GOLDEN TEMPLE

Golden Temple is also known as Sri Harmandir Sahab and Sri Darbar Sahab, literally means "the House of God”. The shrine consists of Darbar Sahib, which is surrounded by the Holy Tank (Amrit Sarovar).

The temple (or gurdwara) is a major pilgrimage destination for Sikhs from all over the world, as well as an increasingly popular tourist attraction.

Guru Arjan Dev Ji laid the foundation of Golden Temple with the help of a Muslim saint, Hazrat Mian Mir Ji of Lahore, on 1st of Magh (December, 1588). He wanted to build a common place of worship for the Sikhs, providing a common platform where all the Sikhs could gather and offer prayer to the Almighty. This wish initiated the idea of constructing Golden Temple.

The construction work was directly supervised by Guru Arjan Sahib, with the assistance of prominent Sikh personalities like Baba Budha Ji, Bhai Gurdas Ji, Bhai Sahlo Ji and many other devoted Sikhs.

The earlier Guru Sahibs acquired the site from the Zamindars (landlords) of native villages. The plan to establish a town settlement was also made.

Therefore, the construction work on the Sarovar (The Tank) and the town started simultaneously in 1570. The tank was excavated in 1577 A.D. and was subsequently called "Amrit sarovar”, meaning the pool of the nectar of immortality.

This contributed in naming the city, which grew around it (Amritsar). In due course, a splendid Sikh edifice, Darbar Sahib (Temple of God) was constructed in the middle of this tank, which became the prime centre of Sikhism.

Golden Temple deviated from a temple in another aspect, by being open from all four sides, rather than having only one gate for both entrance and exit. This symbolized the dawn of a new faith, which embraces people without any distinction of caste, creed, sex and religion.

The building work was completed in 1604 A.D and Guru Arjan Dev Ji installed the Adi Granth in it. He appointed Baba Budha ji as its first Granthi i.e. the reader of Guru Granth Sahib. After this event, it attained the status of 'Ath Sath Tirath’.

The Golden Temple has a unique sikh architecture. It is built at a lower level than the surrounding land area. This teaches the lesson of egalitarianism and humanity.

In the early 19^th century, 100 kg of gold was applied to the inverted lotus shaped dome and decorative marbles were added. This work took place under the patronage of Maharaja Ranjit Singh who is known to be  major donor of money and materials for the shrine.

Jallianwala Bagh massacre also occurred in the city of Amritsar on 13^th April 1919 in which many Indians were killed. The killing was done by the orders of Reginald Edward Harry Dyer.

After independence, there was a partition in which India was partitioned as India and Pakistan where Punjab was divided between the two countries and Amritsar came under India. The Indo-Pak border called Wagah Border is 28km away from the city.

In June 1984, Indian Prime minister Indira Gandhi ordered an attack on armed Sikh militants holed up in Golden Temple. Over 500 people were killed in that firefight, and Sikh were outraged at the desecration of their holiest site. Four months after the attack, Indira Gandhi was assassinated by her two sikh bodyguards, leading to a massacre followed in which thousands of Sikhs lost their lives.

Although most of the damaged has been repaired but the incident cannot be forgotten.