Harmandir Sahib - Holiest Sikh Gurudwara in Amritsar

The unique feature about Harmandir Sahib’s construction is that it represents peace between the Hindus and the Muslims, and is considered as one of the best architectural splendour of the world. Harmandir Sahib is encircled by a huge pond and it is known as the Sarovar. This pond’s water is said to be known as Amrit, which means "holy water" or "immortal nectar." The Harmandir Sahib or the Gurdwara has four entrances which imply that all human beings are accepted as one in the Holy Shrine of the God. There are places of worship for the Sikh Gurus, Saints and Martyrs inside Harmandir Sahib. An interesting thing about Harmandir Sahib is that three holy trees known as bers, each representing a historical happening of a Sikh saint is present inside the temple. Harmandir Sahib houses a number of imprinted tablets that remind visitors about the historical events of the Sikhs, saints and martyrs in the past. It also includes memorable stone inscriptions of all the Sikh warriors who fought in both the World Wars and died. 

The important historical event about Harmandir Sahib was the Operation Black Thunder in 1988. With the view of creating a security barrier, the Central Government obtained a narrow piece of land including buildings after the Operation Black Thunder. A number of residential and business holders had to be removed from their place as a result of this. This project was strongly opposed by the normal and aggressive Sikhs groups and an engineer who worked for the government was killed, which led to the abandonment of the project. In 1993 the Deputy Commissioner Karan Bir Singh Sidhu revived the project and was appointed as the project director of what was later popularly called as the Galliara Project. He consulted with the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC), decided to change the existing security method, and built a quiet and peaceful landscape that was completely reliable with the outwardly beauty of the Harmandir Sahib. The specialty about Harmandir Sahib is that nowadays people have to walk in the Galliara and vehicles are not allowed near the temple.

Based on the rules followed at all Sikh temples in the world, the Harmandir Sahib is open to all people irrespective of religion, colour, caste or sex. However the important thing to remember about Harmandir Sahib is that visitors have to follow certain rules when visiting and when inside the temple. They are:

To maintain the holiness of the sacred place and themselves when inside:

• Remove the shoes or slippers after entering the temple and wash the feet in the small pool of water given, 
• Do not drink alcohol, eat meat, smoke cigarettes or consume drugs when inside the temple, 

To Dress in a Proper Way:

• The head should be covered as a sign of respect with a cloth. The Harmandir Sahib distributes head scarves for visitors who do not have a proper head covering. 
• Do not wear shoes or slippers as mentioned above.

Way to Behave: 

• When inside the Darbar Sahib the visitor has to sit on the ground as a mark of immense respect to both the Guru Granth Sahib and the God.
• People who visit for the first time are asked to go the information office given in the map to know about Harmandir Sahib and then carry on to the Central Sikh Museum located at the main entrance and clock tower