Golden Temple

Introduction

The golden temple is spiritually the most significant shrine in Sikhism. It is located in the city of Amritsar. It became a centre of the Singh sabha movement between1883 and 1920s,and the Punjabi Suba movement between1947 and 1966.Golden temple is also known as Harmandir Sahib. The man made pool on the site of the temple was completed by fourth Sikh guru. It is famous for its full of golden dome, it is one of the most sacred pilgrim spots for Sikhs. The mandir is built on a 67-ft square of marble and is a two storied structure

History of Golden Temple

Sri Harmandir Sahib, also known as Sri Darbar Sahib or Golden Temple, (on account of its scenic beauty and golden coating for English speaking world), is named after Hari (God) the temple of God. The Sikhs all over the world, daily wish to pay visit to Sri Amritsar and to pay obeisance at Sri Harmandir Sahib in their Ardas. Guru Arjan Sahib, the Fifth Nanak, conceived the idea of creating a central place of worship for the Sikhs and he himself designed the architecture of Sri Harmandir Sahib. Earlier the planning to excavate the holy tank (Amritsar or Amrit Sarovar) was chalked out by Guru Amardas Sahib, the Third Nanak, but it was executed by Guru Ramdas Sahib under the supervision of Baba Budha ji. The land for the site was acquired by the earlier Guru Sahibs on payment or free of cost from the Zamindars (landlords) of native villages. The plan to establish a town settlement was also made. Therefore, the construction work on the Sarovar (the tank) and the town started simultaneously in 1570. The work on both projects completed in 1577 A.D.

Construction Of Golden Temple

The land for the site was bought by the Guru Ram Das Sahib on payment from the Zamindars (landlords) of native villages. Some people says that the land for Golden Temple was donated by Mughal Emperors, but this is not true. The land for the city of Amritsar belongs to the villages Tung, Sultan wind, Gulwali and Gumtala. These particular villages came under tehsil Patti and Distt. Chabal during the Guru’s time. Guru Amardas Ji (Third Sikh Master) along with Guru Ram Das, Baba Budha Ji (a great devotee of Sikh Religion) visited and found a lonely and peaceful area in the centre of these villages. At that time this piece of land (The walled city of Amritsar) was bought from the villagers for 700 Rs. During the times of Maharaja Ranjit Singh and the British Empire, the city was free from the state taxes.