All
Sikh people try to make a visit to the temple
and take bath in the holy tank of the temple.
The devotees believe that a bath in the tank will
cleanse the soul. Hari Mandir, a two storied marble
shrine in the middle of the tank was built by
the 5th Guru Arjan Dev.
Within the sanctuary, on a jewel-studded platform,
'Granth Sahib' (The Holy Book of Sikhs) was
installed in 1604 three years after the temple
was completed. It is kept as the focus of devotion
and teaching and the hyms are chanted continuously
to the accompaniment of drums, flute etc. The
Jubi tree (around 450 years old) in the centre
at the east end of the tank is popularly associated
with healing power. Many people continue to
bring ill relatives to this tree, hoping for
a cure.
The great Sikh secular leader, Maharaja Ranjit
Singh, donated 100 kgs of gold to the temple
in 1830 and thus gold was applied to the copper
sheets on the roof and the exterior of the building.
The temple compound is entered through a Clock
Tower. There is a Sikh museum on top of the
clock tower comprising a gallery of paintings
telling the story of the Sikhs and their martyrs.
The tank is surrounded by an 8m wide white marble
pavement, banded with black and brown Jaipur
marble. The temple has a Dining Hall, Assembly
Hall and Guesthouses. The main complex has numerous
plaques commemorating Sikhs who became martyrs.
There is a community kitchen which serve free
meals to thousands of people everyday. Here,
anyone from any religion can have food together.
Volunteers from the temple help with the kitchen
jobs and other works. The atmosphere in the
golden temple is exceptionally peaceful and
beautiful.
The visitors to the temple are not allowed
to carry umbrelas and walkingsticks. They are
not to wear the shoes and socks. These items
can be kept at the cloakroom, in front of the
temple, free of charges. Before entering the
temple they have to keep their heads covered
