THE GOLDEN TEMPLE

Indian culture and heritage are things that represent this country for what it is. Look at the monuments erected in this amazing country that follows a number of religions and speaks numerous dialects. The history of this country has been enriched by the people who lived in harmony, by people who preached different religions and also by the invaders who invaded India time and again leaving it a little less rich sometimes and a little wealthier at other times. The people however have tried to maintain harmony in their lives being true to their religions and being tolerant and respectful to others religions. A standing example of one such architectural masterpiece is the Golden Temple at Amritsar. True to its name this temple is made completely of pure gold and is the sacred pilgrimage center of the Sikhs.

The Golden Temple more famously known as the Harmandir Sahib or the Sri Mandir Sahib in India derives its name from Hari (The Hindu God) – the temple of God. The idea of building a sacred place of worship for the Sikhs was conceived and styled by Guru Arjan Sahib. The plan included an Amritsarovar or Amritsar (the holy tank) whose excavation was supposed to be initiated by Guru Amardas Sahib but was finally executed by Guru Ramdas Sahib.

This piece of architecture has an interesting history to it. It is almost as if it was deliberately crafted to bring harmony between the Hindus and the Muslims, two religions that have been in constant conflict with each other. The Golden Temple had its foundation laid by a Muslim saint Hazrat Mian Mir Ji of Lahore. The construction of the temple later on was supervised by Guru Arjan Sahib himself along with help from various other prominent Sikh personalities of the time. The temple's take on architecture is a little different from the rather conventional style of Hindu temples. In contrast to Hindu temples, the golden temple is built on a lower level than an elevated one and also has four entrance gates, one on each side. This was mainly executed with an eye towards opening the gates of the temple to one and all irrespective of caste, creed and religion.

The golden temple stands on a 64 sq ft square platform in the middle of the tank (sarovar). An arch welcomes the entrance of a bridge that runs around the perimeter of the shrine and leads down to steps. An outstanding part of the architecture of the temple is the Gumbaz (dome) that sits on the third storey of the Golden Temple completely adorned with lotus petal motifs and "Kalash" (pot). All in all, this architectural masterpiece represents the harmonious relationships between different religions in India and cemented the architectural style of the Sikhs in history.