“Heaven is draped in swarna and encircled by amrit sarovar.”
That’s where Swarna mandir (Golden temple) stands- in the midst of amrit sarovar (amrit=divine nectar, sarovar=lake), wrapped in swarna (gold¬).
Legend of the swarna mandir : The legend goes ,emperor Akbar gifted guru Ramdas a piece of land . Guru Ramdas constructed a pool in the gifted land that now stands to be the Golden temple.
Golden temple is perhaps one of the most visited spiritual sites of the world. Wrapped up in gold and marble, golden temple embraces all irrespective of their caste and creed and provides meal free of cost (langar khana).
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My blissful journey: After taking a dip in the holy amrit sarovar, I covered up my head with a turban and fetched the kadha Prasad. I merged into the crowd humming “waheguru” and after an hour or two, of shouldering each other; we made our way through the magnificent entrance of the gurudwara. People singing soulful ragas, the captivating walls with the finest artworks and engravings of verses from the Granth Sahib, and above all, the majestic roof enveloped in gold – it was all heaven, inside out.
The langar khana : After, being flabbergasted by such a mesmerizing view, we were headed to the langar khana. We were offered plates and utensils for eating. Thousands of people sat down on the ground for the meal whilst a hundred of people were busy making roti, dal and other delicacy. What we learnt was – anyone can give free service of any form in the Golden temple, be it cooking meals, washing utensils or keeping the holy amrit sarovar clean. The meal comprised of pulao, dal, roti, payas, and chawal. Never in my life did I have such a comforting meal. The meal was after all, God’s meal, made by people with the kindest hearts and loving souls.
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Shopping outside the Golden temple : There are loads of shops outside the temple. Visitors can buy amritsari juttis or the beautiful clothing pieces from the clothing stores. You can also enjoy shikanji or thandai kulfi after having the comforting Gurudwara meal.
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