Dawn at Harmandar Sahib

"He who calls himself a disciple of the True Guru,
Let him rise early in the morn and contemplate the Lord's Name,
Let him attune himself to the Lord, and bathe in the Pool of Nectar at this early hour,
Let him dwell upon the Lord through the Guru's Word, that all his sins are washed away.
And when the sun rises, let him sing the Guru's Word and reflect on the Lord's Name,
And when the sun rises, let him sing the Guru's Word and reflect on the Lord's Name,
standing up and sitting down."
                        (Guru Granth Saheb, Var Gauri, Guru Ram Das)

The doors of Harmandar Sahib open at about 2 a.m. in the summer and 3 a.m. in the winter season. The regular devout of Amritsar and outside visitors eagerly wait this hour to visit Harmandar Sahib as it gives them the vision of paradise on the earth, each morning. Outside the main entrance, they take their shoes off, check them with an attendant and proceed into the complex. At a trough of swiftly running water, they dip their feet to cleanse them. As they pass the flower stalls, some stop to buy garlands of yellow, gold or russet marigolds to carry inside as offerings. After the opening of gates the cleansing service is started inside the temple by devotees, followed by proper wiping and covering of the floor with clean sheets and preparation of the Manji Sahib with proper spreading for the Holy Guru Granth Sahib. On the accomplishment of preparation and decoration, the Hazuri Ragi Jatha then starts the Kirtan of Var Assa.

Sawari in Adorned Palanquin

About half an hour before the Sri Guru Granth Sahib is brought down from Kotha Sahib in the Akal Takht, on the palki, a palanquin, of gold and silver specially prepared for it, attendants replace the cushions and pillows on which Sri Guru Granth Sahib will rest. They lay down fresh sets of silk and brocade coverings and when everything is ready, they delicately sprinkle scented rose water overall. As the head priest of the Harmandar Sahib appears with Sri Guru Granth Sahib on a cushion on his head, a series of deep, resonant drum beats of the nagara drums 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 Holy Scriptures, they make way for the palki's journey to the Harmandar Sahib.

This passage, though 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 the Darshani Deorhi and along the causeway, stopping as it reaches the main door of the Harmandar Sahib. The head priest reverently lifts Sri Guru Granth Sahib out of the Palki, places it on a silk cushion on his head and enters the holy shrine.

Guru's Vaaq

He carries it to its customary place of honor beneath a velvet canopy richly brocaded with the silver and gold and carefully sets it on velvet cushions and silks placed on a manji sahib. As the Sangat (congregation) stands in hushed silence, the head priest seats himself in front of Sri Guru Granth Sahib, ceremoniously opens it, and reads aloud the vaaq, or Lord's message, for the day. The recitation of Asa di Var, which had been in progress here since a little after 3 a.m. and stopped as Sri Guru Granth Sahib was carried in again resumes and continue. As it ends, the entire Sangat and the sewadars 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 renditions from the sacred verses, are resumed. The shabad kirtan will be sung throughout the day and late into the evening by a succession of ragis.

Har ki Pauri and Darshani Deorhi

The early morning worshippers after stepping out of the Harmandar Sahib, walk on the inner parkarma that encircles it, where on the southern side lays Har ki Pauri. Here, marble steps descend into the sarovar, so that visitors may cup the water of the sacred pool into their hands and sprinkle it on their heads. Some take a small sip of it as well. Tradition has it that Sri Guru Arjan Dev ji himself gave this place its name. Continuing around the Harmandar, on the inner parkarma, the devotees can once more bow in the direction of Sri Guru Granth Sahib, on their way back over the causeway, through the Darshani Deorhi (a bridged path, 210 ft. 9 inches long and 19 ft. 6 inches in width with a fine arch, richly ornamented gate house) on to the main parkarma.

While proceeding along the parkarma, towards the stairs by which they had entered, some pause by the Ber Baba Buddha, popularly known as the Tree Shrine. Baba Buddha, the first head priest of the Harmandar Sahib, is said to have sat under this tree as he supervised the construction of the Harmandar Sahib. Before leaving the Darbar Sahib, once more the early morning worshippers turn to face the Harmandar with folded hands and touch their foreheads to the marble floor of the parkarma in farewell. While ascending the stairs on the way out, they feel renewed, invigorated and reinforced by the knowledge that the hand of the Divine will guide them through the day.

Activities During the Day

With daylight, the pace of activity at the Darbar Sahib quickens. Groups of visitors and pilgrims steadily arrive at the main entrance, in tongas, scooters, cars, buses, trucks, tractors, trailers and on foot. Unlike the pre dawn devotees who had come to pray or to participate in the early morning rituals, these people come from longer distances for the pleasure of a pilgrimage whose purpose is both pious and festive. Some stay in the sacred precincts for a day or more. This colorful flow of visitors continues all day and late into the night, executives in business attire, farmers in their working clothes, women in a myriad variety of dress and personal adornment, and children in beautiful clothes.

All ages are represented, from those who have already made the better part of their journey through life, to newlyweds come to seek blessings for the life that lies ahead, brides in scarlet and gold wedding finery, the grooms in crisply tied pink or red turbans. Of all, while some listen to the shabad kirtan in the Harmandar on the ground floor, others get absorbed in the words of the Akhand Path in the quiet of its upper floors. Some visit the Akal Takht where the swords and personal weapons of Sri Guru Gobind Singh ji are kept. Many join the line in front of the special kitchen where karah parsad is prepared, to make a contribution of money for this sacramental food and carry it into the Harmandar Sahib. They give it to the attendants stationed at the door specially to receive it. The attendants in turn pass it on with God's blessings to those leaving the sanctum.

Baba Atal - Some devotees sit in quiet contemplation in the shrine of Baba Atal, built to honor Sri Guru Hargobind ji's remarkably gifted son who died young, or in the shrine built in Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur ji's memory. Since voluntary service is the very essence of Sikhism, a continuous stream of visitors makes its way to the Sri Guru Ram Das langar, to help prepare the food that will be served to the thousands who eat there daily.

Evening Prayers and Arti

"What time is the most auspicious for the Lord's Worship?
('Tis that )When one's mind is filled with the Lord's Name,
and the True One is acclaimed as True."
                        (Guru Granth Sahib, Raga Sri, Guru Amar Das ji)

As the sun sets, and the time for evening prayers nears, devotees sit and listen in attention to the evening recitations, and enjoy the beauty of the verses and the ragas in which these prayers are rendered. Just as in the morning, prayers begin with the Asa di War, in the evening, prayers end with the Rehraas, the Arti and the Shabad Kirtan, concluding with the ardas at 9:45 p.m. When the prayers end, Sri Guru Granth Sahib ji is reverently closed, wrapped in fresh layers of rich silk and muslin, and ceremoniously carried to the palki waiting outside. At night also, the palki is shouldered by devout Sikhs and taken to the Kotha Sahib where the Sri Guru Granth Sahib ji rests for the night. The massive silver and rosewood doors of the Darshani Deorhi are shut. A group of volunteers remain inside the Harmandar to perform the ritual cleansing of the shrine with milk and water in next day's preparation.

After a few hours, the doors of the Darshani Deorhi are opened again to worshippers, as the Harmandar Sahib is ready to receive them so that they can welcome the arrival of the Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji and seek its spiritual guidance for another day. Amidst the glow of the lamps and their myriad reflections in the pool, with the melodic chanting of hymns around, and people tossing handfuls of rose petals before the procession of the Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, and feeling the intensity of the love and reverence that attend each ritual, are experiences that each person present there at the time will remember throughout their lives.

Night

"Thy Name, O God is the earthen lamp and also the wick.
Thy name is the oil with which I fill the lamp (of the Self)
The Light tha burns is also of Thy name:
and with it, the three worlds are illuminated."
                         (Guru Granth Saheb, Raga Dhanasri, Ravidas)

At night the Temple has a glow, seeming to be luminous, lit from underneath its golden skin. It is a trick of the light. There are spotlights trained on it from all four sides, but such is its mystique that it appears it is glowing with the power of its own radiance. The illuminated Temple looks like a jeweled casket rising from the Pool of Nectar, the waters sparkling with its reflection.
As per the customs on all major festival days, the birth anniversaries of Gurus and the anniversary of the installation of the Adi Granth, the Temple lightens up more as the pilgrims light up the place with their diyas and candles at the edge of the pool around the Parkarma. Also on Diwali, the day when Guru Hargobind ji returned to Amritsar in the 17th century from his prison in Gwalior, and celebrated as a sikh festival ever since and Vaisakhi,

the spring festival of the New year, started by Guru Arjan Dev ji and forever sanctified by Guru Gobind Singh ji as the day of creation of the Khalsa.

1. Welcome to Harmandar Sahib



2. The Harmandar Sahib



3. A Day at Harmandar Sahib



4. Construction of Harmandar Sahib

1. Around the Harmandar Sahib



2. Art and Architecture



3. Slide Show



4. Sarai Booking