Sri Harmandir Sahib — The Golden Temple of Amritsar, Punjab, India
ਸ੍ਰੀ ਹਰਿਮੰਦਰ ਸਾਹਿਬ
← Back to Seva & LangarSri Harmandir Sahib — literally “The Abode of God” — is the most sacred Gurdwara in Sikhism. Set in the heart of Amritsar in the Indian state of Punjab, the gilded sanctum sits at the centre of a sacred pool (Sarovar) called Amrit Sarovar (“Pool of Nectar”), from which the city takes its name.
Founded in the late 16th century by the fifth Sikh Guru, Guru Arjan Dev Ji, Harmandir Sahib was conceived as a place where people of every faith, caste, and background could come together to worship the One Universal Creator. The temple was deliberately built lower than the surrounding land — visitors descend to enter, symbolising humility — and has four doors, one on each side, signifying that it is open to people from all four directions and all walks of life.
It is here that the Adi Granth, the original compilation of Sikh scripture, was first installed in 1604. Today, Harmandir Sahib remains the spiritual centre of the global Sikh community and welcomes more visitors annually than the Taj Mahal.
The fourth Guru, Guru Ram Das Ji, founded the city of Amritsar by excavating the Amrit Sarovar (“Pool of Nectar”). Tradition holds that the land was gifted by the Mughal Emperor Akbar to Guru Ram Das Ji’s wife, Bibi Bhani Ji, as a wedding present.
Guru Arjan Dev Ji, the fifth Guru, invited the Muslim Sufi saint Mian Mir of Lahore to lay the foundation stone of the Harmandir Sahib in December 1588 — a powerful statement that the temple belonged to all of humanity, not Sikhs alone.
On 16 August 1604, Guru Arjan Dev Ji installed the Adi Granth — the first compilation of Sikh scripture — inside the completed Harmandir Sahib. Baba Buddha Ji was appointed the first Granthi (custodian of the scripture).
The Afghan invader Ahmad Shah Abdali destroyed the temple, blew up the structure with gunpowder, and filled the sacred pool with the carcasses of slaughtered cows. The Sikhs rebuilt it within years, only for it to face further desecrations in the years that followed.
Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the founder of the Sikh Empire, commissioned the upper floors of the temple to be overlaid with gold-plated copper sheets. It is from this gilding that the temple gets its English name, “The Golden Temple”. He also funded marble inlay work and decorative frescoes.
In June 1984, the Indian Army assault on the Harmandir Sahib complex caused devastating damage and immense loss of life. The Akal Takht was severely damaged. The Sikh community has since rebuilt the complex and the events of that period remain a deeply painful memory.
At the heart of Harmandir Sahib’s message of equality is its Langar — the free community kitchen open to every visitor, regardless of religion, caste, race, gender, or wealth. Founded on the principle of Pangat (sitting in a row as equals), the Langar is the most direct expression of Guru Nanak Dev Ji’s teaching that all human beings are one.
The Langar at Harmandir Sahib operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. It serves an average of 100,000 meals every weekday, rising to 200,000 or more on weekends and festival days. Despite this enormous scale, the entire kitchen is run almost exclusively by volunteers (sevadars) who chop vegetables, knead dough, cook, serve, wash dishes, and clean — performing every task as an act of selfless service (seva).
The food is simple, vegetarian, and freshly prepared: dal (lentils), seasonal vegetables, chapati (flatbread), rice, kheer (rice pudding) and water. No one is turned away, and no money is ever exchanged. Visitors sit cross-legged in long rows on the floor, side by side, dissolving the social hierarchies that divide the world outside.
One who works for what he eats, and gives some of what he has — O Nanak, he knows the path.