Tell about Golden Temple ?

1. The Golden Temple is also referred to as "Darbar Sahib” or “Harmandar Sahib", and is one of the oldest worship places for the Indian Sikh. It is located in Amritsar, Punjab.

The tension between Hindus and Muslims in the 16th century was evident and the Sikh prophets desired to level down these barriers with a view to discover and provide a common spiritual ground for the two, Hinduism and Islam, thus was born the idea of Golden temple.

2. The entire top of the temple is made of pure gold, adding to the beauty of the temple.

The main hall of the Golden Temple houses the Guru Granth Sahib, the sacred scripture of the Sikh religion. It is placed on a raised platform under a canopy studded with precious jewels.

All its coats of gold were done by the hands of skilled artistes from different parts of the country.

3. The temple is surrounded by a manmade lake that boasts a lot of exotic fish in it.

It’s all made of 24-karat gold, which is much purer than the 22-karat gold present in Indian households today.

HolidayIQ Traveller Mukul Arora from Chennai shares, “There is no words to describe the Golden Temple. One of the best holiest place I have ever seen, what a internal peace I got when I entered Golden Temple. One should feel blessed after visiting this place and I met lot of people and families who came frequently to Golden Temple from across country. Outside the temple there is a good market one should definitely visit this place.”

This scripture is a collection of devotional poems, prayers, and hymns composed by the ten Sikh gurus and various Muslim and Hindu saints.

To get to the temple, you will literally have to walk on water.

Maharaja Ranjit Singh used just 7-9 layers of gold in plating the Golden Temple; during the 4-year long renovation, 24 layers were used.

Structurally, the temple is located on a level below the ground level as it signifies that one must be humble and go down to reach the temple of God. This design is quite opposite to that of the Hindu temples, most of which are built at an elevated level.

4. The temple is entered from four different sides to show openness and acceptance.

The gurudwara is constructed with white marble overlaid with genuine gold leaf. In the early 19th century, 100kg of gold were applied to the inverted lotus-shaped dome and decorative marble was added to the structure.

Its glory will reach almost the 25th century.

5. The temple was initially built without any gold coating.

The Darshani Deorhi Arch stands at the beginning of the causeway to the Harmandir Sahib; it is 6.2 meters (20.3 feet) high and 6 meters (20 feet) in width.

The water surrounding the temple is a sacred pool known as the Amrit Sarovar (Pool of Nectar). The devotees who visit these shrines will bathe in these pools as Sikhs believe that spiritual and worldly benefits are gained by immersing in the holy waters of these sarovars. Legend has it that a dip in the holy water of the Sarovar surrounding the temple can cure people of many ailments. It is said that once a leper took a dip in the holy water and got cured of his leprosy.

It is during the reign of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the ruler of Punjab in the early 19th century that the temple went under full renovation and made into what it is today.

The Golden Temple has entrances from all the four direction, signifying the importance of acceptance and openness.

The Golden temple is the holiest shrines of Sikhs. Its dome was decorated with gold on its surface. Building was started in the reign of Mughal emperor Akbar. He gave the land to the fifth sikh guru Arjun. It is a wonderful gurdwara (Sikh temple). More than 500,000 people visit it each year.

The largest langar of all gurudwaras is organised everyday at the Golden Temple, where around 100,000 people a day are fed for free by temple volunteers, but the number double during special occasions. Around 12,000 kg of floor, 1,500 kg of rice, 13,000 kg of lentils and upto 2,000 kg of vegetables are consumed everyday. The langar caters to people of all castes and creeds.

It is during the reign of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the ruler of Punjab in the early 19th century that the temple went under full renovation and made into what it is today.

Inside the Golden Temple there are many memorial plaques that commemorate past Sikh historical events, saints and martyrs, including commemorative inscriptions of all the Sikh soldiers who died fighting in World War I and World War II.

India is an old country & together with China, they form the oldest countries that existed as cohesive units thousands of years ago.