View source for Harmandir Sahib (Golden Temple)/ Sri Darbar Sahib, Amritsar

[[File:  Harmandir Sahib.jpg| Harmandir Sahib in 1914 |frame|500px]]
 
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=Harmandir Sahib (The Golden Temple)=

by Patwant Singh

''' A Day at Darbar Sahib ''' 

'' India Harmony '' Volume - 1 : Issue - 2, 2013

For thousands of Amritsar's inhabitants, the
day begins early. It begins, in fact, the night before at three o'clock or so in the morning,
as householders in the city stir with the activity of
people preparing for a predawn visit to Darbar
Sahib - a routine that hasn't changed for four
centuries.

[[File: Golden Temple in a tranquil setting.png| Golden Temple in a tranquil setting|frame|500px]] 

The devout of Amritsar eagerly await this hour
each morning with the keen sense of anticipation
that comes from knowing they will soon visit the
Harimandir.

As they walk through the familiar streets of the
old city, their pace quickens in expectation of soon
seeing the beloved shrine. Some of them have
made this walk at this hour each morning for as
long as they can remember.

Outside the main entrance, they take their shoes
off, checks them with an attendant and proceed, ...
to the complex. At a trough of swiftly running
water, they dip their feet to cleanse them. As they
pass the flowers stall, some stop to buy garlands
of yellow, gold or russet marigolds to carry inside
as offerings.

Descending the marble stairs to the parkarma,
they behold in the center of the sarowar, the
serene and immortal Harimandir Sahib. They gaze
at it with awe and with reverence and love the
very emotions others before them have
experienced for as long as the Harimandir has
existed. They are transfixed by this first sight of it
by its golden facades and domes. The waters
around it are still and glassy in the peaceful early
morning silence, and capture an almost perfect
reflection.

[[File: Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, and his wife Gursharan Kaur, former President Dr A P J Kalam, Congres general secretary Rahul Gandhi and.png| Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, and his wife Gursharan Kaur, former President Dr A P J Kalam, Congres general secretary Rahul Gandhi and|frame|left|500px]] 

Bowing low to make their foreheads touch the
cool marble of the parkarma, worshippers pay
homage and express thanks for the divine grace
that has made their visit possible. Then, as is
customary, they turn left to go around the entire
parkarma, and to stop at shrines on the way,
before finally reaching the Harimandir.

The first shrine along the marble walkway is
Dukh Bhanjani Ber. Built around a dujube tree, it
marks the spot there, it is said, a dip in the sacred
pool miraculously cured a crippled youth. Since
many consider their visit to the temple incomplete
without bathing at this spot here and enter the
water, hoping to shed their afflictions and
troubles.

Past Dukh Bhanjani Ber is a raised marble
platform which is the Ath Sath Tirath, the Shrine
of the Sixty eight Holy Places. If they bathe near
it, some believe, their dreams of visiting the 68
holy places of India will be fulfilled. Further
along the parkarma, around the next corner is the
shrine of Baba Deep Singh, the legendary old
warrior who died at this spot. Ever since pilgrims
have paused here to pray to sprinkle rose petals or
to lay fresh garlands in his honor.

Such cameos of valor enliven the rich mosaic of a
military tradition that continues to this day. Even
now, the names of Sikh martyrs and soldiers who
die in battle are inscribed on marble plaques
embedded in the floor of the parkarma or on the
pillars of the adjoining verandahs. Many Indian
Army regiments still maintain the tradition of
installing commemorative plaques here to honor
their war heroes.

As the devout turn the next corner of the
parkarma, leading to Akal Takht and Darshani
Deorhi, their excitement builds, for soon they will
witness, and possibly join in the ceremonies that
only those who visit Darbar Sahib at this hour can.
These are the rituals that attend the traditional
bearing of Guru Granth Sahib from Katha Sahib at
Akal Takht where it is kept each night, to
Harimandir Sahib, to which it is always returned
before five o'clock in the morning.

[[File: Queen Elizabeth, Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Cherie Blair (Wife of Tony Blair) paying homage.png| Queen Elizabeth, Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Cherie Blair (Wife of Tony Blair) paying homage|frame|500px]] 

About half and hour before Granth Sahib is
brought down from Akal Takth, the palki, a gold
and silver palanquin, is prepared for it. Attendants
replace the cushions and pillows on which Granth
Sahib will rest. They lay down fresh sets of silk
and brocade coverings and, when everything is
ready, they sprinkle delicately scented rose water
over all.

As the head priest of the Harimandir appears with
Granth Sahib on a cushion on his head, a series of
deep, resonant drum beats of the nagara heralds its
arrival to the assembled worshippers who, even at
this hour, fill the large plaza to capacity.

Showering fragrant red, pink and white rose
petals, and reciting hymns from the holy
scriptures, they make way for the palki's journey
to the Harimandir. This passage, through short,
sometimes takes up to half an hour while as many
worshippers as possible share the honor of
carrying it.

The procession solemnly moves across the plaza
through Darshani Deorhi, and along the causeway,
stopping as it reaches the main door of the
Harimandir. The head priest reverently lifts
Granth Sahib out of the palke, places it on a silk
cushion on his head and enters the holy shrine.

He carries it to its customary place of honor
beneath a velvet canopy richly brocaded with
silver and gold, and carefully sets it on velvet
cushions and silks placed on Manji Sahib.

As the congregation stands in hushed silence, the
head priest seats himself in front of Guru Granth
Sahib, ceremoniously opens it, and reads aloud
the 'Vaq', or the Lord's message, for the day.
The recitation of 'Asa di War', which had been in
progress here since a little after 3 a.m., had
stopped as Granth Sahib was carried in, sung
always at this pre-dawn hour, Asa di War also, like
all other compositions recited here, is taken from
Granth Sahib.

After the 'Vaq' is read, the singing of 'Asa di War'
continues. As it ends, the entire congregation and
the servitors of the temple stand up for the Ardas,
a prayer that is recited at the conclusion of each
service. After the Ardas, the Shabad Kirtan, the
vocal and musical rendition of sacred verses, is
resumed. Shabads will be sung throughout the day
and late into the evening by a succession of ragis.
The early morning worshippers now step out of
the Harmandir, walk on the inner parkarma that
encircles it, and stop on its southern side at the
Har ki Pauri. Here, marble steps descend into the
sarowar so that visitors may cup the water of the
sacred pool in their hands and sprinkle it on their
heads. Some take a small sip of it as well.
Tradition has it that Guru Arjan himself gave this
place its name.

[[File: The Guru Granth Sahib being worshipped.png| The Guru Granth Sahib being worshipped|frame|500px]] 

Continuing around the Harmandir, on the inner
parkarma, the devotees once more bow in the
direction of Granth Sahib, then make their way
back over the causeway, through Darshani Deorhi
and on to the main parkarma.

As they proceed along the parkarma, towards the
stairs by which they had entered, some pause by
Ber Baba Buddha, popularly represented, from
those who have already made the better part of
their journey through life, to the newlyweds who
have come to seek blessings for the life that lies
ahead - brides in scarlet and gold wedding finery,
grooms in crisply tied pink or red turbans.

People are spread out everywhere. Some are in the
Harmandir listening to the Shabad kirtan on the
ground floor, others are absorbed in the words of
the akhand path in the quiet of its upper floors.
Some visit Akal Takht where the swords and
personal weapons of Guru Gobind Singh are
enshrined.

Many join the line in front of the special kitchen
where Karah parshad is prepared. They make a
donation of money for this sacramental food and
carry it into the Harimandir. They give it to the
attendants stationed at the door specially to
receive it. The attendants, in turn pass it on with
Got's blessing to those leaving the sanctum.
Some devotees sit in quiet contemplation in the
Shrine of Baba Atal, built to honor Guru
Hargobind's remarkably gifted son who died
young or in the shrine built in Guru Tegh
Bahadur's memory. Since voluntary service is the
very essence of Sikhism, a continuous stream of
visitors makes its way to the Guru Ram Dass
langar, to help prepare the food that will be served
to the thousands who eat there daily.

Occasionally visitors go on brief forays into the
winding bazaars around Darbar Sahib, drawn to
them by the endless variety of goods on display,
the prospect of good-natured bargaining, the
banter between the customers and the
shopkeepers, and the stimulation of the many
colors, textures and sounds that only a traditional
Indian bazaar offers.

As the sun sets and the time for evening
prayers nears, there is a perceptible
change in the nature of the
people who now enter the
Harimandir. These
devotees come to sit and
listen in rapt attention
to the evening
recitations, and to
enjoy the beauty of
the verses and the
rags in which
these prayers are
rendered. Just as
in the morning
prayers began
with 'Asa di War',
in the evening
prayers end with the
Rahras, the arti, and
the shabad kirtan,
concluding with Ardas
at 9:45 pm.

When the prayers end, Guru
Granth Sahib reverently closed,
wrapped in fresh layers of rich silk and
muslin, and ceremonially carried to the palki
waiting outside. As in the morning, so also now,
the palki is shouldered by devout Sikhs and taken
to Kotha Sahib where Granth Sahib will rest for
the night.

The massive silver and rosewood doors of
Darshani Deorhi are shut and a group of
volunteers inside the Harimandir start the ritual
cleansing of the shrine with milk and water in
preparation for the next day. In the few
hours the doors of Darshani Deorhi
will once again be opened to
worshippers, and the
Harmindir will be ready to
receive them so that
they can welcome the
arrival of Guru
Granth Sahib and
seek spiritual
guidance for
another day.

Seeing the glow
of the lamps and
their myriad
reflections in the
pool, bearing the
melodic chanting of
hymns, tossing
handfuls of rose petals
before the procession of
Granth Sahib, and feeling
the intensity of the love and
reverence that attend each ritual
are experiences that will always be
remembered.

Day after day, the Harimandir, the abiding symbol
of the Sikh faith, continues to inspire and uplift
those thousands who come to it. It is, in a sense,
the heart of the Sikh, for wherever beats a Sikh
heart, there throbs the sentiment of undying
devotion for this holiest of all Sikh shrines.

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HARMANDIR SAHIB (THE GOLDEN TEMPLE)]]
[[Category:Name|ALPHABET
HARMANDIR SAHIB (THE GOLDEN TEMPLE)]]
[[Category:Places|A
HARMANDIR SAHIB (THE GOLDEN TEMPLE)]]
[[Category:Religion|G
HARMANDIR SAHIB (THE GOLDEN TEMPLE)]]

[[Category:India|GHARMANDIR SAHIB (THE GOLDEN TEMPLE)
HARMANDIR SAHIB (THE GOLDEN TEMPLE), AMRITSAR]]
[[Category:Name|ALPHABETHARMANDIR SAHIB (THE GOLDEN TEMPLE)
HARMANDIR SAHIB (THE GOLDEN TEMPLE), AMRITSAR]]
[[Category:Places|AHARMANDIR SAHIB (THE GOLDEN TEMPLE)
HARMANDIR SAHIB (THE GOLDEN TEMPLE), AMRITSAR]]
[[Category:Religion|GHARMANDIR SAHIB (THE GOLDEN TEMPLE)
HARMANDIR SAHIB (THE GOLDEN TEMPLE), AMRITSAR]]