Golden Temple | Harmadir Sahib | Swaran Madir @ Amritsar, Punjab, India || Beginning of 2012

Year 2012 for us started with a new Journey towards Amritsar from Phagwara. We left early morning towards Golden Temple in Amritsar, Punjab. Check out this quick Photo Journey from Harmadir Sahib/Golden Temple/Swarna madir ...

Here is very first view of Golden Temple, as we enter through the main gate of this campus. Golden Temple in Amritsar is also known as Harmadir Sahib and Swarna Madir.

After entering into the campus of Golden Temple, we tempted to go near the lake which was surrounding actual Temple made up of Gold. Even the fish inside the lake was also Golden :)

A boys havingholy bath in lake which surrounds Golden Temple.

Dukh Bhanjani Beri & Ath Sath Tirath...

All sides of Sarovar were full of people busy in their prayers for new year.

There are some regulations to get into the lake for holy bath and iron chains are there on the lake-side which help people in going inside the lake and be safe while having the holy bath.

The Golden Temple is surrounded by a large lake which is also known as Sarovar. Sarovar consists of Amrit ('holy water' or 'immortal nectar'). There are four entrances to Golden Temple, signifying the importance of acceptance and openness. Inside the temple complex there are many shrines to past Sikh gurus, saints and martyrs. There are three holy trees (bers), each signifying a historical event or Sikh saint. Inside the temple there are many memorial plaques that commemorate past Sikh historical events, saints, martyrs and includes commemorative inscriptions of all the Sikh soldiers who died fighting in World Wars I and II. (Courtsey - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harmandir_Sahib)

1January 2012 was a foggy day, as you can see in post of these photographs. These are not as sharp as these should be... Anyway, weather was not that important for people who wanted to come to Golden Temple... Weather conditions in Amritsar is usually extreme in summers as well as winters. This is probably one of the top cities in north India, which is hottest in summers and chilling in winters.

Sikh temples (Gurdwaras) like Harmandir Sahib are open to all persons regardless of their religion, colour, creed, or sex. The only restrictions on the Harmandir Sahib's visitors concern their behavior when entering and while visiting:

    Maintaining the purity of the sacred space - Upon entering the premises, removing one's shoes (leaving them off for the duration of one's visit) and washing one's feet in the small pool of water provided...
 

Not drinking alcohol, eating meat, or smoking cigarettes or other drugs while in the shrine 

    Dressing appropriately: Wearing a head covering (the temple provides head scarves for visitors who have not brought a suitable covering)... even there are lot of shops outside the Golden Temple where appropriate head-covers are available at reasonable cost.   

The Entrance to the Harmandir Sahib as seen from outside of the complex...

Not wearing shoes... There is a particular place to collect your shoes and get back on return from Golden Temple. Services are free and convenient. A token is given to everyone for tracking purpose.

 One must also sit on the ground while in the Darbar Sahib as a sign of inferiority to both the Guru Granth Sahib and God...

Here is an entrance for Langar in Golden Temple.

Langar is the term used in the Sikh religion or in Punjab in general for common kitchen/canteen where food is served in a Gurdwara to all the visitors(without distinction of background) for free. There was huge rush on 1st Jan' 2012, so we thought of skipping it. Otherwise, it's a wonderful experience to have langar at a Gurudwara. At the langar, only vegetarian food is served, to ensure that all people, regardless of their dietary restrictions, can eat as equals. Langar is open to Sikhs and non-Sikhs alike.

Many folks sit on Sarovar-side for peaceful prayers at Golden Temple, Amritsar. And it's a must thing to sit inside the Golden Temple once.

There are various other Gurudwaras inside the campus. (Nishaan Sahib)

The Harmandir Sahib which is also referred to as the Golden Temple, is a prominent Sikh gurdwara located in the city of Amritsar, Punjab, India. Construction of the gurdwara was begun by Guru Ram Das, the fourth Sikh Guru, and completed by his successor, Guru Arjan Dev. 

During the eighteenth century, the Harmandir Sahib was the site of frequent fighting between the Sikhs on one side and either Mughal or Afghan forces on the other side and the gurdwara occasionally suffered damage. In the early nineteenth century, Maharaja Ranjit Singh secured the Punjab region from outside attack and covered the upper floors of the gurdwara with gold, which gives it its distinctive appearance and English name of 'Golden Temple'.

There was huge line for main Temple inside the Sarovar. In fact, there were multiple rows... The good part was the discipline. Most of the folks were very disciplined and there were some सेवार्थीs,  who were continuously cleaning the floor where this folks were aligned to enter into Golden Temple. Whole campus is usually clean and noone litters inside the Golden Temple. I wish that all Indians do the same thing outside these temples as well. In fact, just outside Golden Temple, whole market is extremely polluted.

Some of the folks were telling some stories through songs and musical instruments. Various folks were calmly listening to these four Sardars with Blue Pagadi.

Sikhism is a monotheistic religion founded during the 15th century in the Punjab region, by Guru Nanak Dev and continued to progress with ten successive Sikh gurus (the last teaching being the holy scripture Gurū Granth Sāhib Ji). It is the fifth-largest organized religion in the world, with over 25 million Sikhs and one of the most steadily growing. This system of religious philosophy and expression has been traditionally known as the Gurmat (literally 'of the gurus'). Punjab of India is the only region in the world with a majority Sikh population. (courtesy - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sikhism)

There are some corridors on all sides of Golden Temple, where people sit and continue their prayers. Many folks come here with families with a proper day plan or two, when they provide their services at Golden Temple campus and have some rest in these regions of the Swaran Mandir.

A view of Golden Temple surrounded by Sarovar and lots of people form various parts of the nation.

Detailed information about Golden Temple is available at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harmandir_Sahib

This is a normal Photo Journey from Golden Temple and soon the real Amritsar would be shared here... So keep watching the same place....