The Golden Temple, a gurdwara in Amritsar, Punjab, holds immense spiritual significance in Sikhism. It is one of the faith's holiest sites, alongside Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur and Gurdwara Janam Asthan in Nankana Sahib.
The gurdwara was rebuilt multiple times by the Sikhs after being targeted and destroyed repeatedly by the Mughal and Afghan armies. In 1809, Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the founder of the Sikh Empire, reconstructed it using marble and copper, and in 1830, he adorned the sanctum with gold leaf. This earned it the name the Golden Temple.
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 centre of religious authority of Sikhism. Additional buildings include a clock tower, the offices of the Gurdwara Committee, a Museum and a langar – a free Sikh community-run kitchen that offers a vegetarian meal to all visitors without discrimination.
Over 150,000 people visit the shrine every day for worship.