Of Gurudwaras and Mandirs

Part 3 -Amritsar

       The city of Amritsar is sacred to both Sikhs and Hindus. The Sikhs have their holiest of holies, the Sri Harmandir Sahib lovingly called the Golden Temple and for Hindus, there is one of the holiest temples in North India, the Durgiana Mandir also called the Silver Temple.

        Sri Harmandir Sahib, also known as Darbar Sahib and the Golden Temple, situated in the centre of the Amrit Sarovar is a place of extraordinary beauty, absolute peacefulness and sublime spirituality. Originally, this was a small lake in a forest. The calm and quiet surroundings attracted many rishis, mendicants and sages who needed such places, for their meditation. Guru Nanak used to frequent this lake, and after him many of his followers and the subsequent Gurus too, used to retreat to this place for prayer and meditation. Thus over a period of time, this place became sacred to the Sikhs.

       Guru Amardas, the third Sikh Guru wished that the lake be enlarged and made into a place of worship for the Sikhs. His disciple Guru Ram Das, the fourth Guru, carried out this work, and Amrit Sarovar and the city of Amritsar around it was founded. It was Guru Arjan Das, the fifth guru, who conceived of the idea of a place of worship for his followers and so designed and constructed the temple in the centre of this tank.  He installed the Guru Granth Sahib in the sanctum.

       Harmandir Sahib, a synthesis of Muslim and Hindu architecture, has walls of marble and the outer walls of its upper floors are covered with gold plating. The gleaming temple appears like a lustrous pearl and its reflection in the shimmering water of the tank add to its overall beauty. The exquisite marble work was the offerings of Hukam Singh Chimni and Maharaja Ranjit Singh had the walls plated with gold.

          The Gurudwara complex has four entrances (representing the four directions). These entrances are symbolic of the openness of Sikhism towards all people and religions. No visitor is stopped at any entrance for any kind of security check, the belief being that one who comes to the House of God ,comes with peace and love in one’s heart.  On a conservative estimate, more than 80,000 people visit Harmandir Sahib daily and partake of the langar.

       The complex has not just the Harmandir Sahib temple, but also the Akal Takht (the throne of the Timeless One). This was built by Guru Hargobind, the sixth guru. The Harmandir Sahib is the abode of God’s spiritual attributes and the Akal Takht is the seat of God’s temporal authority.  The Akal Takht was damaged during Operation Bluestar. Though subsequently repaired, some bullet holes have been left untouched.

       Unlike other places of worship, Harmandir Sahib is built at a level  lower than the surroundings  and worshipers have to go down to enter it. The approach to the temple is across a beautiful causeway, known as ‘Guru’s bridge’ and is symbolic of the journey of the soul after death. The gateway to the bridge is called the Darshani Deori and has magnificent silver doors.  The ceiling of Harmandir Sahib is dazzling with its work of gold and precious stones. The lower levels of the walls are decorated with delicate, inlaid motifs of animals and flowers. On this first level, is the gleaming sanctum, where is installed the Guru Granth Sahib. Granthis and musicians keep up a continuous chant from the Holy Book, enhancing the intensely spiritual ambiance. Devotees stream in, some sit down to pray and meditate while others just pay their respects and move on.  No one is hurried out or away from the sanctum, but can at one’s pace stop and pay respects to the Guru Granth Sahib.

       From the first level, we moved up to a beautifully painted gallery on the second level. Here too was installed a Guru Granth Sahib. This was larger in size than the one in the sanctum on the first level. Here too were granthis chanting and devotees praying. We then went on to the next level, which housed yet another Guru Granth Sahib. The stairways were narrow and winding. Despite the large number of pilgrims, there was no pushing or shoving. Everyone waited respectfully and devoutly for one’s turn.

       Many shrines and monuments are situated around the compound.  In one part of the compound, Kirtanas are sung and stories about Sikh saints are narrated continuously. Pilgrims sit around listening to all this.  There are three ‘ber’ trees in the compound. All of them are older than Harmandir Sahib or the Amsrit Sarovar. They are believed to have existed even before the tank was excavated. Each tree is associated with a Guru or saint and has its own anecdote. There are wide marble paved walkways around the tank.

      The complex also houses a Sikh Museum showing the lives of the Sikh Gurus, the persecution suffered by the Sikhs, and the Sikh martyrs and freedom fighters.

      The Langar Bhavan is also part of the complex. Here all visitors to Haramandir Sahib, tourists or pilgrims, regardless of any distinctions, together partake of the langar. All the cooking, chopping, serving, cleaning etc is done by devotees as their ‘seva’ to God. The entire premises are kept immaculately clean by the devotees – both men and women, young and old.

       A visitor to the Golden Temple is overcome by a variety of emotions – awe and wonder at the richness of the gold and precious stones used for decoration, admiration for the beautifully intricate and delicate workmanship, respect and esteem for the devotees who live their faith, and above all a feeling of peace and serenity. One truly feels humble in this tangibly spiritual place. Guru Arjan Das’s statement, ‘I have seen many places, but none like this’ holds true even today.

      

              Amritsar, though founded by a Sikh Guru, is sacred to the Hindus as it is believed that it has been blessed by Lord Ram and his consort Sita Mata. It is the land which gave shelter and succor to Sita. Maharishi Valmiki is said to have had his ashram in the forest which originally covered this area. Sita and her sons Luv-Kush lived here. Lord Rama visited this place at the time of his ashwamedha yagya.

       Durgiana Temple is an important ‘tirtha sthal’ of the Hindus. The temple derives its name from Goddess Durga , the chief deity here. This temple is also known as the Lakshmi Narayan Mandir as Lakshmi and Vishnu are also worshipped here.

        Though this temple is a Hindu temple, its architecture is very similar to Harmandir Sahib. The Durgiana temple is also built in the middle of a sacred tank. The similarity does not end here. It has domes and canopies similar to Harmandir Sahib and a  bridge provides the approach to this temple too. Like the Golden Temple, here too the walls are of marble and the domes are gilded with gold. The temple has nine, large, exquisite silver doors because of which this temple is also called ‘The Silver Temple’. These doors depict the different forms of Durga, Lakshmi and various other gods from the Hindu pantheon. The gold covering of the upper portion of the temple are embossed with images from the  Dashavatar and others like Radha Krishna, Lakshmi Vishnu etc.. The flooring and the walkways around the tank are paved with marble.  

    

      The temple complex has smaller shrines like the Sita Mata temple and the Bada Hanuman temple and a langar bhavan. The light green water of the tank is said to have medicinal properties.

      In this temple too there were musicians singing kirtanas.  The temple was quiet and calm, with a serene, spiritual atmosphere.

      

       The places of worship in Punjab, whether a Gurudwara or a Mandir, are very different.  They were quiet and serene.  No fees were charged at any of the shoe stands. There were seats near the shoe stands, so we could use them while taking off and putting on our footwear. There were washbasins, with soap, to wash our hands. We were not given any bags for our footwear nor told to leave them on the stand. Rather, the people (those who were manning the shoe stand) themselves, collected the footwear from us and returned it to us. They had no qualms about touching our shoes. In fact at Harmandir and Durgiana temple, I saw people cleaning and polishing the shoes left at the shoe stand. Another striking difference in the temples was that no arthi was performed for the deity as soon as the devotees entered the temple.  The priest sat reading from the scriptures. The devotee prayed, paid respects and went out. Prasad was given outside the temple, in the area for the parikrama, and there was no plate kept with money in it as a hint.

       Visiting the gurudwaras and mandirs in Punjab was an uplifting experience.