"I have seen many places, but none like thee" This quote is from Guru Arjan Dev Ji, as he
looked at the Golden Temple.
These words captures in many ways the mood and ambience at the Harmandir Sahib, which
is the temples real name.
Few places combine amazing surroundings with a calm and peaceful atmosphere better than
the Golden Temple.
If you look around you, you will see that the area holds more than just the Golden Temple.
The Darbar Sahib temple complex, which the place is often called, consists of many Sikh
shrines, temples and other holy places.
Three holy trees can also be found inside the temple area, each one associated with
a historical event or a Sikh saint.
In the middle of the temple are stands the Golden Temple, surrounded by a large man-made
lake.
The lakes name is Amritsar, meaning "Lake of the immortal nectar".
As the name of the lake is the same as the city surrounding it, one might think that
the city gave the lake its name.
The reality is the other way around.
In 1573 the construction of the lake started under supervision of the fourth guru of Sikhism;
Guru Ram Das Ji.
The lake stood complete four years later, in 1577.
During this time, a city began to grow around the lake.
The name of the city was originally "Ramdaspur", after the guru, but was later changed.
As the city became associated with the construction of the lake, the city simply took the same
name as the lake itself.
Therefore, both the city and the lake carry the name Amritsar.
The construction of the Golden Temple itself started in 1588 under the leadership of the
fifth guru; Guru Arjan Dev Ji.
The story says that a close friend of the guru was asked to lay the foundation stone
of the building.
After the stone had been laid, a mason straightened the stone which, to which the guru said "..as
you have just undone the work of such a holy man, who knows what disaster might come."
This story has been used as an explanation to why the temple as been attacked so many
times by Afghans, Mughals and even the Indian army.
The majority of these attacks happened during mid 18th century, when the temple was attacked
multiply times by Afgahn raiders.
The raiders caused severe damage to the temple complex, which resulted in a restoration of
the temple in 1764.
Another major assault on the temple was in 1984 when the Indian army attacked during
the so called "Operation Bluestar".
The Indian army had order to move in to the temple area and remove Sikh militants who
was believe to amass weapons inside the area.
The operation ended in bloody gunfights between the militants and the army, resulting in large
casualties on both sides.
The attack on the Sikh holy shrine, and they way it was carried out, was and still is highly
controversial.
Only months after the attack, the Indian Prime Minister of the time, Indira Gandhi was assassinated
by two of her Sikh bodyguards.
The army attack on the temple lead to extensive restoration work on the temple area.
Ever since its completion in 1604, Harmandir Sahib is seen as one of the most, if not the
most important temple of Sikhism.
It has become somewhat of a pilgrimage center as all Sikhs try to visit the temple at least
once during their life.
One of the main reasons for this is that the holy script of the Sikhs, the Adi Sri Guru
Granth Sahib, is kept inside the temple.
This holy script consists of 1430 parts, written in period of Sikh gurus between 1469 and 1709.
During the day, the script is read non-stop inside the temple and describes what God is
like and what the right way to live is.
Each side of the Golden Temple has an entrance, signifying the importance of acceptance and
openness and to show that the temple is open to all -- regardless of religion, race or
sex.
This is what the Golden Temple stands for today: a place where all people are welcome.