Harmandir (Golden Temple)

Sikhs are monotheists who have always avoided the worship of images; the most sacred object in the Golden Temple is a copy of their scripture, the Guru Granth Sahib. The dome on the left side of the building here is supposed to represent an inverted lotus, through which the nectar of God's wisdom can be poured out to humans below.  This photo is taken from the marble walkway that surrounds the Harmandir.  Anyone may enter the Harmandir, and in fact the Sikhs are very proud of it, and love to show it off--but all visitors must remove their shoes and cover their heads as signs of respect.  This picture was taken in the late afternoon in Jan. 1999, and shows off the reflecting pool to good advantage.

Here's a shot taken at night on the same visit.  The Harmindir's beauty is evident at every level--the lowest level of the building has elaborate pietra dura inlay work, reminiscent of the Taj Mahal, and the interior has elaborate paintings in vegetal motifs (flowers and trailing vines).  This photo also can't convey the attitude that Sikh pilgrims carry with them--the whole complex is immaculately clean, and is maintained that way entirely through volunteer labor by the Sikhs themselves.  Sikhs see such labor in service to others as a religious duty, whether in mopping the marble walkways, cooking food in the langar, or working on construction and renovation projects. 

This picture was taken in January 1999.

This picture shows the front of the Harmandir, with the Guru's Bridge from the Akal Takht at the lower right, the Ramgarhia Minars rising in the back, and one of the main entrances at the extreme right of the picture. 

This photo was taken in January 2003.

This picture is from the other side of the gateway, and was taken on Makar Sankranti (Jan. 14th, the day on which according to Indian astrology the sun is reckoned as beginning to move in a northerly direction).  Even though Sikh doctrine attaches no importance to this date (which comes from the Hindu religious calendar), it is still a very popular day to visit the Harmandir (as the dense line of devotees in this picture clearly shows).  This shows some of the divergence between "official" and "popular" religious practice, since some of the latter is still colored by Hindu religious ideas. 

This photo was taken in January 2003.

The Harmandir is a very important and a very powerful religious site, but it can also be extraordinarily beautiful, and this beauty adds a completely different dimension to this experience.  This shot was taken in the late afternoon in January 2003, when the setting sun illuminated the front of the building, and set it in magnificent contrast with the shadow on the side.  The bird flying overhead (a completely serendipitous addition) hints at a vision of higher things.