The Golden Temple: Past & Present

Harimandir, which is also reverentially called Darbar Sahib and Golden Temple is the nerve center of Sikh community. The history of the Harimandir is in fact the history of the community and its faith. Foundation of Harimandir has been the greatest hallmark in the development of the Sikh movement. Sikhs were divinely bestowed with a place of pilgrimage. Concept of the Guru was added to by the concept of Gurdwara.  Gurbani, Gursikh, Guru Panth and Gurmata completed the structure in such a way that objective of a complete individual-the one having saintly and soldiering qualities alike-seemed to become a reality. Golden Temple became a source of spiritual vitality for the Sikhs. It became an eyesore for the oppressive rulers as the cradle of valour created the ethos of martyrdom. Guru Arjan himself became the first martyr. This converted the pacifist community into the sterling warriors who created an unparelleled history. The Golden Temple Past and Present published in 1983 by Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar was the first, but not the last serious attempt for recording the History of the Harimandir Sahib. The book was welcomed by the readers and researchers. On account of its great demand from India and abroad the authorities of Guru Nanak Dev University Amritsar decided to publish a second edition of the Golden Temple Past and Present. The Harimandir Sahib now called Golden Temple is not only a living symbol of the spiritual and historical traditions of the Sikhs, it is a World Heritage Site. The present edition is a dispassionate analysis of the History of the Golden Temple. It tells the glorious story of the Harimandir Sahib while defining its place in the development of the history of the Punjab and the issues related to the central shrine of the Sikhs.