Golden Temple - in Amritsar Punjab, India

The Golden Temple located in Amritsar Punjab, India, is the central hearth for all Sikhs in the world. The temples official name is Darbar Harmandir Sahlib, which means "Temple of God," and/or the “Lord's Court”. Darbar Harmandir Sahlib is known as the Golden Temple because of the unique material used in constructing the temple (Singh, P.). The temple is constructed of white marble, coated with gold leaf. The temple is located in the center of a sarovar, or pool of fresh, clear water. The gold plated building features marble walls covered with precious stones arranged in decorative Islamic style floral patterns (Arshi, P). The interior and exterior of the temple is also decorated with verses from the Granth Sahlib. There are four entrances to the Golden Temple, signifying the importance of acceptance and openness (Singh, P.). Inside the Golden Temple, there are many shrines dedicated to past Sikh Gurus, saints and martyrs. There are three holy trees, each signify a Sikh saint. Also in the Golden Temple are many memorial plaques that pay homage to past Sikh historical events, saints and martyrs (Arshi, P). 

The history of the Golden temple begins in 1574. Akbar, a Mughal emperor dedicated the site to Bibi Bhani, a daughter of the third Guru Amar Das, as a wedding gift (Arshi, P). In 1577, Guru Raam Das begins the plans for a fresh water tank, and the construction of the temple site. In 1604, Guru Arjun Dev completes the temple's construction. He gathers the sacred scripture Adi Granth over the next few years, finishing it in August 30th, and installing the Granth in the Golden Temple on September 1st (Singh, P.). A granth is the principle sacred text of Sikhism. It contains hymns and poetry, as well as the teachings of the first five gurus. Between the years of 1699 to 1737, Bhai Mani Singh was made curator of the Golden Temple by Guru Gobind Singh. An Afghani general of the Ahmad Shah Abdali, Jahan Khan, attacks the golden temple during beginning of 1757 and the attack last till 1762. It is defended by a notable martyr, Baba Deep Singh (Arshi, P). The damages from the attack resulted in major reconstruction. In 1830, Maraharjah Ranjit Singh orders marble inlay, gold plating, and gilding installed into the Golden Temple’s walls. In the early 19th century, 100kg of gold were applied to the lotus shaped dome of the temple (Singh, P.).  June 1, 1984, marks the first day of "Operation Blue Star," which is codename for the attack on the Akal Takhat and the Golden Temple. On this day, the Indian army invaded the Golden Temple on the orders of the Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi. The Prime Minister of India wanted to attack the Golden Temple in order to destroy the Sikh religion at its core (Arshi, P).

The Golden Temple is a symbol