Golden Temple
Introduction
The Golden Temple, known in India as Harmandir Sahib, is a temple located in the Indian town of Amritsar, near the Pakistani border (in the state of Punjab "Punjab (India)"). Most Sikhs visit it at least once in their life, especially during special occasions such as childbirth, birthdays and marriage.
The artificial pool at the temple site was completed by the fourth Sikh guru, Guru Ram Das, in 1577. 1762 and 1764 by the Durrani Empire.[3][5][6] Maharaja Ranjit Singh, after founding the Sikh Empire in 1799, rebuilt it in marble and copper in 1809, and covered the shrine with gold leaf in 1830. This has led to the name of the Golden Temple.[7][8][9].
The Golden Temple is spiritually the most important shrine of Sikhism. It became a center of the Singh Sabha Movement between 1883 and 1920, and the Punjabi Suba movement between 1947 and 1966. In the early 1980s, the Gurdwara became a center of conflict between the Indian government and a movement led by Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale. In 1984, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi sent in the Indian Army as part of Operation Blue Star, resulting in the death of over 1000 soldiers and civilians, as well as causing much damage to the Gurdwara and the destruction of the Akal Takht. The complex was rebuilt again after damage in 1984.[5].
The Golden Temple is a house of worship open to all people, from all walks of life and religions.[3] It has a square floor plan with four entrances and a ring road around the pool. The four entrances to the gurudwara symbolize the Sikh belief in equality and the Sikh view that all people are welcome to their sacred place.[11] The complex is a collection of buildings around the shrine and pool.[3] One of them is Akal Takht, the main center of religious authority of Sikhism.[5] Additional buildings include a clock tower, the offices of the Gurdwara Committee, a museum and a langar, a free kitchen managed by the Sikh community that offers a vegetarian meal to all visitors without discrimination.[5] More than 150,000 people visit the sacred shrine every day for worship.[12] On January 5, 2004, the "Sri Harimandir Sahib, Amritsar, Punjab" was inscribed on the Tentative List of India - a step prior to being declared a World Heritage Site - in the category of cultural property (ref. no. 1858).[13].
In the northern part of the enclosure the sanctuaries are known as the 68 sacred places since Arjan Dev, the fifth Master, explained to his devotees that a visit to this place was equivalent to the pilgrimage through the 68 sacred places of India.
The main building houses the Adi Granth, the sacred book of the Sikhs, which is read throughout the day as pilgrims visit. (devotional songs) with verses from the Adi Granth resonate throughout the building. As the sun sets, the chanting stops and the ceremony of transferring the sacred book by palanquin from the temple room to its own room in another building begins, where it remains until the next morning when it leaves again to receive the pilgrims at the temple.[14].