In the heart of Amritsar, a long white wall welcomes you with a clock tower and pretty arched windows, but without a hint of the wonders that lie beyond the central gate. Walk up and when you reach the top of the steps, the Golden Temple is suddenly revealed, glorious and impressive, with domes and parapets reflected in a shimmering lake, cloisters, shrines, sacred trees and pilgrim saris billowing in the light. Time stands still, words are few in this beautiful oasis, spirituality becomes tangible.
Located in Bari Doab, the ‘land of the two rivers’ in the Punjab, the site was known in ancient times as a place where wandering sages and holy men meditated by the then much smaller lake surrounded by forest. Buddha came here, they say. , and was followed some 2,000 years later by Guru Nanak, founder of the Sikh faith. Born in 1469, hailed as a child prodigy in divine affairs, Guru Nanak traveled widely and declared that “there is no Hindu, there is no Muslim”. Sikhism was born to bring the two religions closer together. ‘Sikh’ simply means ‘disciple’. To chat. There was so much to do and everyone who came was eager to lend a hand. Meanwhile, in a nearby courtyard, the men were staging a mock sword fight, much to everyone’s amusement. The sword is considered an important tool to defend the downtrodden and the weak, and Khalsa disciples dressed in blue and gold carried the symbolic weapon.
We return to the water’s edge through a side gate festooned with tinsel and lights, finally making our way to the Darshani Deorchi, the impressive silver-decorated gate that opens onto the causeway that leads across the water to the inner sanctum. Truly privileged, we joined the long orderly line waiting to enter this most sacred part of the Harmandir Sahib. Many of the fabulous decorations are due to the generosity of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the 19th century Sikh leader known as the ‘Lion of Punjab’. Among the many gifts from him were 100 kg of gold to cover the dome and some beautiful marbles. We marveled at the inverted lotus, pinnacles, columns, bay window and fluted domes, all gleaming and finely carved, and time seemed to fly by.
The upper floor welcomed us with a gleaming hall of mirrors and a square atrium that allowed everyone to gaze at the jeweled canopy that protected the Holy Book on the floor below. The reading resounded like a heavenly whisper and around it there were semi-precious stones, colored glass, embossed copper, sacred verses from religious scriptures and different types of floral and animal motifs that embellished each space, wall, ceiling and archway. They included some human figures. Some say it is a mix of Hindu and Mughal designs, while others call it exclusively Sikh. Either way, the amazing wall art is largely the work of unknown artists and a moving testament to their faith.
There is little room for movement within the inner sanctum. So, after one last look at the view from the terrace, we return to our earthly world where we receive a small portion of Karah Parsad, the hallowed sweet pudding. We reflected on the simple practice of good deeds and kind words, truth, faith and equality, and the vision of heaven as ‘fused with the Divine Spirit, like a spark in the fire’. As the sun reached its highest point, the temple illuminated the entire scene and the reflections shone like gold on the lake. Imbued with 500 years of Sikh heritage, the Golden Temple is a living and mystical place to this day.
