Posted on June 21st, 2008 by Mastermind  •  Filed under: Gallery

Harmandar Sahib, literally Hari-Mandir (meaning “House of God”) . It is situated in the city of Amritsar in Punjab. It is a living symbol of the spiritual and historical traditions of the Sikhs. It is a source of inspiration for all Sikhs being their Sanctum Sanctorum, is also popularly known as the Golden Temple because of the gold plating on it. It is also called Darbar Sahib (Divine Court) The temple with it’s glistening gold covered exterior stands in the middle of a square tank with each side about 150m with an 18m parikarma on all four sides.

A 60m causeway traverses the pool to reach the Temple itself which is 12m square and rests on a 20m square platform in the middle of the Pool of Nectar. Harmandar Sahib has entrance on all four sides. Guru Arjan Dev ji exclaimed, “My faith is for the people of all castes and all creeds from whichever direction they come and to which ever direction they bow”. Guru Amar Das ji, the third Sikh Guru, asked Bhai Jetha (who would go on to become the fourth Guru, Guru Ram Das ji) to build a central place of congregation for the Sikhs. Guru Ram Das ji started excavation work in 1577 during his lifetime. Guru Arjun Dev ji, the fifth Guru, completed excavation of the sarovar known as Amritsar (the Pool of Nectar) in 1588. Guru Arjan Dev ji then started construction of the Hari Mandir building, which was finally completed in 1601. The Aad Granth compiled by Guru Arjan Dev Ji, installed there in 1604 with Baba Buddha as the first granthi (reader of the holy scripture). The last Sikh Guru to live in Amritsar was the sixth Guru, Guru Hargobind ji. In 1664, Guru Tegh Bahadur ji, the ninth Guru, visited Harmandar Sahib but was refused entry by the corrupt caretaker Masands. Harmandar Sahib has always been a rallying point for Sikhs throughout Sikh history. Around 1740, Massa Ranghar, the ruler of Amritsar, desecrated Darbar Sahib by using it as a dancing hall. Bhai Sukha Singh and Bhai Mehtab Singh killed him. In 1761, Ahmed Shah Abdali blew up the Harmandar and filled the Sarovar with refuse. The great Sikh martyr Baba Deep Singh laid down his life in freeing Harmandar Sahib of the desecrators. The construction of Harmandar Sahib as it appears today was begun in 1764 when Jassa Singh Ahluwalia laid the foundation stone. Many of the doors and domes were covered with copper sheets overlaid with gold during the reign of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. Bullets damaged Harmandar Sahib during the military invasion of the Indian Army during June 1984.