Golden Temple, Amritsar - Symbol of Human Brotherhood and Equality

The Sikh’s holy shrine that shines in the morning light with its golden covered tomb along with little minarets is the golden temple. The Golden Temple is located in Amritsar in the state of Punjab. The Golden temple Amritsar is like a palace belonging to the fairy world to the ardent believers of Sikh faith. The golden temple displays a magnificent view as it stands in the centre of a pool and gives the innocent viewers a thrilling feeling of looking into heaven. Amritsar means ‘Pool of the Nectar of Immortality’ and thus the temple rightly gets its name as Golden temple Amritsar. The shining holy shrine of the Sikhs creates an image of ecstatic awareness and the vision has been experienced by the innumerable millions of visitors and pilgrims for many centuries. Sikhs from all over the world come to this heavenly place and experience miraculous cures by touching the pool of nectar of the golden temple.

The world famous Golden temple Amritsar was originally built as a mud house by Guru Amar Das. He found an herb along the sides of the pool which magically cured a skin disease of his Guru, Guru Angad. The pool was called as ‘Amrit Sarovar’ which meant ‘Pool of Nectar’ and remained as a village lake until when Ram Das, the fourth Guru, decided to build a permanent construction with bricks. On completion of the Holy shrine it was called as Sri Harimandir Sahib Amritsar.

Amritsar was earlier known as Chak, Chak-Guru, Guru-ka-chak, Chak-Guru-Ram-Das and Ram-Das-Pura. Craftsmen belonging to the towns of Patti, Kasur and Kalanur lived in houses that surrounded the bank of the pool of nectar. A market named Guru-ka-bazar was only present at that time, although it has become very popular now.

Guru Arjan Dev followed as the fifth Sikh Guru to decorate the spiritual throne in 1581. He sensed the upcoming popularity of the Holy Shrine as a pilgrimage centre and the importance of paving the lake’s surroundings and its steps with bricks. Receiving help from the ardent devotees he constructed the temple, which till today stands as a symbol revealing the indefinite mystery of life to the people who desire to look for it and continue to stand forever and ever. Guru Arjan Dev’s vision to build a Heaven on Earth became urgent as he saw a number of people coming with simple hearts, joining their hands to offer their prayers and touch and sprinkle the holy water onto their foreheads. Therefore Guru Arjan Dev built the structure of Sri Hari Mandir Sahib that represented a distinct identity and glory, heritage of the Sikhs. The uniqueness of the golden temple lies in the fact that it is a symbol of brotherhood and equality not only of the Sikhs but among all people. The Golden temple Amritsar was built at a level lower than the surrounding land level with four entrances to the Holy shrine, which depicts that people belonging to all classes of life can walk in without any inequality. There is a rectangular shape circumambulatory walk that ends at the entrance of the golden temple and the path to Reality begins. Guru Arjan Dev laid the foundation stone of the Golden temple Amritsar in 1588 A.D. to symbolically combine the faith of the Hindu God Hari and his many incarnations and the Muslim belief of One God taught by the divine Mian Mir of Lahore. The unique design of the Sri Harimandir Sahib exhibits the combination of rectangular form of a Hindu temple and the dome and minarets of the Muslims.

Daily Donation at Golden Temple, Amritsar

The Golden Temple located in Amritsar is the holy shrine of the Sikhs, but it welcomes all people of the world. The world-famous temple is maintained by the innumerable funds that flow from all ardent devotees and pilgrims of the temple. The Golden temple donation plays an important role in new constructions, maintaining the temple premises sparkly clean and the non-stop service of Langar Seva. 

The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) is a non-profitable organisation that is responsible for the day-to-day operations at the Golden Temple premises in Amritsar. Golden temple donation can be made through this organisation that claims itself responsible for the overall development of Sikh community across the globe. Golden temple donation can also be made through the 147 branches of HDFC Bank in Punjab and the money will be delivered to the temple committee.

Nowadays Golden temple donation is made easy with the availability of internet facilities. Devotees who are not able to go personally to the Golden temple at Amritsar can send in their Gurdwara donation online from their home itself via HDFC Bank’s online website. Golden temple donation is exempted from tax payments. Gurdwara donation online can be made by Sikhs who live in different places other than India through their Debit or Credit cards, via Virgin Money or through Paypal Account. The Central Gurdwara Bank also facilitates gurdwara donation online through its website. Golden temple donation for long-term projects such as building a new roof, new kitchens etc., can be made via Standing Order donations by downloading a form from the internet.

Guru ka Langar at Golden Temple Amritsar

Langar at golden temple is the free kitchen service held daily at the Golden Temple. When Nanak Dev, who was the first Sikh Guru, became a man, his father gave him Rs. 20 and asked him to bargain and make the maximum purchase. He passed a forest on his way and saw a group of sadhus who were not dressed. He decided that the best profit he could make of Rs. 20 was by giving food and clothe to the sadhus. Having done that he went home with empty hands and received punishment from his father. Guru Nanak strongly believed that true profit can be achieved only through selfless service and laid the foundation of Langar Seva.

Tradition Of Langar At Golden Temple:

People gathered in groups whenever the Sikh Gurus travelled to listen to their divine speech. The second Sikh Guru’s wife, Angad Dev, always insisted on giving Langar and took part in distribution service. This free service became the tradition of the Guru’s kitchen with the help of public contribution and their combined effort. Basic principles of the free kitchen are:

• Kirat karo – Earnings should be achieved through sincere, true attempts and activities 
• Vand Chakko –Earnings, wealth, possessions, food and other goods should be shared and selfless service should be offered 
• Naam Japna – God’s name should be always remembered while doing chores like cooking, serving langar and cleaning up

Institution of Langar:

Amar Das the third guru formalized the institution of langar, the guru’s free kitchen, uniting the Sikhs by establishing two key concepts:

• Pangat – All the people should sit together with their legs crossed in neat rows with a humanitarian virtue as one family without taking notice of caste, colour or creed and consider no one as unequal.
• Sangat – The association of noble-minded people who wish to live a life of truth by uttering the name of God in unity, respect the presence of the Guru Granth Sahib and find happiness in offering selfless service to the people.

The Langar Hall:

Each and every Gurdwara which has a simple or a lavishing elegant place of worship will have an institution of Langar or The Langar Hall. If a Sikh service is held in the open, an area is separately set aside for a free kitchen and a wide area like the Gurdwara complex is facilitated to serve food for thousands of people. Any Langar Hall that is set either indoors or outdoors will have a separate area for:

• Storing provisions 
• Storing service utensils 
• Preparing and cooking 
• Serving of the food prepared 
• A place to sit and eat 
• Washing the utensils used 
• Wastage disposal

An Idea Of The Langar And Seva (Voluntary Service):
 

The profit achieved in guru's free kitchen is by feeding the body and the spirit of the soul. Seva is a Sikh word which means free, selfless service offered voluntarily by the Sikhs. The Harmandir Sahib or the Golden Temple in Amritsar is visited by tens of thousands of people in India every day. All are offered free food in the guru’s free kitchen. A complete vegetarian food is available and served always to all the visitors. The complete expenses are voluntarily taken care of by the members of the congregation.  

The following responsibilities are voluntarily taken up for preparing food and cleaning up:

• Huge amount of atta is mixed in machines to prepare dough and approximately 50,000 to 80,000 rotis or small lump of bread are prepared daily.
• The lump of bread is rolled and flattened by hand and cooked on hot iron plates.
• Onions, vegetables and spices are cut and fried.
• A variety of lentil soups are boiled.
• Food is served to worshippers who sit side by side in lengthy rows and eat.
• Thousands of steel plates and spoons are washed; all wastes are taken care of and disposed; and the kitchen and dining hall are cleaned daily.