Golden Temple (Harmandir Sahib)

Cover your head, wash your feet and step through the gateway, and the Golden Temple appears in the middle of the shimmering Amrit Sarovar pool, its gilded upper storeys reflected in the water. The sound of kirtan – hymns from the Guru Granth Sahib – drifts across the marble walkway (parikrama) at every hour of the day.

Harmandir Sahib welcomes people of every faith. One of its most moving experiences is the langar, the community kitchen where volunteers serve free vegetarian meals to tens of thousands of visitors each day, everyone sitting together on the floor regardless of status or religion.

The Amrit Sarovar was excavated under the fourth Sikh Guru, Guru Ram Das, around whom the city of Amritsar grew. The temple was built under the fifth Guru, Guru Arjan Dev, who installed the Adi Granth (the Sikh scripture) here in 1604. Rebuilt after attacks in the 18th century, it was covered with gilded copper in the early 19th century under Maharaja Ranjit Singh.

Harmandir Sahib is the holiest gurdwara of Sikhism. Its four entrances symbolise openness to people from all directions and walks of life.

Amritsar has an international airport and a major railway station, both a short drive from the temple, which stands in the old city. Many visitors combine it with Jallianwala Bagh, a few minutes' walk away, and the evening ceremony at the Attari–Wagah border about 30 km west.