Golden Temple - since time
immemorial, a certain innate reverence has become an intrinsic component of
the Indian psyche. 'Gurudwara', the Sikh place of Worship, means the abode
of the 'Guru' or the divine master. Northern India abounds in gurudwaras
where the devout Sikhs, converge every day to pay obeisance to their holy
book. The Gurudwara holds ultimate sanctity for the Sikhs, in which their
sacred scripture, 'Guru Granth Sahib', is kept religiously, for worship. The
'Guru Ka Langar' offers free food to around 20,000 people everyday. The
number shoots up to 100,000 on special occasions. A visitor must cover his /
her head before entering The Golden Temple premises. Guru Arjun Dev - Nanak
V (1563-1606) laid down the foundation of the temple in 1589. His great
contemporary Muslim mystic, Mir Mohammed Muayinul Islam, popularly known as
Mian Mir was requested to lay the foundation stone. The great Sikh secular
leader, Maharaja Ranjit Singh, donated 100 kgs of gold to the temple and
thus gold was applied to the copper sheets on the roof and the exterior of
the building. The construction of the temple was completed in late sixteenth
century. The Sikh ruler, Maharaja Ranjit Singh in 1803, rebuilt it. It is a
two story marble structure, with an imposing dome of pure gold. The
architecture of the Temple is a blend of Hindu and Muslim styles. The golden
dome is meant to represent an inverted lotus flower and the interior of the
temple is decorated with semi precious stones, frescoes and glasswork. The
gnarled old Jubi Tree in the northwest corner of the compound is believed to
possess special powers. The Golden Temple's first high priest, Baba
Buddhaya, planted it. Guru-ka-Langar or the communal canteen is towards the
eastern entrance of the temple complex providing free food to all visitors,
regardless of color, creed, or caste.
'Adi Granth' (original Holy Book of the Sikhs) is kept in the temple
as the focus of devotion and teaching and read here continuously. From the
very day the first copy of the Siri Guru Granth Sahib was taken ceremonially
to the Harmandir, till the present time, it is customary to take it with the
same ceremony every morning from the Akal Takht-where it is kept each
night-to the Harmandir. It is also the city where Jallianwala Bagh, the
garden where scores of innocent Indian people were massacred by the British.
Amritsar is an institution by itself
Shrines of
Taran Taran
and
Goindwal - During his extensive tour of the Majha area of
Punjab, Guru Arjun Dev reached village Khora. The wild flowers and limpid
water of the village enchanted the Guru. Its fresh and exhilarating
atmosphere thrilled him. The Guru decided to construct a holy tank there for
which the local residents provided land. The tank was meant for devotional
ablutions of the Sikhs. It was named Taran Taran, meaning a craft to take
human beings across the world's ocean. Work on the construction of the tank
was started in 1500. The Guru built at great expense lime in kilns for
making bricks. The Shrine of Taran Taran resembles the Golden Temple of
Amritsar in beauty and splendor. It is not built in the center of the tank
as that of Amritsar but is constructed on one of the banks. The tank is very
big, its area being 300 square meters.
Ram
Das, the fourth Guru of the Sikhs, founded Amritsar, the holy city of the
Sikhs, in 1577. The name Amritsar translates as 'pool of nectar' and the
holiest shrine of the Sikh religion, the Golden Temple, is located in the
center of the city. The original copy of the holy book, the Granth Sahib, is
kept at this temple and occasionally taken out on procession. The Golden
Temple, once the dense forest home of Guru Nanak. Famous for its full golden
dome, Golden temple is one of the most sacred pilgrim spots for Sikhs. The
Temple is built on a 67-ft square of marble and is a two-storied structure.
Maharaja Ranjit Singh had the upper half of the building built with
approximately 400 kg of gold leaf. The Golden Temple is surrounded by a
number of other famous temples like the Durgiana Temple.