Faiths unite at Golden Temple

Thousands of feet walk the narrow, colourful lanes of Amritsar leading to the Golden Temple in search for solace. Even amid the hustle and bustle of huge crowds of pilgrims, everyone manages to find a peaceful place for themselves. One could say, the serenity experienced here emanates from Golden Temple’s eventful history.

At a time when Bharatvarsha (undivided India) was embroiled in casteism and religious inequalities, a strong need arose for a common spiritual platform surpassing bitter boundaries; for humanity to prevail over treachery and disdain caused by religious rivalries. Encircled by Amrit Sarovar (pond of water), the Golden Temple originally known as Sri Harmandir Sahib (the temple of God), became a uniting point for the Muslim and Hindu communities.

It is believed that the city of Amritsar derives its name from this pond, the meaning of which is rooted in an ancient mythological belief of the early Vedic period. Guru Arjan Dev, the fifth of the ten Sikh Gurus, took the initiative to bridge the gap between Hinduism and Islam through the spiritual ground of Sikhism. In 1589, the Guru requested his contemporary Muslim savant Mian Mir to lay the first foundation stone of the temple.

The word amrit refers to the nectar obtained from the soma plant that Hindus of the Vedic age are said to have consumed to attain immortality. Located in the heart of the Indus Valley civilisation in north-west India, the Sarovar is believed to allude to the great bath of Mohenjo-Daro where the ancient Hindus performed their religious rituals.

Years later, Mughals from Central Asia began military invasions in this region, leading to rivalry amongst their Hindu counterparts. The Hindus considered the Mughals ‘foreigners’ who had grabbed their land. The time was ripe to create a space where one could find peace free from religious obligations. The Golden Temple served this purpose–it allowed every individual to come and surrender oneself to God.