Studying religious architecture and inclusiveness at the Golden Temple

The Golden Temple is one of the most famous pilgrimage sites in India. It is also known as Sri Harmandir Sahib or Darbar Sahib. Every day, thousands of people visit this wonderful place. The entire upper half of the structure is inlaid with copper, which is then gilded with pure gold. Hence, it is popularly known as the Golden Temple.

The stunning Golden Temple is surrounded by a sacred, man-made pool known as Amrit Sarovar. Amrit means ‘nectar’ and Sarovar means ‘a pool’, and this is how the name of the city — Amritsar — was coined.

The Golden Temple is the most important sacred site for the Sikh community. People from all over the world visit this holy place to pay their homage to Darbar Sahib, or the highest seat of Sikh religion. Even the architecture of the complex signifies the basic tenets of Sikhism — human brotherhood and equality. There are four entrances to the shrine, one in each direction which are called deoris. The deoris indicate that people from all ‘directions’ irrespective of their caste, creed or religion are welcome inside.

It is customary for everyone to remove their shoes, cover their heads and wash their feet with fresh water before entering the shrine. In the main shrine, we observed that the entire atmosphere was extremely calm and peaceful. A large number of people were offering prayers inside. Next, we went to the langar hall (or the community kitchen) to eat our meal, which tasted really delicious. We clicked many pictures to create beautiful memories that we would cherish forever.

Visiting the Golden Temple was truly blissful. Every moment spent inside the Gurudwara left a deep impression on our hearts and minds. This brief day-trip taught us the crucial values of strength, unity and tolerance. We also realised the importance of being patient and humble in our daily lives. The visit to the holy shrine remains a spectacular experience that would remain etched in our memories for long.

Team members: Aditi, Palak and Sanskriti (Vidya Devi Jindal School, Hisar).

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EdTerra Edventures conducts various other domestic programs for the youth. If you go to school and are under 17 years of age, ask your school to contact us to arrange a visit to your school for an introduction to the “Amritsar: Unity in division” and other journeys under EdTerra’s Going Global Program.

For queries call +91-11-48885800 or visit EdTerra Browse Journeys page to know more about the programs we offer to school students. Visit our Facebook page by clicking HERE.