Golden Temple

Golden Temple, the chief gurdwara, or house of worship, of Sikhism and the Sikhs’ most important pilgrimage site. It is located in the city of Amritsar, Punjab state, northwestern India.

Structure

The Golden Temple, or Harmandir Sahib, is the focus of a complex of buildings that form the heart of Sikhism. The temple itself occupies a small island in the center of a tank, or pool, called the Amrita Saras (“Pool of Nectar”)—the source of the city’s name—and is connected to land on its west side by a marble causeway running across the pool. Situated facing the entrance to the causeway is the Akal Takht (“Throne of the Timeless One”), the chief center of authority of Sikhism and the headquarters of the Shiromani Akali Dal (Supreme Akali Party), the main political party of the Sikhs in Punjab. On the north side of the tank is the main entrance to the complex and the Teja Singh Samudri Hall (Clock Tower), which houses the main offices of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (Supreme Committee of Temple Management), which oversees the main Sikh gurdwaras. Among several buildings on the east side of the tank are the Assembly Hall and the Guru Ram Das Langar, the latter a large dining hall that serves meals to thousands of pilgrims and other visitors each day.

History

The first Harmandir Sahib was built in 1604 by Arjan, the fifth Sikh Guru, who symbolically had it placed on a lower level so that even the humblest had to step down to enter. He also included entrances on all four sides, signifying that it was open to worshippers of all castes and creeds. The foundation stone was laid by Mian Mīr, a Sufi Muslim saint from Lahore (now in Pakistan). The temple was destroyed several times by Afghan invaders and was finally rebuilt by 1776. The temple is notable for its blend of Mughal (Islamic) and Rajput (Hindu) architectural styles. During the reign (1801–39) of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, who founded the Sikh empire, the lower stories of the central temple were faced with white marble inlaid with designs made of precious gems, the interior walls were adorned with frescoes and mirror and gold leaf decorations, and the upper stories were overlaid with gilded copper panels. The structure thus became known as the Golden Temple.

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The buildings of the Golden Temple complex, particularly the Akal Takht, sustained damage in June 1984 during Operation Blue Star, an Indian army attack to dislodge Sikh separatists from the site. The military operation, ordered by Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, was a reaction to the occupation of the Akal Takht in 1982 by a young Sikh fundamentalist, Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, and his armed followers who sought the creation of an independent Sikh-majority country called Khalistan. Bhindranwale and dozens of his followers were killed in the military assault, while more than 80 soldiers and at least hundreds of pilgrims caught in the crossfire were confirmed dead according to government officials (although Sikh sources suggest the number of soldiers and civilians killed may have exceeded 1,000). The Akal Takht has since been repaired, and the Golden Temple complex now includes a memorial to those killed in the raid.

Religious practices

The Golden Temple is open to anyone regardless of caste, religion, or race, provided that pilgrims cover their heads, remove shoes, and wash feet and hands before entering, as is the norm at gurdwaras. The most important ritual practice at the Golden Temple is the daily continuous gurbani (sayings of the Gurus) kirtan (singing). This singing begins early in the morning with the opening of the doors of the Akal Takht, where the sacred book, the Adi Granth (also reverently called the Guru Granth Sahib since the book is regarded as a living Guru), rests each night. After the doors open in the early hours of the morning and singing begins, the Adi Granth is brought to the central main room, or sanctum sanctorum, of the Golden Temple. Devotees sing gurbani kirtan throughout the day until late in the night when the Adi Granth is returned to the Akal Takht.

Pilgrims to the Golden Temple complex bathe in the pool and circumambulate the central temple. Of particular importance for visitors to the Golden Temple is the langar, a free kitchen that feeds a vegetarian meal to approximately 100,000 people each day. In the langar, all visitors sit on the floor and eat together as a community without demarcations of religion, race, or caste.