It is quite simply a sight.

The Golden Temple Amritsar is not just another of those temples. It’s magnificence is not just visual; there is an inexplicability about it. The seat of Sikhism is like a shape-changing emotional reflection. An ever-changing flux of human emotions is juxtaposed on the calm and soothing visual canvas.

On a collective level,the Golden Temple is about the faith that Nanak propounded, one of equality, humility, courage, social wisdom, and the eternal search for peace as a path to God.

It is evident in every inch of this magnificent structure. Each one who is here is in a reflective It is evident in every inch of this magnificent structure. Each person who is here is in reflective mode. There are many who are helping the temple run smoothly as ever. Young men are laying coir carpets on the cold marble floors as people walk in barefoot. The elderly are helping at the counters where shoes can be kept while you go in. It is what the Sikhs call the Kar Seva: doing your bit for society and the Guru. Just doing, not expecting, and the glow on their faces is priceless.

The structure itself is a marvel. It stands in the middle of a huge lake lined by marbled pathways. It is having a mixed architectural style, predominantly Indian with a dash of Islamic style with minaret like shape

The sanctum, housing the Sri Guru Granth Sahib (the holy scripture of Sikhism), is a two-story structure topped with a distinctive golden dome. It is connected by a causeway across the lake. The gold plating on the temple makes it look heavenly. As the sun crosses the sky, the colors and hues change in mesmerizing patterns. Every angle of the complex offers a different view. The visual effect changes, but the undercurrent of the tenets of the religion remains diffused in the air all around you.

Verses from Guru Granth Sahib are being sung from within the sanctum, and the soft tone is floating around the complex.

Golden Temple : A history of sacrifice.

It was the third Sikh Guru, Guru Amar Das, who envisaged a town with a pool around it. His disciple, Guru Ramdas, the fourth guru, established the town of Ramdaspur, centered around a man-made pool, and the idea of the Golden Temple took form. It started with the temple pool, which was called the Amrit Sarovar.

It was further developed by Guru Arjan Dev, who went to complete it. In 1606 he also established the Akhal Takht, a seat of spiritual and temporal authority for the Sikh community. The Akal Takht became a platform for addressing matters of justice, morality, and community welfare, solidifying the Golden Temple’s role not only as a religious centre but also as a symbol of Sikh sovereignty.

As with those times, the Temple had it’s own problems. It was attacked and destroyed many times. The Afghan Abdali who in 1764 destroyed it for the third time,  After a few years, Maharaja Ranjit Singh  started rebuilding it in the early 1800’s . The Maharaja decided to build it in marble. It was overlayed with gold on copper sheets. This gave it the glow that the Harminder Sahib ( The house of God) got its more popular name the Golden Temple.

In a history replete with horrors created by man and his quest for power and prestige, religion has always been a cover. Like many other religious markings in Indian history, the Golden Temple was also desecrated or destroyed many times. However, since the rebuild in the 1800’s, the Golden Temple has largely remained unaffected and remained a beacon of hope, barring the utterly forgettable chapter of 1984, when the Indian Army was forced to enter it.

Solace for all….

Thousands throng the Temple seeking solace. People from all faiths visit, strengthening the very concept that the Guru’s intended to spread, one of humility and social equality.

The city of Amritsar is proud of it’s heritage and love and effort that they take to keep this high seat Sikhism in its pristine form is a real treat to watch. The langar or the community kitchen, ticks away as thousands are fed every day.

As the night creeps in , and the winter air is swirling around, the temple lights up. Thousands of oil lamps line up the marbled pathways. The dome and the surrounding structures are outlined against the dark sky. The Golden temple continues to inspire one, sparkling and shining in golden hue during the day and brightly outlined in the glow of lamps dispelling the metaphorical darkness from the society in the evening.

Of the 5 takhts of Sikhism, this is the third one I have been lucky to have prayed at,  the other two being the Sachkhand or the Huzur Sahib Takht at Nanded , Maharashtra, and the Anantpur Sahib Takht .

No matter where you are, you are in the presence and enveloped by peace, humility and social responsibility that the Gurus have been preaching. A feeling of being in a space where all are equal….

“Na ko veri, nahi begana, sagal sang hum ko ban aai” 

(neither anybody is strange to me nor my enemy. All are my brothers.)

Jo Bole so nihal. Sat Sri Akal

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