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The Sikh Golden Temple of Amritsar
The Sikh Golden Temple of Amritsar The word 'Sikh' in the Punjabi language means 'disciple', Sikhs are the disciples of God who follow the writings and teachings of the Ten Sikh Gurus. Sikhism preaches a message of devotion and remembrance of God at all times, truthful living, equality of mankind, social justice and denounces superstitions and blind rituals. Sikhism is open to all through the teachings of its 10 Gurus enshrined in the Sikh Holy Book.
The Golden Temple in Amritsar, Punjab, is the holiest shrine in Sikhism. The temple is a major pilgrimage destination for Sikhs from all over the world.
Construction of the Golden Temple began in 1574 on land donated by the Mughal emperor Akbar. The building project was overseen by the fourth and fifth Sikh Gurus. The temple was completed in 1601, but restoration and embellishment continued over the years.
All the gold and marble work took place under the patronage of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. The legendary warrior king was a major donor of wealth and materials for the shrine and is remembered with much affection by the Sikh community and Punjabi people.
On June 6 1984, Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi ordered an attack on armed Sikh militants holed up in the Golden Temple. 12,000 Indian Army troops supported by tanks, artillery and helicopters attacked the holiest of Sikh shrines, the Golden Temple of Amritsar. Even the most conservative estimates indicate that more than 1000 Sikhs, including women and children, were killed in the raid upon the holy temple. Sikhs within the complex, although massively outnumbered, defended their sacred temple ferociously and there were substantial Indian Army casualties as well. Simultaneously, the Indian Army assaulted and desecrated 40 more historical and sacred Sikh temples throughout Punjab. The Akal Takhat, one of the two major edifices in the sacred complex, suffered massive destruction. The temple library and museum with their contents of irreplaceable ancient scriptures, priceless historical artifacts of Maharaja Ranjit Singh and precious jewels were destroyed and looted. The continuous reading of Sri Guru Granth Sahib in Harmandir Sahib was interrupted for the first time in hundreds of years. The destruction and loss of life marked the darkest chapter in Sikh history this century. This event marked a critical turning point for all Sikhs around the world as it made them realize that they could not take the existence of their religion for granted. Four months after the attack, Gandhi was assassinated by her two Sikh bodyguards, leading to a massacre followed in which thousands of Sikhs lost their lives.
The Sikh community refused to allow the central government to repair the damage to the temple, instead undertaking the work themselves. Although most of the damaged been repaired, the incident has not been forgotten.
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This intel was contributed by eripere
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May, 2012
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