Where Faith Shines: Discovering the Golden Temple
After keeping the lovely memories of "Har ki Pauri Ghat" in my eyes, I moved to another holy place, "Golden Temple" in Amritsar, Punjab.
Golden Temple is one of the most sacred gurudwara in Sikhism. Around 2 to 3 crore devotees visit this religious place every year.
Golden Temple is also famous as the name of "Shri Harmandir Sahib" or "Shri Darbar Sahib." Both words convey different meanings. "Harmandir Sahib" is made up of two words, "Hari" means "God," and "Mandir" means "home," which signifies "Home of God." "Darbar Sahib" conveys "holy audience. "Sahib" is a term that represents "respect" in Sikhism.
Golden Temple is the only religious Gurudwara that people call a temple. It has a profound history.
The story begins with the fourth Sikh Guru, Guru Ram Das. He first purchased the land in 1577, where the Golden Temple is established today. Many years went by, but the place stayed empty. Then, Guru Arjan Dev, the fifth Sikh Guru, visited the site. He had a prominent idea in mind. Guru Arjan Dev began developing the architecture of the Gurudwara for this barren place. He wanted to make an incredible religious place that welcomes everyone. Guru Arjan Dev designed the Gurudwara with four entrances from four sides to represent any religion could enter this spiritual place. Four openings represent four religions there.
Soon, his architecture and vision were both cherished by everyone. Then, the foundation of the "Golden Temple" was designated in 1581. Guru Arjan Dev is called the founder of the Golden Temple. He saw the initiation and entire construction of the temple. He didn't want to leave a point to mistake. It took years to complete the first form of this spiritual place.
The biggest challenge was nestling the "Amrit Sarovar" around the temple. For that, the requirement of a giant open and dry space was a must. But, Guru Arjan Dev dedicatedly worked on purpose and accomplished the target.
The temple took eight years to complete its first appearance. In 1588, the temple astonished everyone. It stood with all its gloriousness, devotion and harmony and was famous as "Harmandir" or "Darbar Sahib."
These two are the very first names of Golden Temple.
In 1604, the principle holy scripture in Sikhism, "Adi Granth," was placed inside by Guru Arjan Dev.
The "Darbar Sahib" or "Harmandir Sahib' soon became the point of attraction for everyone. Its calmness and prosperity also attracted many invaders.
The temple was attacked many times by the Afgan Invaders. During 1709-1764, Mughal rulers tried to destroy the temple to turn this sacred sanctum for entertainment.
However, the devotion of true devotees never allowed invaders to succeed in their aims, and devotees rebuilt the temple in 1776. During 1709-1764, the Golden Temple was constructed many times after damaging by invaders.
If I talk about the "Golden Temple" and forget the name of "Maharaja Ranjit Singh," then I will do injustice to history.
On 13th Nov 1780, a phenomenal Sikh ruler, Maharaja Ranjit Singh, was born. He was a great warrior with an army of many Sikhs, Europeans and Pathans.
Maharaja Ranjit Singh began ruling his empire in 1801. After governing the Kingdom, he visited the Harmandir and found to rebuild the Gurudwara. Maharaja was a visionary. He contributed marble and copper in 1809 to reconstruct the Golden Temple. In 1830, during his dominance, he instructed to use the gold on the gurudwara.
Maharaja Ranjit Singh was very curious to see the final creation. It took months to renew the gurudwara, but the conclusive outcome astonished everyone. The gold of the shrine shined like a sun on the roof. After turning his imagination into reality, Maharaja Ranjit Singh gave the name "Golden Temple." Soon, this religious place attained recognition all over the world.
Today, the Golden Temple holds 750 kg of pure gold architecture.
The contribution of Maharaja Ranjit Singh still counts as an unforgettable goodwill. To show their gratitude, people have built a statue of "Maharaja Ranjit Singh" outside the Golden Temple. It is the first sculpture that you see before entering.
I visited the Golden Temple in the evening. The sun was almost ready to set. I moved ahead, and in a few steps, I met the splendid statue of a fearless warrior, "Maharaja Ranjit Singh." The statue was of black stone. It was an equestrian figure of Maharaja carrying a sword. That was sufficient to convey his intrepidity.
The entrance of the sanctum was just a few steps away. Before entering the Golden Temple, one must follow some guidelines. Footwears are not allowed in the sanctum. The lockers are available outside the Golden Temple. Devotees can submit their footwear and other essentials in lockers. Phones are allowed inside. People can click pictures and make videos, but respectfully! It must be that devotees appropriately cover their heads with handkerchiefs, scarves or any other cloth. Many scarfs are available outside the temple free of cost and also available to buy. Devotees can grab from the bucket and directly buy from shops and other mediums. Scarves are available at affordable prices. The clothes of every person should cover their bodies adequately. No skirts, shorts, or sleeveless are allowed there. Only children can wear these but with a covered head.
Keep respectful and follow the instructions for this holy shrine. There is nothing to discriminate. Rules are equal for everyone.
I bought my scarf for Rs10 to enter the shrine. It was an orange scarf with "Golden Temple" written in English and "Harmandir" in Punjabi. A religious symbol of Sikhism called "Khanda" was also printed on that. It was the shape of three swords: a khanda, a chakram and two kirpans.
I folded the scarf and knotted that on my head. I ensured to cover my head completely. After following every guideline, with all my devotion, I entered the Golden Temple.
The first incident that happened to me was exceptional. The sun's luminance reflected through the temple and touched my eyes and face. It was like Lord "Hari" himself giving me their blessings. My hands were folded by themselves. I bowed my head in respect and thanked the eternal power of "Hari" for everything.
I remember my eyes were not ready to blink for once. I stood there like a pillar. I didn't want to change my direction to leave those blessings. It was a memorable experience.
The peace in the atmosphere and architecture of the Golden Temple will surely make you speechless.
I felt proud as an Indian with a rich devotional heritage and incredible history. The eternal energy of these sacred locations is so potent that it can challenge all scientific theories.
The tranquillity of "Amrit Sarovar(Lake)" and the playing of small fishes seemed like they were enjoying the presence of their God. I constantly looked at them and suddenly smiled.
I stood in the long queue to visit Lord "Hari." An immense crowd were there. The holy music was resonating all around. Soon, the sun sat, and the entire temple was glowed with captivating colours. The golden, blue, white, purple, and pink had formed a gorgeous sight. The view of the "Golden Temple" at night eases your soul. The natural golden colour was emerging enormously. The presence of "Hari" was reflected in each colour. I was stunned to witness that moment.
It took me an hour to reach the Lord "Hari." I just folded my hands and came to my knees. I put my head down and touched the Lord with my forehead.
Devotees can't stay at a place due to the massive crowd. I also prayed quickly and took the blessings of boundless energy.
After the benediction, I went to sit at the "Amrit Sarovar(Lake)." The calmness of the Sarovar had the essence of completeness. Devotees can plunge into the lake. It is a belief that their water helps in redemption. There is a separate facility for males and females to dip into the Sarovar. People can use the area free of cost.
The distributing of Langar(Prasad or food) is the oldest tradition of Sikhism. It is a community Kitchen that offers food for every person without the disparity of caste, gender and religion. It is cost-free.
People work in the Community Kitchen as the service of God. The beauty of this kitchen is anybody can give their contribution here. Anybody can do their services at any work of gurudwara like cleaning utensils, distributing food, cooking food, cutting vegetables, cleaning floors, etc.
I ate delicious prasad. The taste is still on my tongue. And why not? That contained the touch of God. It was impressive.
After collecting unforgettable rememberings, nobody will want to leave the shrine, but it is not possible.
I forward my steps towards the exit, where I got the Prasad "Halwa" made of pure ghee. That was very smooth and sweet. That quickly dissolved in my whole mouth.
Soon, the time came to leave the Golden Temple. I captured the entire scenery in my eyes to hold memories forever and departed.
There is a huge market outside the Golden Temple. That contains infinite traditional objects- clothes, jewellery, soft toys, and the list is endless. Devotees can buy numerous things for the remembrance. There is a lot to say, so soon, I will create another blog on it.
I also bought clothes and jewellery at reasonable prices.
Finally, the day was over. I backed to my hotel. The entire memories were revolving in my consciousness. That was the day with new learning of the spiritual world.
I believe, the more you dive into the spiritual world, the more you become a benefactor. There is always a positive energy that stays inside us. Forever warns us of doing malefactions and forces us to do good deeds. It is we who ignore that voice.
Once you believe that "God is everything and everything is God," life changes begin.
I tried to make this blog memorable for you. Wrote everything that takes you on the trip to Golden Temple. I hope you find it valuable. Stay Connected!
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