Hari Mandir Sahib - Evolution of the Shrine

SRI HARI MANDIR SAHIB

Morning time looking at the Golden Temple through the front gate
Amrit Sarowar remained enclosed in kachcha construction till Guru Arjan Dev ascended the gaddi in A.D. 1581. Then the tank was made pucca and the side stairs were bricked, but the bottom of the tank was still to be attended. The Sikhs showed great enthusiasm and devotion for seva (voluntary service) to complete the job." Construction work on the tank was completed in a short time. The successful completion of the project was attributed to the grace of God. Guru Arjan Dev expressed his thanksgiving in the words:

God Himself hath come to fulfill the
Task of the Saints
Yea, He Himself hath come to do the Work.
And, now, Blessed is the earth, the Tank and
the Nectar with which it is filled...

The tank was named Amritsar. The town also came to be called by the same name.

While the tank was under construction, Guru Arjan Dev consulted Baba Buddha Ji and expressed his wish to raise a beautiful permanent structure in the pool of nectar. The plan of the present Hari Mandir was t'hen projected by Guru Arjan Dev. It was decided by the Guru to build the temple in the centre of the tank." The object of Guru Arjan Dev in planning the structure of the Hari Mandir in the middle of Amrit Sarowar was to combine both spiritual and temporal aspects, to represent a new synthesis of Indian thought, the combination of Nirgun and Sargun. The leaders of the Sikh community and the devotees of the Guru welcomed the new plan.

The plan was executed under the direct control and supervision of Guru Arjan Dev assisted by Baba Buddha Ji, Bhai Gurudas and other devoted Sikhs. The Guru appointed his trustworthy followers, such as Bhai Salo, Bhai Bhagtu, Bhai Paira, Bhai Bahlo and Bhai Kalyana, to supervise the construction and arrange for building materials. The assignment of brickmaking was entrusted to Bhai Bahlo, an expert."

Cleaning the Nectar Tank

According to early Sikh tradition, the foundation stone of the Hari Mandir was laid by Guru Arjan Dev himself. (A related story tells us that a mason accidentally displaced a brick, on which the Guru expressed the fear that the foundation would have to be laid again in the future. This incident is mentioned in the Sikh sources written after the reconstruction of the Hari Mandir, in A.D. 1764, and is carried up to the late nineteenth century.) The recorded account is that Guru Arjan Dev laid the foundation of Hari Mandir on Ist Magh Samvat 1645 (A.D. 1588). However, the later Sikh tradition holds that the foundation was laid at. the request of Guru Arjan Dev by a Muslim divine, Pir Mian Mir of Lahore, in Samvat 1645 BK (A.D. 1588)." This version is based on oral tradition and is not supported either by the early Sikh sources or any of the Persian accounts, including the biographies of Mian Mir.

(PICTURE 3: People cleaning the Nectar tank. This is done once every 50 years. Photo by: Surinder Singh)

The construction work of the new temple was undertaken with great enthusiasm. A large number of Sikhs participated in the work. Some of the Sikh devotees became legends and adorn the pages of the annals of Sikh literature. The solid foundation was laid on a level higher than the bottom of the tank with lime and bricks. Broad walls were built. A bridge connecting the temple with Darshani Deorhi (entrance gate) was constructed over the support of Surang Duraries (aqueducts) mehrabs and dats (arches).

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