Golden Temple of Amritsar
Location: India

Panoramic view of the tank of the Golden Temple
by D. Höss, http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:GoldenTemplePanorama.jpg, used under GNU Free Documentation License



The Golden Temple of Amritsar
Source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Golden_temple.jpg, used under GNU Free Documentation License


The Golden Temple of Amritsar is the most sacred shrine of Sikhism. It is also called the Sri Harmandir Sahib (meaning Divine Temple) as well as Shri Darbar Shaib (Court of the Lord). It is located in the city of the same name, Amritsar, whose name means "pool of the nectar of immortality". This refers to the pool that surrounds the Golden Temple. The city of Amritsar is the administrative capital of the Amritsar district of Punjab, India. In the middle of the city is the Golden Temple, whose official name is Harimandir Sahib, or "temple of god". The Golden Temple of Amritsar houses the Adi Sranth, the sacred scriptures of the Sikh religion.

The Golden Temple is a two-storey building. The lower building is marble clad, and decorated with flower and animal motifs. The upper storey is gold plated. At the top is the golden dome. It is shaped like an inverted lotus. It is said to be gilded with 100 kg of pure gold. The Golden Temple was built during the term of the fifth Sikh Guru, Guru Arjan Dev (1581-1606). It stands in the midst of a water tank that had earlier been escavated by the fourth guru, Guru Ram Das (1574-1581). The site was once a forest. It is believed that the great Indian poet Valmiki wrote the Ramayana here. It was here that Sita was banished, and it was also here that her sons Luv and Kush heard these legends of their forefathers. Gautama Buddha is also believed to have visited this site. Today, however, it is the holiest site for the Sikhs.

The great Sufi of Lahore, Hazrat Mian Mir, officiated in the laying of the foundation stone with his friend, the Guru Arjan Dev Ji. It was completed in 1601. It underwent a reconstruction in 1760 after the attack by Afghans under Ahmad Shah Abdali.

A more recent wave of violence at the Golden Temple took place in 1984, when Government troops under Operation Blue Star under General Kesar Singh Brar stormed the temple to eject the separatist militant leader, Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale who was seeking to establish an independent Sikh state through violent means. Bhindranwale had sought refuge in the Golden Temple and had refused to surrender despite police warnings. In the ensuing battle, Bhindranwale was killed, along with casualties on both sides. The Golden Temple also suffered much damage from the fighting. The violence subsequently claimed the life of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, in the hands of her own Sikh bodyguards, Beant Singh and Satwant Singh, directly related to the outrage among the Sikhs over the desecration of their holiest shrine.

Where in the world is Golden Temple of Amritsar?

The Golden Temple of Amritsar is located in the city of Amritsar, in the state of Punjab, in India. It is surrounded by the tank, which is a small lake known as Sarovar which contains Amrit, or holy water. The temple has four entrances to signify openess - indeed all people are welcome in regardless of colour, faith and gender. The only taboo is that a visitor must not take alcohol, consume meat or smoke cigarettes or any form of drugs while in the shrine. When entering, you need to cover your head, remove your shoes and wash your feet as a sign of respect.

How to go to Amritsar

Amritsar It is served by the Raja Sansi International Airport (ATQ), which is 11km or about 20-25 minutes from the city centre. There are many flights to Delhi, an hour away. You can also take the Shatabdi Express train from Delhi to Amritsar. Amritsar is also connected by rail to Jammu, Dharamsala and the northern parts of India via Pathankot. For rail booking, visit the Indian Railways Online Passenger Reservation site

Visiting the Golden Temple of Amritsar

The Golden Temple of Amritsar is open from as early as 6:00am in the morning, until 2:00am in the early morning. It is a very photogenic site and is worth visiting twice, at different times of the day, to view it according to the changes in light. You need to cover your head - there would be vendors trying to sell you a headband, which you can buy and keep as souvenir afterwards, or simply choose a free one from the barrel near the entrance. You need to leave your shoes at the shoe deposit station to the left of the entrance and wash your feet before entering.

The main entrance at the north is under a Victorian clock tower. It is known as Darshani Deori. Go up a flight of steps and then down again to the temple and the tank. The temple is reached using a causeway known as the Guru's Bridge. Photograph is allowed everywhere except inside the shrine.

Sites within the vicinity of the Golden Temple are:

Akal Takht

This is the administrative building of the Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee, the main body that governs the Sikhs. You can call it the Sikh Parliament. The building was first built by Guru Arjan Dev and completed by Guru Hargobind in 1609. The palanquin that bears the sacred Adi Granth can be seen in the treasury room on the first floor. This palanquin is paraded early in the morning and again in the evening. It had silver poles and a golden canopy, and studded with precious stones.

Gurdwara Baba Atal
This Sikh place of worship is built to commemorate Baba Atal Rai, the son of Guru Hargobind. Baba Atal Rai died at the age of 9, in 1628, and the nine-storey Gurdward Baba Atal echoes his nine years of life on earth.