Golden Temple, Amritsar

by Sacred Sites Places of Peace and Power

The city of Amritsar is a historical one and one of the holiest cradle of the Sikhism religion. The Harmandir Sahib or the Darbar Sahib is the most sacred shrine of Sikhism. It is renowned by the name of Golden Temple in India and is one of the most visited pilgrimage site and one of the most popular tourism destinations in India.

The Har Mandir Sahib is believed to be established as a small temple in the year 1577 by a certain sage called Guru Ram Das but the foundation stone from Lahore was laid under the care of Fifth Sikh Guru, Guru Arjun in the year 1589. The modern temple is however built by Maharaja Ranjit Singh in the year 1830. The temple is placed at the centre of a manmade lake is made of marble, copper and bronze with the dome being foiled with gold, thus conferring the name of Golden Temple to Harmandir Sahib.

The Sikh community reveres the temple as their holiest shrine and is the home of Akal Takht sect. The gurudwara is encompassed by walls made of building of which one is a prayer shrine while the other is the langar - a free kitchen where veg food is offered to everyone absolutely free of cost as community service.

Har Mandir Sahib is located at the heart of the city of Amritsar and a major tourist spot in Punjab, India. Millions of people visit this shrine all-round the year and communication is very smooth being

one of the major frontier towns of India. The city has well connected road & rail, airport and good hotels & restaurants for tourists to visit.

The temple's architecture draws on both Hindu and Muslim artistic styles yet represents a unique coevolution of the two.

During the reign of Maharaja Ranjit Singh (1780-1839), Hari Mandir was richly ornamented with marble sculptures, golden gilding, and large quantities of precious stones.

The waters of Amritsar flowing into the lake of the Hari Mandir were long ago - and remain today - a bringer of peacefulness