Devotees walking inside the Golden Temple. This is the front courtyard of the Golden Temple, with a number of shops and vendors
This is a location inside the Golden Temple complex in Amritsar, but outside the main building of the Golden Temple. There is always a hustle and bustle in the complex, with a throng of devotees always present. The Golden Temple is the most holy site for the Sikh religion, and is always popular with non-Sikh people as well. A large number of Hindus also visit the site on a regular basis. The Golden Temple is one of the most famous monuments in Amritsar, in the state of Punjab in North India. It is the spiritiual headquarters of the Sikh religion, and is a very well visited place. Besides Sikhs, people from other religions visit the temple, it being an open place. The temple is also referred to as the Harmandir Sahib or the Darbar Sahib, and was built during the 16th century by the fifth Sikh Guru (completed in the year 1604), Guru Arjan Dev around a holy tank. Earlier to this, in 1577, the fourth Guru, Guru Ram Das ji excavated a tank which came to be known as Amritsar. The Harmandir Sahib symbolizes openess, and has four doors to depict the same. Over a period of time, modifications were done, such as the layering of gold over the dome by the ruler of the time, Maharajah Ranjit holy nature of the Golden Temple is also symbolized by the presence of the Holy Book of the Sikhs, the Guru Granth Sahib. The central structure of the Gurudwara is surrounded by a holy tank of water, with a causeway over this body of water. There are some restrictions for entering the site, such as the removal of shoes before entering (and washing ones feet in a small pool of water as well), covering the hair through a scarf or some other cloth, and ensuring that they show proper respect towards the central shrine. The Golden Temple is also the location for a major military operation, where the Indian Army went in against Sikh militants lead by Jarnail Singh Bhindrawale inside the compound of the Golden Temple, with bullets and even machine guns inside the compound.
Size: 4272px × 2848px
Location: Golden Temple, Amritsar, Punjab, India, Asia
Photo credit: © Ashish Agarwal / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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