Golden Temple & Sikh heritage
Info Nuggets
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Crisp, exam-oriented info-nugget covering Golden Temple, five Takhts, Panj pyare & 4 Sahibzade
Harmandir Sahib/Golden Temple
• Location: Amritsar, Punjab
• Foundation (stone-laying): Traditionally attributed to Sufi saint Mian Mir (on request of Guru Arjan Dev).
• Established by: Guru Ram Das (founded Amritsar & started sarovar), completed by Guru Arjan Dev.
• First installation of Adi Granth: 1604; first Granthi – Baba Buddha.
• Akal Takht: Built by Guru Hargobind (opposite Harmandir Sahib) – seat of temporal authority.
• Gold plating: Done under Maharaja Ranjit Singh (19th century).
• Langar: World’s largest free community kitchen (feeds lakhs daily).
• Operation Blue Star: June 1984
The Five Takhts of Sikhism
1. Akal Takht Sahib – Amritsar
• Established by Guru Hargobind (1606).
• Seat of Sikh temporal authority and supreme Sikh decision-making.
2. Takht Sri Kesgarh Sahib – Anandpur Sahib
• Birthplace of Khalsa (1699) by Guru Gobind Singh.
3. Takht Sri Damdama Sahib – Talwandi Sabo (Bathinda)
• Guru Gobind Singh stayed here and prepared the final recension of Guru Granth Sahib (1705-1706).
• Known as “Guru Ki Kashi.”
4. Takht Sri Patna Sahib – Patna (Bihar)
• Birthplace of Guru Gobind Singh (1666).
• Also associated with Guru Tegh Bahadur.
5. Takht Sri Hazur Sahib – Nanded (Maharashtra)
• Place where declared Guru Granth Sahib as the Eternal Guru (1708).
• Contains his personal relics.
Famous Sikh pilgrimage sites in Pakistan
1. Nankana Sahib
• Birthplace of Guru Nanak Dev (1469).
• Multiple gurdwaras related to his life.
2. Kartarpur Sahib
• Where Guru Nanak Dev spent final years; Kartarpur Corridor allows visa-free travel from India.
3. Gurdwara Panja Sahib – Hasan Abdal
• Associated with Guru Nanak Dev miracle of stopping a boulder with his handprint (panja).
Panj Pyare (The five beloved ones)
Formation
• Introduced by Guru Gobind Singh on Baisakhi, 1699, at Anandpur Sahib, during the founding of the Khalsa.
The Five:
1. Bhai Daya Singh
2. Bhai Dharam Singh
3. Bhai Himmat Singh
4. Bhai Mohkam Singh
5. Bhai Sahib Singh
Roles & significance
• First to be initiated with Khande-di-Pahul (Amrit).
• Later baptised Guru Gobind Singh himself.
Four Sahibzade
1. Sahibzada Ajit Singh (1687-1705)
• Fought in the Battle of Chamkaur (1705).
2. Sahibzada Jujhar Singh (1691-1705)
• Also fought in the Battle of Chamkaur.
3. Sahibzada Zorawar Singh (1696-1705)
• Captured along with younger brother and grandmother Mata Gujri at Sirhind.
• Bricked alive at Sirhind.
4. Sahibzada Fateh Singh (1699–1705)
• Martyred alongside Zorawar Singh at Sirhind.
Important associated places
• Fatehgarh Sahib (Sirhind): Site of martyrdom of the Chhote Sahibzade; houses Thanda Burj and Shaheedi Jor Mela.
• Chamkaur Sahib: Site of martyrdom of the Bade Sahibzade during the Battle of Chamkaur.
• Anandpur Sahib: Birthplace of Zorawar Singh & Fateh Singh; important in Sahibzade history.
• Joti Jot of Mata Gujri: Also at Sirhind; she passed away soon after hearing of the martyrdom of the young Sahibzadas.
Veer Baal Diwas: Observed on: December 26 every year (since 2022).
Announced by: Government of India
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