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The Golden Temple or Amritsar, which means "pool of the nectar of immortality."
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A place of stupendous beauty and sublime peacefulness, the Golden Temple in the Northern Punjab of India was originally named Amritsar, which means "pool of the nectar of immortality." Amritsar stems from the word, ìamritî meaning ìdrink of the gods,î a mythical liquid that provides the catalyst for spiritual enlightenment.
The myth reveals itself as a metaphor for the waters of Amritsar that flow into the lake of the Hari Mandir as a purveyor of peacefulness.
Originally a small lake in a quiet forest, the site has been a meditation retreat for wandering mendicants and sages since antiquity. Buddha spent time at this place in contemplation, and 2,000 years later, Guru Nanak (1469-1539), founder of the Sikh religion, came to live and meditate by the peaceful lake. His followers continue to frequent the site as the primary sacred shrine of the Sikhs.
The lake was enlarged and structurally contained during the leadership of the fourth Sikh Guru (Ram Dass, 1574-1581), and during the leadership of the fifth Guru (Arjan, 1581-1606), the Hari Mandir, or Temple of God was built.
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© imagesofasia 2007-08 |
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