Golden Temple (Sri Harmandir Sahib)

The Golden Temple (Sri Harmandir Sahib) is a notable Sikh gurdwara, or place of worship, located in Amritsar in the Punjab region of India. Founded by Guru Ram Das in the late sixteenth century, the Golden Temple serves as both a symbol of the Sikh faith and as the religion’s primary administrative center. The Golden Temple sits at the center of a lake called the Sarovar and is ringed by a complex of buildings that house shrines to Sikh leaders, a museum, an information office, a community kitchen, and other facilities. Visited by up to one hundred and fifty thousand people per day, the Golden Temple is among the holiest places in the world. While many of its visitors are devout Sikhs, the glittering, gold-plated temple is open to people of all faiths. For this reason, the Golden Temple is typically regarded as one of India's friendliest and most welcoming locales.

Background

Founded in India in the late fifteenth century, Sikhism is the world’s youngest major monotheistic religion, though it is also sometimes considered pantheistic. While many followers live in India, there are more than 26 million Sikhs worldwide. Sikhism was founded in the Punjab region of India by Guru Nanak, the first of the ten gurus responsible for the teachings upon which the faith was built. The gurus promoted peace, harmony, and social equality. As a result, Sikhs believe that doing good deeds is more important than adhering to strict religious rituals. Further, they believe that the key to living a good life is keeping God in one’s heart and mind at all times, living honestly and working hard, treating all people equally, being generous to those in need, and—perhaps most importantly—serving others.

While Guru Nanak and his nine successors all influenced the development of Sikhism, Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth and final guru, may have had the most significant impact on modern Sikhism. He announced that the line of gurus would cease following his passing and that instead of relying on a guru, Sikhs would seek spiritual guidance from the teachings of a holy book known as the Guru Granth Sahib. Further, the Guru Granth Sahib would be granted the status of a guru and would be given the same respect that would typically be afforded to a human guru. Guru Gobind Singh also proclaimed that when Sikhs could not find the spiritual answers, they sought from the Guru Granth Sahib, they were to use the principles of the scriptures to make decisions on issues as a community. In another influential move, Guru Gobind Singh also created the Khalsa, a core group of committed followers who have been initiated into the Sikh faith. Khalsa initiates remain the most ardent and dedicated followers of Sikhism.

The Sikh house of worship is called a gurdwara, which means "the residence of the guru," or "the door that leads to the guru." This name reflects the fact that each gurdwara houses the Guru Granth Sahib. While various gurdwaras can be found worldwide, the Golden Palace in Amritsar is considered the most sacred.

Overview

The Golden Temple and the surrounding city of Amritsar are the spiritual and administrative capital of the Sikh religion. Before the early sixteenth century, the area now known as Amritsar consisted of little more than a lake and a nearby forest. Its importance to Sikhs arose when Guru Nanak visited the lake to meditate and eventually retired there. In the wake of his death, faithful Sikhs began making pilgrimages to the lake, which was believed to have special healing properties. Over time, the lake became known as Amritsar, or “pool of the nectar of immortality.”

In the late sixteenth century, Guru Ram Das—the third successor of Guru Nanak—chose Amritsar as the site for a new place of worship and began enlarging the lake and building a temple. Construction was subsequently completed in 1601 under the guidance of Guru Arjan Dev. Three years later, the Adi Granth, a Sikh holy book that contained the writings of the gurus, was brought to be housed at the temple. Over time, the temple was destroyed and rebuilt on several occasions as the Sikh community endured attacks from enemies. In 1830, the upper exterior of the main temple structure was covered in gold plating. From that point forward, it was commonly called the Golden Temple.

The Golden Temple first prominently came to the attention of the non-Sikh world in 1984 when Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi ordered a military invasion of the temple to remove of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, a militant Sikh preacher who began an occupation of the temple grounds the previous year. Bhindranwale, several of his followers, and several Sikh bystanders were killed in the melee that ensued. A few months later, Gandhi was assassinated by two of her Sikh bodyguards in retaliation.

The broader temple complex is located in the center of Amritsar, which rose up around the Golden Temple over time. The temple complex has four main gates, so visitors can enter from any direction. The peripheral building that accounts for the external structure of the temple complex wraps around the entire perimeter of the temple grounds and includes administration offices, dining halls, dormitories, and other facilities. The Golden Temple itself is located in the middle of a body of water called the Sarovar. The Sarovar is itself surrounded by the external structure of the temple complex. It is connected to the rest of the complex by a causeway that doubles as a queue for people waiting to enter. The interior of the Golden Temple is lavishly adorned with gold, precious stones, and marble flooring. Like all gurdwaras, the Golden Temple also features a community kitchen with complimentary meals for all visitors. The Golden Temple’s community kitchen is the largest in any gurdwara worldwide. The kitchen features a dining area where pilgrims are surrounded by artistic depictions of key historical events and several sacred trees preserved since the eighteenth century. In the twenty-first century, the Golden Temple continued to welcome hundreds of thousands of visitors daily and, on special occasions, could see over six hundred thousand visitors. It has played a religious, economic, political, and cultural role in India and continued to be a major site of spiritual pilgrimage and a top tourist destination.

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