The Golden Temple-English

7/29/2019 The Golden Temple-English

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-golden-temple-english 1/16

cffk

Golden Temple

Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, Amritsar

Price Rs.4/-

Page 1 www.sikhbookclub.com



II DO REMEMBER PLEASE

,. Tobacco, narcoits and intoxicants in any

shape or form are not to be carried into the

Temple Precincts.

2. SHOES including SOCKS, STICKS and

UMBRELLAS o f visitors are to be left outside the

Holy Premises. They are taken care o f by the

Temple employees FREE OF CHARGE.

3. Visitors will please WASH their feet at the

taps at the entrance outside the Holy grounds.

I 4. Visitors will please keep their HEADS

COVERED all the time they are inside the Golden

Temple Complex or in the Holy Premises.

5. Photography is permitted only around the

PARKARMA (Water Tank).




THE GOLDEN TEMPLE 3

SIKHISM

1. FOUNDER OF THE FAITH

~ e v . Raymond Rqynes observed in course o f a

sermon in Johannesburg, "It has often happened in

history that some particular person is born in whom

the aspiration and the dire needs o f his generation

seem to be crystallized and there isa

stirring o fmen'shearts. "

Such a man was Guru Nanak (7469-7539 A.D.)

-the founder o f Sikhism. Guru Nanak was a

monotheist. He did not believe in the caste system.

Spiritual urge led him to renounce the world in

adolescence. His liberal outlook, born o f intense

spirituality o f a very high order, was intolerant o f all

current conventions and meanigless formalities. Herealised that truth cannot be the monopoly o f any

individual sec t or book, revealed or otherwise that the

Ultimate Truth is latent in every man. It has to be

brought out by sincere, selfless and life-long "Sadhana"

{endeavour}. He said- "Man becomes man when the

Ultimate Truth dawns upon him ,. when he can love

truth sincerely. "

Guru Nanak was a widely travelled man. He

travelled over the whole o f India and Ceylon, Tibet,

Sikkam and even went to remote places like Mecca inArabia and Persia. After long wanderings o f more

than 40,000 square miles in 4 Udasis spreading over

a peiod o fmore than 40 years extending over many

lands. Nanak came back home and settled down as

a house-holder. He declared- "God is to be foundneither in the Quran nor in the Puranas". The writerso f holy books have flaunted their erudition in their

works. The Shastras are full o f errors. One needs not

renounce the world to attain God. He {God} reveals

Himself and is immanent in our every day life. The

anchorite in the cave and the prince in the palace are



THE GOLDEN TEMPLE

equal in His eyes. God is concerned not with the

caste, but with the doings o fman. Nanak was against

the superstitions and idol-worship o f the Hindus andthe intolerance of the Muslims. He tried hard to do

away with all these.

The universalism o f Saba Nanak's teachings like

Fatherhood o f God and Brotherhood o f Mankind

achieved a fair measure o f success in effecting asynthesis o f Hinduism and Islam. The unity o f God

and the brotherhood o f man are the burden o f his

message. The essential features of his system are itsnon-sectarian character and its harmony with secular

life. True to his teachings, Guru Nanak counted Hindus

as well as muslims among his discipIes.

Essentially a man o f God, Guru Nanak was afriend o f humanity as well. The institution o f "Langar"

{Community Kitchen} introduced by the Sikh Gurus

bears testimony to this. None knew better than they

that religious instruction sounds hol low and

hypocritical to a hungryman. The institution o f

community kitchen has another significance too. It

induced those who came to the Guru to rise above

casteism, an artih"cial barrier between man and man.

After Guru Nanak's death in 1539, his mantle

fell on his successor. Gurus-nine in all-regarded by

the Sikhs as incarnations o f the master himself GuruGobind Singh the last of them {1666-1708}, infused

a new life into the Sikhism and organised the Sikhs as

thoroughly as a "Grecian law-giver" could think o f

He was the friend, philosopher and guide o f his folkduring the most critical period in the history o f the

community.

Propounded and propagated by the men o f

saintly disposition, permeated through and through

with a spirit o f selfless service and patriotism. Sikhism

has become a most modern religion through "sacrih"ce,turmoil and perfection, " and the followers o f the faithhave covered themselves with glory in the process.

***

Page 4 www sikhbookclub com



THE GOLDEN TEMPLE 5

- -

II. THE GOLDEN TEMPLE--------------+

Amritsar (Lit. The Tank o f Nectar) is, first and

foremost, the city o f the Golden Temple (Swarna

Mandir) or Darbar Sahib (the Court Divine). Actually

known as HARI Mandir (the Temple o f God), it is the

ardent desire o f every devout Sikh to pay at least one

visit to the Golden Temple and offer obesiance.Long Long ago, the present city o f Amritsar was

a dense forest with a pool in it. Several villages

fringed the forest. According to traditions, Lord

Buddha is believed to have stopped here for a while

and to have said, "The spot is the best for the Bhikshus

(Budhist monks) to attain their Nirvana (Salvation) and

is for superior in that respect to other places so forvisited,' But it must have time for its celebrity." The

place acquired some prominence in the earlier days

o f Buddhism. But it did not last long and in the days

o f Guru Nanak, (Amritsar) was again a dense,

deserted forest owned by the adjoining villages o f

Tung, Sultanwind, Gumtala and Gilwali.

Guru Nanak lived here for a time in 7532. He

was charmed by the secluded spot "too for from the

maddening crowd's ignoble strife fl .

The pool was enlarged and converted into a

regular tank by Guru Ram Dos (J574-7587), the

fourth Master. He named it AMRIT-SAROVAR (The

Pool o f Nectar). The City that grew around the tank

also came to be known as Amritsar.

Bhai letha, the future Guru Ram Dos (7574

7587), the fourth Master, was sent here by the third

master Guru Amar Dos (7552-74) to found a common

centre for commerce and worship. Guru Ram Dos

laid the foundation o f a village. It has grown largest

city o f the post partition Punjab. The village was

formerly called Guru Ka Chak. It is popularly believed



THE GOLDEN TEMPLE 6

that the village was built on a site bought with 700

Akbri rupees.

The excavation o f Amrit-Sarower was begun by

Guru Ram Das in 1574. After the death o fGuru Amar

Das/ next year the work was abandoned. It was

resumed two years later in 1576. The small village

founded by Guru Ram Das had by this time grown

into a township. It came to be known as Chak Ram

Das or Ramdaspur. The excavation o f the tank was

completed in 1589/ during the pontificate o f Guru

Arian.

Guru Arian built the HARI MANDIR in the centre

o f this tank (AMRIT SAROVAR). The temple was at

first known as Hari Mandir. The foundation o f the

Mandir was laid on Magh ' / 1645 Samvat ()anuary/

1589) by the Muslim saint Mian Mir/ a friend and

admirer o f Guru Arian and belonged to lahore.The Mandir was completed in 1601 and the Adi

Grantha was installed therein on Bhadron/ ' / 1661

Sam vat (August-Septembe0 1604). Baba Budha was

appointed the first / l G r a n t h i ' ~ i.e. the reader o f the

Holy Scdpture (Adi Grantha).

The Had Mandir has a chequered history and

changed hands a number o f times. The Sikhs wereturned out o f their temple and temple itself was

destroyed and desecrated again and again by the

Mughal rulers. Again and again did the Sikhs

recovered it and avenged the sacrilege at a

tremendous sacrifice. There are many stories o f

bravery and heroism displayed by the Sikhs for the

recovery o f the temple .

The Mughal Governor o f lahore drove the Sikhs

out o f the tem pIe about the middle of the 18th century.

Troops were posted to keep them away from Amritsar

and Had Mandir. A Sikh could have a dip in the

sacred water o f the tank and drink it only at the risk

o f his life. A police post and a civil court were

established in the temple in 1740. The Mughal




THE GOLDEN TEMPLE 7

commandant Massa Ranghar used the holy Sanctrum

as a dancing hall. The tem pie precincts were used as

stables. Two valiant Sikhs Mehtab Singh and Sukha

Singh came all the way from Bikaner to punish the

Ranghar. Disguised as cultivators, they got into the

tem pie precincts on the plea o f paying the land

revenue. While Mehtab Singh entered the temple,

Sukha Singh s tood guard outside. The former killed

Massa Ranghar and escaped with his companion

before the officialguard had recovered from the shock.The murder o f Massa Ranghar was followed by a

severe persecution o f the Sikhs and they were

com pelled to go into hiding. The tem pie was locked.

Sentries were posted at the entrance with strict orders

not to let any stranger in.

The Sikhs, however took advantage o f the

confusion and anarchy which followed Nadir Shah's

invasion o f India (7739). Jassa Singh Kalal, one o f

the im portant Sikh leaders o f the time, openly declared

that the Dal Khalsa i. e. the Sikh Commonwealth would

be the new rulers o f the land. But Ahmad Shah

Abdali 's invasion o f India (7747) ushered in a new

era o f persecution for the Sikhs. Abdal i was

determined to wipe out the Sikhs out o f existence and

to pull down the Golden Temple. The Temple wasoccupied and desecrated in 7757 in the famous year

o f the Baffle o f Plassey, which made the English-the

de-facto Masters o f Bengal, Bihar, Orrisa. The Sikhs,

however, united under two o f their leaders-both named

fassa Singh and occupied Lahore and Amritsar in

7758.

On hearing about the desecration o f the GoldenTemple, a body of Sikhs under the leadership o fBaba

Deep Singh started at once to avenge the insult. A

bloody encounter took place about eight miles away

from Amritsar. Yet the avengers went on CUffing their

way through the Muslim hordes. When about four

miles from the City, Baba Deep Singh was mortally




THE GOLDEN TEMPLE 8

wounded- he staggered and was about to fall, a

comrade-in-arms reminded him o f his vow to reach

the sacred precincts, he at once recovered himself.With his left hand he gripped and supported his almost

chopped off head and with the right, he went on

moving the enemies. Thus fighting, this unique warrior

reached the holy precincts. His vow fumlled- he let

drop his head and went to the eternal abode o f

martyrs. Near the spot stands the memorial later

erected in memory o f him and his great deed. It is

called Gurdwara Shaheed Bunga Baba Deep Singh.

The Abdali, however, was not the man to let a

Challenge go unaccepted. He invaded India in 7762

and inflicted a deadly blow on the Sikhs in the baffle

o f Kup Rahira in District Ludhiana. This event is still

remembered as "Ghallughara ". The victor raided

Amritsar on his way back to Kabul. The Golden

Temple was blown up with gunpowder by him andthe holy tank was also desecrated. Countless Sikhs

laid down their lives in the defence o f their shrine.

After the final departure o f Ahmed Shah Abdali

from India in 7767, the Sikhs re-conquered the Punjab

and re-occupied the Golden Temple. The Temple was

re-constsructed subsequently. The holy tank was

cleared o f the debris. Both have remained in theirpossession ever since without interruption. Maharaja

Ranjit Singh (7780-7839), the Lion o f the Punjab,

beautified the Temple with gold work, gilding tbe

upper half with golden sheets and the lower half with

Indian marble, mosaics with semiprecious stones. The

tem pIe was managed in his days by a Council o f the

Sikhso f

which the Maharaja was the head. Thecouncil functioned till the end o f the Punjab as a

sovereign State.

The Golden Temple passed under the control o f

one man, the 'Sarbrah' (Manager), during the British

period. The ' S a r b r a h - ~ a nominee o f the Deputy

Commissioner o f Amritsar mismanaged the affairs o f




THE GOLDEN TEMPLE 9

the temple. Immoralities were practised within the

Tem pie precincts. Practices, repugant to the tenets o f

Sikhism were openly indulged in. The Sikhs resentedthe obiectionable practices. The resentment grew and

grew till at last it took shape in the Sikh Gurdwara

Reform Movement o f the early twenties o f the present

century. The Akali Dal became the spearhead o f the

struggle for the reform o f the places o f worship. The

struggle was directed against the control o f the Sikh

shrines by the 'Mahants ' and agains t foreignim perialism. The Dal made great sacrih"ces for the

cause. Their activities awakened the Puniab and the

Puniabees. The members o f the Dal took vow o f

Swadeshi and non-violence. 'Satyagrah' was the

weapon used by them. Public opinion in the Puniab

was behind them. Nationalist India looked on the

struggle with admiration.

The curtain was h"nally drawn with the launching

o f the Gurdwara Reform Movement when the Sikh

Gurdwara Act, 1925, ves ted the control and

management o f the Golden Temple in the Shiromani

Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, a representative

body o f the Sikhs, elected by adult franchise.

The Golden Temple, a two storied marble

structure, is built on a 67 ft. square platform in the

centre o f the sacred tank, Amrit Sar, the central dome

o f the temple and the upper half o f the walls were

covered with Gold-leafed copper sheets by Maharaia

RanFt Singh. Hence the name Golden Temple also

came into being. The temple under the blue sky

dazzling in the sunlight presents a splended look to

eyes. The temple itself is 40.5 ft. square. It has adoor each on the East, West, North and South. The

four doors of the Golden Temple are symbolic. They

manifest that the temple is open to all,· the people

can come here irrespective o f religion, caste, creed

or sex. 20.9'')(19.6''marble causeway on the western

shore o f the tank leads to the western portal o f the

P 9 ikhb k l b



THE GOLDEN TEMPLE 10

tem pIe. A fine arch called the 'Darshni Darwaza'

stands at the shore-end o f the causeway. The door

frame o f the arch is about 10ft. in height and 8 ft. 6inches in breadth. The door panes are decorated with

artistic ivory work. A 38 feet wide promenade called

the "Parikarma" (Path o f circumabulation) runs around

the tank.

On a platform under a gorgeous canopy studded

with iewels on the ground floor o f the Golden Temple

lies the Adi Grantha (The Sikh Bible). It is carried ina golden palanquin from the Akal Takhat (the Divine

Throne) in the Temple precincts to the Golden Temple

at 5 a.m. in the morning in winter and at 4 a.m. in

summer. The Adi Grantha is carried back to the 'Akal

Takhat'in the same palanquin at 9 p.m. in winter and

at 10 p.m. in ,summer. Hymns from the Holy Book are

sung without a break throughout the day in the temple.

The Ragis (the musicians) are paid em ployees o f the

Temple Committee. There is no formal or ritualistic

worship. All visitors are welcomed. They place

offering in the shape o f money and flowers before

the Holy Book. There is no com pulsion, no coercion.

Information Guides are provided by the temple

authorities to show the visitors round, free o f charge.

A 13 ft. 6 inches wide 'Pradakhina' (procession

path) cencircles the holy o f holies, Steps on the East

o f the 'Pradakshina' lead to the waters o f the sacred

tank. The Steps are called Har-ki-Pauri (Steps o fGod).

The walls o f the ground floor o f the Golden

Tem pIe are laid with marble slabs inlaid with

arabesques o f conventional flower sprays, in semi

precious stones o f various colours. The walls o f theupper storey, the cornices, the roof columns, cupolas,

in a word, almost every inch available space with the

exception o f the floor, are a glittering mass o f gilded

copper. The eastern loggia o f the tem pIe is covered

with gilded copper plates presented by Rani Sada

Kaur, mother-in-law o f Maharaia RanFt Singh. The





remaining three sides were similarly beautified by the

Maharaia himself The decoration work in gold goesto. the credit o f the Maharaia, his son Kharak Singh

and grandson Nau-Nihal Singh.

The floor o f the upper storey o f the Golden

Temple is 40 ft. each way. It is paved with marble

the interior o f the walls is ornamented with floral

designs. There is a small "Shish Maha!" (Hall o f

Mirrors) on the upper storey. It was originally the

pavilion where the Gurus used to sit. Beautified byRanFt Singh, it is now used for 'Akhand Path' (Non

stop recitation o f the Adi Grantha from cover to cover).

Hymns are inscribed on its walls in letters o f gold.

On the third storey stands the grogeous gold dome.

Smaller domes decorate the parapet.

The architecture o f the Golden Temple represents

a happy blending o f the Hindu and Muslim artistictraditions. It is howevermore than a mere combination

o f the two. It marks the beginning o f a new school o f

temple architecture in India.

The golden work of the temple is being changed

and fresh gold plates have been installed through the

offering o f Sangats from England.

***




T HE G OLD EN T E M P L E /2

III. AROUND THE GOLDEN TEMPLE

Q9i'visit to the Golden Temple is incomplete

without a visit to the following among others-

1. AKAL TAKHATIt rightly faces the Golden Temple. Built by the

Sixth Master Guru Hargobind (1606-44) in 1609, it

has been the nerve centre o f the Sikhism ever since.

All commandments affecting the community as a whole

were and are issued from here. The Akal Takhat was

used for holding court and Sikh congregations in the

days o f its builder.

The Akal Takhat was pulled down several times

by the Muslim raiders. The ground floor o f the present

building was constructed in 1874. Three storeys weresubsequently added by Maharaia RanFt Singh. A

number o f weapons used by Guru Hargobind- Guru

Gobind Singh and other Sikh" heroes are preserved

at Akal Takhat. In 1984 during Operation Blue Star-

Akal Takhat was badly damaged by the Indian Army.

Thereafter it was repaired by the Indian Govt. But

when handed over to the Sikh Community, it was nota cce p te d and pUlled down again. It wasreconstructed afresh b y the community itself throughKar-Sewa.

2. BABA ATAL

A nine-storeyed tower, built in memory o f Atal

Rai (D. 1628), a son o f Guru Hargobind- is calledBaba Ata! Atal Rai died at nine. He was called 'Baba'

(an old man) because he carried an old head over

young shoulders. The tower was built between 1778

and 17B4. It is the only o f its kind in the city with

108 ft. height.




THE GOLDEN TEMPLE

3. GURU KA LANGAR

13

A Sikh temple without a Community Kitchen isinconceivable. Cooked food is serviced in the kitchen

o f the G o l d ~ n Temple 24 hours to all visitors

irrespective o f religion, caste, creed and nationality.

The expenses are met out o f the Temple funds.

Approximately 50,000 visitors share the meals

everyday presently.

4. SR I GURU RAM DAS NIWAS

The Niwas is a free hostel for the pilgrims

maintained by the Temple authorities. It has been

built by the Gurdwara Committee. It has228

roomsand 78 big halls. Unlike the ordinary 'Dharamsalas'

the Niwas supplies the facilities o f free beddings, cots,

lights and fans etc. to the lodgers. A lodger is not

generally allowed to stay here for more than three

days at a time. The doors o f the hostels are open to

all. The lodgers however must not do anything

repugnant to the teachings o f Sikhism.

5. GURU NANAK NIWAS

There are 66 Rooms in Guru Nanak Niwas-22

with attached baths and 44 without baths, but on each

floor there are 70 bath rooms and ten flush latrines so

as to make stay comfortable.

6 . AKAL REST HOUSE

There is Akal Rest House having 26 rooms with

double beds and attached bath rooms are provided

on a nominal Rent.




17. GURU HARGOB IND NIWAS

There are 92 double bed rooms with attached

bath in addition to four halls. Rooms are available at

Rs. 50/- per day.

8. GURU ARJAN DEV NIWAS

There are 700 rooms (ie all double bed rooms)with attached bath are availble. In addition to the

above there are 4 medium and Large Halls.

9. MATA GANGA JI NIWAS

An accomodation just in front of Guru Hargobind

Niwas with 720 rooms and 8 big Halls is very shortly

coming up.

10. THE SGPC OFFICES

The headquarters o f the Shiromani Gurdwara

Parbandhak Committee are located in the Teja Singh

Samundn Hall near the Golden Temple. The

Gurdwara Act 1925, transferred the control o f the

historical Sikh Shrines in the Punjab to the SGPc. It is

a representative body o f the Sikhs elected by adult

franchise.

IAmong th e o th er ob jec ts o f i n t e re s t

I a round th e Golden Temp l e wor th

mentioning are :

(a) Dukh Bhanjni Ber (Jujube Tree)

(b) Thara Sahib

(c) Ber Baba Budha Ji

(d) Gurdwara Ilachi Ber

(e) Ath Sath Tirath (Sixty eight holy places

concentsed into one)

&

(f) Gurdwara Shaheed Bunga Baba Deep Singh.

The Golden Temple possesses a fine collection

o f jewellery and valuable articles o f considerable




THE GOLDEN TEMPLE

artistic and historical importance.

deserve a special mention:

/5

I

The following

(0) GOLDEN DOOR PANELS

There are four pairs o f them.

I{b) GOLDEN CANOPY-

The canopy studded with precious iewels, is an

obiect o f exquisite workmanship and great arfisific

value.

(e) JEWELLED HEAD-BAND-

It is a gift from Maharaia Ranii' Singh. It was

prepared for the marriC!ge o f the son o f Maharaia

RanFt Singh, at the time o f marriage. The Maharaia

presented it to the Golden Temple.

7. CENTRAL SIKH MUSEUM-

Central Sikh Museum has paintings o f Sikh Gurus,

Saints, Sikh warriors and other prominent Sikh leaders

who have in their own way contributed a lot to the

enhancement o f Sikh Religion.

***

Printed ot :

Golden offset Press (SGPC), Ramsar Road, Amritsar.

January 2001/25,000




•

• •

oo

GOLDEN TEMPLE

Main Entrance & Clock Tower2 Central Sikh Museum

Sarowar (Pool of Nectar).4 Dukh Bhanjani Ber

5 Ath Sath T:rath (68 Holy Places)

6 Watch Towers

Langar

8 Guru Ram Das Sarai

Teja Singh Samundari Hall

(SGPC O1Iices)

Guru Nanak Nlwas

11 Gurdwara Baba Atal Ji

12 Manji Sahib'Dewan Hall

.1 Baba Deep Singh Shrine

I Lachi Ber

15 Sri Akal Takhat Sahib16, Nishan Sahibs (Flagstaffs)

17 Thara sahib (9th Guru's Shrine)

18 Darshani Deori (Galway)

l' Causeway

, 1 Sanctum-Sanctorum

t. Ber Baba Budha Ji

2:t Parkarma (Circumambulatory)

2 Guru Hargobind Niwas

Guru Arjan Dev Niwas

, " Information Office

Documents

The Golden Temple-English