Introduction:
Amritsar, the holy city of Sikhs, is located in the Punjab
province of India. The name of the city is the combination
of two words ‘Amrit’ the Holy Nectar and ‘Sarovar’ which means
lake. The lake of holy nectar is situated in the Golden Temple,
the holiest of holy Sikh shrine. The Sikh prayer exhorts every
Sikh to have a dip in the holy pond. The city was also known
as Ramdaspur in earlier times. The city is a border city of
India and just 30 miles away from Lahore, Pakistan. The city
assumes a major strategic importance for India.
The history of the Darbar Sahib starts with Guru Amar Das,
who took the first steps towards building a shrine. Around
the Golden Temple, the holy city of Amritsar came into being.
His successor, Guru Ram Das, came to live near this tranquil
and peaceful site, and started building the pilgrimage centre
around the small pool, (later to become the Sarowar) which
had intially drawn Guru Amar Das. By the time of Guru Ram
Das' death, the pre eminence of the Darbar Sahib among the
sikh devotees was unquestionable. The Harmandir Sahib, or
the sanctum sanctorium, was envisoned by Guru Arjan Dev. This
was concieved by him to reflect the resoluteness, clarity
and simplicity of the Sikh relegion. The Harmindir Sahib today
stands as the hallowed symbol of the indestructability of
the Sikh faith. He designed it to have four doors, one on
each side. The Golden Temple, would thus be open to all four
castes-Kshatriyas, Brahmins, Sudras & Vaisyas.
Amritsar -Amritsar city is one of the major
cities of the Sikh nation. Amritsar is located in the northwest
part of India in the State of Punjab, 32 miles east of Lahore,
Pakistan. The main spoken language in Amritsar and in the
surrounding villages is the Punjabi dialect of Maajhi, considered
to be Standard Punjabi. Other languages spoken in the city
are English, Hindi, and Urdu.
Sightseeing:
Jallianwala Bagh
: The Jallianwala Bagh place noted for its most notorious
massacre under British rule. It is 400 meters north of the
Golden Temple. The British General Dyer was the Lieutenant
Governor of the province in 1919. He banned all meetings and
demonstrations led by Indians against the economical set back
by World War I. On 13 April 1919, pilgrims poured into Amritsar
to celebrate the Baisakhi festival, a holiday in the Sikh
calendar. In the afternoon thousands of people gathered at
Jallian Wala Bagh to celebrate the Baisakhi. This ground surrounded
by high walls on all sides has only a narrow alley for access.
General Dyer personally led the troops to the sight and ordered
his men to open fire without any warning. It resulted in the
death of 379 and injured more than 1200.
Golden Temple :
The golden temple building has four entrances instead of the
usual single entry. This is symbolic of the openness of Sikhism
and indicates that followers of all faiths are allowed inside.
The walls within are decorated with carved wooden panels and
elaborate inlay work in silver and gold. The Adi Granth, compiled
by Guru Arjan Dev, rests on a throne beneath a jewel-encrusted
canopy. Priests conduct continuous recitation of verses from
the holy book in 3-hour shifts. A complete reading of the
text stakes 48 hours. The original copy of the Guru Granth
Sahib is kept under pink shroud in the, Golden Temple during
the day and at around 10 p.m. each day is ceremoniously returned
to the Akal Takht (Sikh Parliament) building. The morning
processional ceremony takes place at 4 a.m. in Summer and
at 5 a.m. in Winter, when Sri Guru Granth Sahib is bought
from Akal takhat Sahib in a procession to the Sanctum Sanctorum,
which is washed with milk. The Akal Takht, next to the Golden
Temple, is the seat of the Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak
Committee, the religious governing body of the Sikhs. The
building of the Akal Takht was begun by Guru Arjan Dev and
completed in 1609 by Guru Hargobind. If you miss the early
morning or evening processions, the palanquin that bears the
Adi Granth can be seen in the treasury room on the first floor
of the Akal Takht. The palanquin is set with precious stones
and has silver poles and a gold canopy.
The Golden Temple is open to all. Pilgrims and visitors to
the Golden Temple must remove their shoes and cover their
heads before entering the precincts. No Smoking is allowed
inside the whole temple area, photography is permitted only
in/from the Prakarma , the marble pathway that surrounds the
sacred pool. An English speaking guide is available at the
information office near clock Tower that marks the temples
main entrance. The information office has a number of interesting
free publications.
