The Golden Temple


Silent Listener
The Golden Temple

A place of stupendous beauty, the Golden Temple is the most sacred site of the sikhs. Originally a small lake in the midst of a quiet forest, the site has been a meditation retreat for wandering mendicants and sages since deep antiquity. During the 15th century, a philosopher-saint came to live and meditate by the peaceful lake. This was Guru Nanak (1469-1539), the founder of the Sikh religion. After the passing away of Guru Nanak, his disciples continued to frequent the site and over the centuries it became the primary sacred shrine of the Sikh religion. The lake was enlarged and structurally contained during the leadership of the fourth Sikh Guru (Ram Dass, 1574-81), and during the leadership of the fifth Guru (Arjan, 1581-1606) the Hari Mandir, or 'Temple of God' was built.
Guru Arjun Dev exclaimed; "My faith is for the people of all castes and all creeds from whichever direction they come and to whichever direction they bow."
The Golden Temple's architecture draws on both Hindu and Moslem artistic styles of the day. During the reign of Maharaja Ranjit Singh (1780-1839) Hari Mandir was richly ornamented with marble sculptures, golden gilding, and large quantities of precious stones. Within the sanctuary, upon a jewel studded platform, lies the Adi Granth, the sacred scripture of the Sikhs. An underground spring feeds the sacred lake and throughout the day and night pilgrims immerse themselves in the water, a symbolic cleansing of the soul rather than an actual bathing of the body. Next to the temple complex are enormous pilgrim's dormitories and dinning halls where all persons, irrespective of race, religion, or gender, are lodged and guru ka langar continues.


~~brOwn sUg@~~
itz amazin place..........while i was cmin bak 2 mel....i boarded flight 4m amritsar....raati board kiti c flight....n da captain made an annoucement jidon golden temple de utton di plane nikleya..........mannnnnnnnnnnnnn it was amazin...ena sohna lag reha c........havent seen nething dat beautiful eva b4............ruh nu sakoon den wali beauty c........i juz cant forget dat image.......jidon v sochdi haan ajeeb g khushi hundi aa........raat da time..sariyaan lites jal rahiyaan c...sarovar..........OMG ena sohna.......wrdz cant explain at all.............


Ya PAr raat da full prog dekhan wala hunda!
Hav any body from u seen that full prog !
i Did ....a really good exp


Dhillon Sa'aB™
Staff member
Golden Temple ta Neev Pathar (foundation stone) Sai Mian Mir (a muslim sufi) de hathon Rakhvaya Gaya si...Diwali wale din :) I am proud of being a Sikh


Godo one yaar.. pics are just awesome..

haa JOJ Bai.. rata da program is just mind blowing.. yaar i love jehra prohgram savere hunda hai.. seva & all.. simple mind blowing... and beleive me, saver da program just summarises what is known as SIKHI SPIRIT...

Simple mind blowing....


It was the British supported Sikh elite establishment who propogated the by now widespread story that the
foundation stone of the Hari Mandir was laid by the Sufi pir Mian Mir. Repetition of this myth prompted
many people including from the Sikh community to carry out a detailed survey of the oldest and modernest
sources pertaining to the construction of the Hari Mandir. Found no trace of Mian Mir. But the Hardliners
of the Singh-Sabha(singh-Safa) variety continue to prop up a blatant forgery simply because it has become
popular and is being patronised by those who control the neo-Sikh establishment.