Golden Temple
Amritsar is home to the magnificent Harmandir Sahib, commonly known as the Golden Temple, the spiritual and cultural centre for the Sikh religion. Harmandir Sahib-golden temple is a two-storey marble structure built in the centre of the Pool of Nectar. Amritsar was founded in 1577 by the fourth Sikh guru, Guru Ram Das. The fifth Sikh Guru, Guru Arjan, designed Harmandir Sahib to be built in the centre of this holy tank, and upon its construction, installed the Adi Granth (The Eternal Shabad Guru of Sikh Faith), the holy scripture of Sikhism, inside Harmandir Sahib. The central dome of the Temple and the upper half of the walls were covered with gold leafed copper sheets by Maharaja Ranjit Singh, a great Sikh king. The canopy and other precious covered Pumalas (sized clothes) are changed daily are offered humbly by the devotees now-a-days. There is a small Shish-Mahal (Hall of the Mirrors) on the upper storey of the Temple. The four doors of the holy Golden Temple are symbolic that people from East, West, North or South can enter this place irrespective of caste, creed and sex. This sacred shrine is equally revered by all faiths.
As stated in Brhad Naradiya Purana, and reaffirmed and propagated by Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu,
harer nama harer nama harer namaiva kevalam, kalau nasty eva nasty eva nasty eva gatir anyatha
“In this Age of Kali there is no other means, no other means, no other means for self-realization than chanting the holy name, chanting the holy name, chanting the holy name of Lord Hari.”
Similarly Sikhs also believe,
Kalyug Kewal Naam Adhara,Simar-Simar Nar Utarahin Para
Meaning, in Kaliyuga only chanting of Lord’s holy name is enough to sail the human beings through the deep sea of the world.
