Golden Temple - Amritsar, India

Sacred beauty: The Golden Temple, popular amongst the adherents of the Sikh religion as Sri Harmandir Sahib or Sri Darbar Sahib, is the sacred seat of Sikhism. On a jewel-studded platform is the Adi Grantha or the sacred scripture of Sikhs wherein are enshrined holy inscriptions by the ten Sikh gurus and various Hindu and Moslem saints.

The years that went in the making...The origin of this sacred shrine is still debated. The most accepted genesis is that the waters of the present Amrit Sarovar or the lake of Nectar had medicinal properties that could cure various ailments as serious as leprosy. The third Sikh Guru, Amar Das even found a herb on its bank that cured the skin ailment of his predecessor Guru Angad. This place became the obvious choice of Guru Amar Das and his successor Ram Das for building an abode of worship for the propagation of their faith. The construction of the tank and the formation of a quiet hamlet of followers in its vicinity was completed by 1577. The fifth Sikh Guru Arjan Sahib, when he ascended the throne, decided to construct a temple right at the middle of that tank. It is believed that at his behest a muslim saint, Hazrat Mian Mir ji of Lahore, laid the foundation of the temple in December, 1588. Laborious toils of Sikh devotees followed to give to the world one of its most beautiful shrines ever. The tank was christened Amritsar - that became the very name of that place.
Right from big-wigs in the literary world (Mark Twain called the journey his most enjoyable day on earth) and nature enthusiasts to the Bollywood - the toy train so synonymous with Darjeeling - continues to mystify its guests with a journey one of its kind. If you want to have a dekko first, watch the Bollywood flick Pareenita’s song sequence “Kesto majaa” video. Irresistible - it is!

An Architectural Achievement: The Golden temple, unlike the usual Hindu temple architecture, was constructed on the lower level on a 67 ft. square platform, in the center of the tank and had four entrances. The golden gilding and the rich ornamentation with precious stones dates back to the reign of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. The 202 ft bridge that leads to the temple is connected with the circumambulatory path that borders the temple and leads to the ‘Har ki Paure’ or the steps of God. The very structure seems to emanate the secularism that its builders aimed to propagate and is often quoted to stand as the progenitor of the independent Sikh school of Architecture.
The chants of the devotees sanctify the entire area from dawn till dusk and the pilgrims and tourists strolling in its vicinity and around the marbled concourse encircling the pool, experience a spiritual nirvana too powerful to be contained in mere language.