Home
Gurudwaras
Our Gurus
Historical Events
Apna Virsa
Punjabi Newspapers
Bollywood News
Gurbani Kirtan
Punjabi Songs
About EkNoor
Our Team
Our Sponsors
Contact Us

Sri Harmandir Sahib

Sri Harmandir Sahib, also called the Darbar Sahib and the Golden Temple, is the holiest of all Sikh religious places. The city of Amritsar, the pool of nectar, was founded by the Fourth Guru, Sri Guru Ram Dass Ji around 1564, when he had a tank dug in the Sultanwind area. This was completed by the Fifth Guru in 1588. In 1586, Guru Arjan Dev Ji began work for the completion of the tank that had been started by Guru Ram Dass Ji. He had the tank lined with brickwork. He named the tank Amritsar, the pool of nectar, and the city also came to be called by the same name.

Guru Arjan Dev Ji got its foundation laid by a muslim saint Hazrat Mian Mir ji of Lahore on 1st of Magh, 1645 Bikrmi Samvat (December,1588) in the middle of the tank. The construction work was directly supervised by Guru Arjan Dev Ji himself and he was assisted by the prominent Sikh personalities like Baba Budha ji, Bhai Gurdas ji, Bhai Sahlo ji and many other devoted Sikhs. Guru Sahib got it open from four sides. Thus he created a symbol of new faith, Sikhism. Guru Sahib made it accessible to every person without any distinction of Caste, creed, sex and religion. When the building was completed in 1604, the Granth Sahib was first established here and Baba Budha Ji was nominated the first High Priest of the Darbar Sahib.

The current structure of Sri Harmandir Sahib is built on a 67ft. square platform in the centre of the Sarovar(tank). The temple itself is 40.5ft. square. It has a door each on the East, West, North and South. The Darshani Deori (an arch) stands at the shore end of the causeway. The door frame of the arch is about 10ft in height and 8ft 6inches in breath. The door panes are decorated with artistic style. It opens on to the causeway or bridge that leads to the main building of Sri Harmandir Sahib. It is 202 feet in length and 21 feet in width.

The bridge is connected with the 13 feet wide ‘Pardakshna’ (circumambulatory path). It runs round the main shrine and it leads to the ‘Har ki Paure’ (steps of God). On the first floor of ‘Har ki Paure’, there is continuous reading of Guru Granth Sahib.

The main structure of Sri Harmandir Sahib, functionally as well as technically is a three-storied one. The front, which faces the bridge, is decorated with repeated cusped arches and the roof of the first floor is at the height of the 26 feet and 9 inches.

At the top of the first floor 4 feet high parapet rises on all the sides which has also four ‘Mamtees’ on the four corners and exactly on the top of the central hall of the main sanctuary rises the third story. It is a small square room and have three gates. A regular recitation of Guru Granth Sahib is also held there.

On the top of this room stands the low fluted ‘Gumbaz’(dome) having lotus petal motif in relief at the base inverted lotus at the top which supports the ‘Kalash’ having a beautiful ‘Chhatri’ at the end.

Its architecture represents a unique harmony between the Muslims and the Hindus way of construction work and this is considered the best architectural specimens of the world. It is often quoted that this architecture has created an independent Sikh school of architecture in the history of art in India.

Wallpaper of Harmandir Sahib