Golden Temple Adventure
The Golden Temple is an open house of worship for all people, from all
walks of life and faiths. It has a square plan with four entrances, and a
circumambulation path around the pool. The complex is a collection of
buildings around the sanctum and the pool. one of these is Akal Takht, the
chief center of religious authority of Sikhism. Additional buildings include
a clock tower, the offices of the Gurdwara Committee, a museum and a
langer - a free Sikh community-run kitchen that serves a simple vegetarian
meal to all visitors without discrimination. Over 100,000 people visit the
holy shrine daily for worship. The Gurudwara complex has been nominated
as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and its application is pending on the
tentative list of UNESCO.
Nomenclature
The Golden Temple is also known as the Harmandir Sahib. The Harmandir
Sahib is also spelled as Harimandar, Harimandir, or Harmandir Sahib. It is
also called the Durbar Sahib, which means "sacred audience", as well as the
Golden Temple for its gold foil covered sanctum center. The word "harmandir"
is composed of two words: "Hari", which scholars translate as "God", and
"mandir", which means "house". The Sikh tradition has several Gurudwaras
named "Harmandir Sahib", such as those in Kiratpur and Patna. Of these,
the one in Amritsar is most revered.
Guru Ram Das Langar
Harmandir Sahib complex has a Langer, a community-run free kitchen and
dining hall. It is attached to the east side of the courtyard near the Dukh
Bhanjani Ber, outside of the entrance. Food is served here to all visitors
who want it, regardless of faith, gender or economic background. Vegetarian
food is served and all people eat together as equals. Everyone sits on the
floor in rows, which is called pangat. The meal is served by volunteers as
part of their kar seva ethos.
