World Famous Golden Temple in Amristsar Punjab

The Harmandir Sahib also known as Darbar Sahib  or Sri Harmandir Sahib ("Abode of God", "Exalted Holy Court"), is a Gurdwara Sahib (Sikh temple) located in the city of Amritsar, Punjab, India.  It is the holiest Gurdwara and the most important pilgrimage site of Sikhism.  It is usually called the Golden Temple in English, because it is plated with gold.

The Gurudawara sahib is built around a man-made pool (Sarovar) that was completed by Guru Ram Das in 1577  Guru Arjan, the fifth Guru of Sikhism, requested Sai Mian Mir - a Muslim Pir of Lahore, to lay its foundation stone in 1589.

The Gurudawara is spiritually the most significant shrine in the Sikh Religion. In the early 1980s, the temple became a center of conflict between the Indian government led by Indira Gandhi, some Sikh groups, and a militant movement led by Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale seeking to create a new nation named Khalistan. In 1984, Gandhi sent in the Indian Army as part of Operation Blue Star, leading to the deaths of over 1,000 militants, soldiers, and civilians, as well as causing much damage to the Gurudawara and the destruction of Akal Takht. The Gurudawara complex was rebuilt again after the 1984 damage.

The Harmandir Sahib is an open boat of worship for all men and women, from all walks of life and faith.It has a square plan with four entrances and has a circumambulation path around the pool. The temple is a collection of buildings around the sanctum and the pool. One of these is Akal Takht, the chief center of religious authority of Sikhism. Additional buildings include a clock tower, the offices of Gurdwara Committee, a Museum and a langar – a free Sikh community-run kitchen that serves a simple vegetarian meal to all visitors without discrimination. Over 100,000 people visit the holy shrine daily for worship. The Gurudawara complex has been nominated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and its application is pending on the tentative list of UNESCO.


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