir sahib is open to anyone. Everyone must cover their heads as a sign of respect and wash their feet in the small pool of water as they enter the Harmandir Sahib premises.

In 1988, after Operation Black Thunder, a narrow peripheral strip of land (including buildings) was acquired by the government essentially to create a security belt. A large number of people were displaced and rehabilitated in the process. However, the project met with a strong resistance from the moderate as well as militant Sikh organisations and the project had to be abandoned, after a senior Government engineer, connected with the project, was killed. The project was revived only in 1993 by the Deputy Commissioner Karan Bir Singh Sidhu, who was also appointed as the Project Director of what was popularly described as the Galliara Project. He changed the concept of the periphery from that of a security belt to that of a second parikarma and created a serene landscape that was fully consistent with the etherial beauty of the Golden Temple. This was done in quiet consultation with the SGPC. The pilgrims today can travel by foot in the Galliara; no vehicles are permitted.

Artwork & Monument Sculptures

Much of the present decorative gilding and marblework date from the early 1800s. All the gold and exquisite marble work were conducted under the patronage of Emperor Ranjit Singh, Maharaja of the Sikh Empire of the Punjab. The Sher-e-Punjab (Lion of the Punjab), was a heavy donor of wealth and materials for the shrine and is remembered with much affection by the Punjabi people in general and the Sikh community in particular. Maharaja Ranjit Singh also built two of the other most sacred temples in Sikhism. This was due to Maharaja Ranjit Singh having a deep love for the tenth Guru of Sikhism Guru Gobind Singh. The other two most sacred temples in Sikhism, which he built, are Takht Sri Patna Sahib (intiation or birth place of Guru Gobind Singh) and Takht Sri Hazur Sahib the place of Guru Gobind Singh's Sikh ascension into heaven.

Recent events

On July 6, 2005 the SGPC decided to install closed circuit television cameras around the Harmandir Sahib Complex and will be adding more security due to other attacks in India on other religious areas.

Operation Blue Star

Between June 3 and June 6, 1984, the Indian Army led by General Kuldip Singh Brar brought troops into the Golden Temple to arrest a separatist militant named Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, who sought to establish an independent Sikh state in the Punjab province. He and some followers took refuge in the Golden Temple, and resisted the police who sought to arrest him for acts of terrorism. Finally Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and President Zail Singh ordered the army to arrest him. The code name for this operation was Operation Blue Star.

When the army approched the Golden Temple, Bhindranwale and his men fired at them. General Brar ordered return fire, and his soldiers then entered the temple. Bhindranwale was killed during the fighting, along with casualties on both sides. An official account tallies the deaths of 83 soldiers and 492 civilians[4]. The Golden Temple complex also suffered much damage due to the fighting.

Many Sikhs regarded the attack as a desecration of their holiest shrine, and their alienation had deep and dramatic consequences: on October 31, 1984, Indira Gandhi was assassinated by two of her Sikh bodyguards, Beant Singh and Satwant Singh. The chief of the Indian Army, Gen. Arun Shridhar Vaidya, was also assassinated in 1986. The assassination of Mrs Gandhi gave rise to nationwide anti-Sikh riots. with estimates of up to 10,000 Sikhs being killed.

In 1986 the repairs performed on the Akal Takhat, which the Indian Government had undertaken without consultation, were removed. A new Akal Takht was completed in 1999 by Kar Seva.

In film and television

* The Temple is one of the locations of the movie Gandhi (1982)
* The Temple is one of the locations of Bride and Prejudice (2004).
* The Temple is also in the Indian (Hindi) serial Jassi Jaissi Koi Nahin (2005).
* The Temple is also one of the places visited by the BBCs Michael Palin for the documentary 'Himalaya' (2004).
* The Temple is a highlight in the Bollywood movie, Rang De Basanti (2006) starring Aamir Khan.

Notable visits

* Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip of the United Kingdom — October 14, 1997
* Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs— John Manley —January 2002
* Former Prime Minister of Canada— Jean Chrétien —October 2003
* Television Presenter and Actor; Michael Palin 2004
* Indian President— A.P.J. Abdul Kalam —August 2004
* Indian Prime Minister— Manmohan Singh —September 2004
* British Foreign Secretary— Jack Straw —February 2005

Celebrations at Harmandir Sahib

One of the most important festivals is Vaisakhi, which is celebrated in the second week of April (13th usually). Sikhs celebrate the founding of the Khalsa on this day and it is celebrated with fervour in Harmandir Sahib. Other important Sikh religious days such as martyrdom day of Guru Teg Bahadur, birthday of Guru Nanak etc. are also celebrated with religious piety. Similarly Diwali is one of the festivals which sees the Harmandir Sahib beautifully illuminated with Divas/Diyas(lamps) and fireworks are let off. There are at least 1-2 million pilgrims visiting the Holy shrine during these special days.

Most of the Sikh people visit Harmandir Sahib at least once during lifetime, particularly during special occasions in their life.