Golden Temple, Amritsar

The Golden Temple or "Darbar Sahib" at Amritsar is the most sacred place for the Sikhs. The Golden temple symbolizes the magnificence of the Sikhs all over the world. The Golden Temple also known as Harmandir Sahib is an example of the spirit of tolerance and acceptance that the Sikh philosophy propounds. In the architecture of the Golden temple are included symbols associated with places of worship of other religions. The Sikhs and people of other religions pay visit to Amritsar and to pay obeisance at Sri Harmandir Sahib.

Guru Arjan Singh got the foundation of the Golden temple laid by a Sufi saint Mian Mir of Lahore in December, 1588. The construction work was directly supervised by Guru Arjan Sahib himself. Sri Harmandir Sahib is built on a 67ft. square platform in the centre of a Sarovar (tank). The Golden temple has entrance from all the four sides and is accessible to every person without any distinction of Caste, creed, sex and religion. There is a 13 ft circumambulatory path around the main shrine. It was mainly in the nineteenth century, during the reign of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, that the people lavished their wealth on the Golden temple.

The Guru Granth Sahib, the holy book of the Sikhs, was installed in the Harmandir Sahib in 1604. The location of the Granth Sahib here, adds to the sanctity and veneration of the Harmandir Sahib. Here lies the spirit and soul of Sikhism. This symbol of abiding faith and tolerance is held in high esteem by every Sikh. The Golden temple is the place which every Sikh dreams of visiting. Golden Temple tour is a must for the Sikhs coming to India.

History of Golden Temple
The history of The Golden Temple begins from 1574, when Akbar the Mughal Emperor gifted the land to the daughter of the third Guru Amar Das, when she married Jetha who later became the fourth Guru, Guru Ram Das. In 1577, Guru Ram Das started to construct a fresh water tank. In 1588, Guru Arjun Dev, the son of Guru Ram Das and also the fifth guru, oversaw the foundation of the temple. He also completed the construction and compiled the Adi Granth after five years. In 1606, Guru Har Govind set the foundation stone of the Akal Takht, which is the throne of the spiritual authority. In 1699, Bhai Mani Singh was appointed as the curator of the temple.
After the attack of the Afghan king in 1757, Maharaja Ranjit Singh sponsored marble inlay, the gold plating in 1830. However, in 1984, the Golden Temple was attacked by Sikh separatists and the Indian army troops fought into the temple compound and killed around 500 Sikh rebels. 100 Indian soldiers died here that took place for several hours.

Architecture
The Golden Temple has a unique architectural style and is built at a level lower than the ground. There are four entrances here known by various names. The temple is a two storey marble structure and can be reached by the Guru's bridge. The upper floor is gold plated and crowned with a dome and the lower floor is made with white marble and has walls decorated with motifs. The architecture is a great blend of Hindu and Muslim styles.

How to Reach
The Golden Temple can be reached by road, train and air. While in Amritsar, one can easily reach by taking a taxi to the Golden temple. Other forms of local transport here are cycle rickshaws and city buses. Other cities are also well-connected to the Golden Temple. Delhi is 435 km and Chandigarh is 235 km from the Golden Temple.
Amritsar is well-connected by rail with Mumbai, Varanasi, Delhi, Kolkata and other major places in India. Amritsar is also properly connected by air to other parts of the country. One can easily fly from Delhi and Srinagar to Amritsar. Most of the flights are from Delhi, which is an hour away. There are international connections as well.