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 AMRITSAR
- Known for its golden temple, the most sacred shrine of
the sikhs with its holy tank called " the pool of
immortality". Nearby is the Jallianwala Bagh, where during
the British rule in India, General Dyer opened fire on
innocent people causing a massacre. The place is now a
national monument. Its walls bears the bullet marks of this
tragedy.
The Golden Temple or Darbar Sahib, situated in Amritsar,
Punjab, is the most sacred temple for Sikhs. It is a symbol
of the magnificence and strength of the Sikh people all over
the world. In the evolution of the Darbar Sahib, is entwined
the history and ideology of Sikhism. In its architecture are
included, symbols associated with other places of worship.
This is an example of the spirit of tolerance and acceptance
that the Sikh philosophy propounds.
The history of the Darbar Sahib starts with Guru Amar Das,
who took the first steps towards building a shrine. Around
the Golden Temple, the holy city of Amritsar came into
being. His successor, Guru Ram Das, came to live near this
tranquil and peaceful site, and started building the
pilgrimage centre around the small pool, (later to become
the Sarowar) which had intially drawn Guru Amar Das.
By the time of Guru Ram Das' death, the pre eminence of the
Darbar Sahib among the sikh devotees was unquestionable.
The Harmandir Sahib, or the sanctum sanctorium, was
envisoned by Guru Arjan Dev. This was concieved by him to
reflect the resoluteness, clarity and simplicity of the Sikh
relegion. The Harmindir Sahib today stands as the hallowed
symbol of the indestructability of the Sikh faith. He
designed it to have four doors, one on each side. The Golden
Temple, would thus be open to all four castes-Kshatriyas,
Brahmins, Sudras & Vaisyas. |
