Sikh Architecture at its very best

THE GOLDEN TEMPLE

COMPLEX,
AMRITSAR

By Sikh Architecture what has been meant is precisely the

religious buildings of the faith. In other words these buildings
which have served the religious-ritualistic
and devotional
functions of the Sikh community.
Anywhere in the world we can spot a Sikh temple as a building
apart from others. It has its own flag mast (nishan sahib)
draped in yellow or blue with triangular flag with the Sikh
insignia fluttering in the breeze. Its dome is different from
domes of mosques or Hindu temples, so are its arches,
balconies, columns, interiors and general layout.

The Architecture of
Gurudwaras
The buildings of the Sikh Shrines could be classified into two
categories on the two fundamental principles i.e. the ground
plan and the elevation.
In the ground floor s many as four basic types of formation
could be seen-the square, the rectangular, the octagonal
and the cruciform. Similarly in elevation, 5 different types of
can be noticed with the number of storeys i.e. 1, 2, 3, 5, 9
storeys.

SRI AKAL TAKHAT, AMRITSAR

Opposite the Golden Temple, Amritsar, on the western
corner of the marble paved courtyard, stands Sri Akal
Takhat, the highest Temporal seat of the Sikhs.
The building of Sri Akal Takhat is a five storeyed structure
with a dome at the top. The faade of the monument
consisting of four stories including the basement has a
semicircular orientation. Architecturally speaking the
monument is quite complicated in its details of
composition and layout.

The ground floor

larger platform having one hall underneath, with only one
opening in the northern side.
The hall is flanked by stairways on its northern and
southern side leading to the first floor.
The faade has an attached pillared marble portico,
cusped arch opening on a raise plinth in its central part.

The first floor

Divided into three parts. It consists of a central hall and
rooms on both the northern and southern sides.
The faade of the central hall has three openings formed by
two pillars.
On both the sides of this central opening, there are two
chambers having openings to the east and to the central hall.

The second floor

Repeats the same scheme of the first floor.
It has same rooms in the south and a gallery in the form of a
rectangular room on the northern side.
The facade of this floor is in the form of a gallery formed by
side chambers and central pillared openings of the type
similar to that of the lower storey
The faade terminates into projected eave, supported by
decorative brackets & is surmounted by parapet.
A flight of steps spirals in the western wall upto the top

Golden fluted dome

Octagonal kiosks on octagonal

minarets

Decorative eave surmounting marble

parapet

Pillared marble portico on raised plinth

THE AKAL TAKHAT

The third floor

A large hall formed by cusped arches and square pillars,

and galleries on all sides.
In the faade, there are nine cusped arched openings
The faade terminates into a projected eave supported on
pairs of decorative brackets.
Two beautiful octagonal minarets, each supporting an
octagonal kiosk surmounted by domes are there on N-E and
S-E corner of the floor.

The fourth floor

It is an extension of the lower central hall and has three
foliated arched openings on each of its sides.
Each of its four corners has a pilaster.
The room is decorated with a projected ornamental
eaveand a kiosk on each corner.
Finally, there springs a graceful fluted dome with lotus petal
base on a circular drum. It is surmounted by an inverted lotus
which supports a big Kalasa.

GURUDWARA BABA ATAL, AMRITSAR

The Gurudwara Baba Atal is basically a smadh (cenotaph)
to the memory of Baba Atal, the revered son of the sixth
Guru, Har Gobind. It is located to the S-W of the Golden
Temple, Amritsar.
The monument of Baba Atal is the highest building in the
city of Amritsar. It is 150 feet high.
It is constructed on an octagonal plan. A larger octagonal
structure encloses another structure of the same plan upto
the sixth storey, thus leaving circumambulatory path in
between.
The inner sanctuary, where the Holy Granth is enshrined
rises upto
Ninth storey surmounted by the fluted gilded dome.
The outer structure has four rectangular gates, one in
each alternate side. The exterior walls are relieved by
various decorative patterns.
There are 2 stairways on northern and southern walls

 The most interesting feature is the projected balconies

supported on brackets throughout the exterior walls.
The top of the 6th storey is in the form of an open octagonal
space guarded by balustrade supported on number of pairs
of decorative brackets and surmounted by an iron railing.
The 7th stage does not have any opening on the exterior
excepting a perforated screen throughout.
The 8th stage has one arched opening on each of its sides
The 9th stage has one arched opening in each of its
alternate facets, the remaining ones have windows or
projected balconies.
Finally, there springs the graceful fluted dome with the
inverted lotus supporting Kalasa in the centre.
Within the premises, there is a large tank named Kaulsar, in
the west, and also the mausoleums of Nawab Kapoor Singh,
S.Jassa Singh and of other sardars.

Kaulsar Sarovar

Gurudwara Baba Atal

Window detail

GOLDEN TEMPLE, AMRITSAR

The Golden Temple, known as the Darbar Sahib or the Hari
Mandir, is the most celebrated Sikh shrine situated in
Amritsar.
The foundation stone was laid by Hazrat Mian Mir of Lahore,
a friend and admirer of Guru Arjan, in 1588A.D.
The major dates known for construction and reconstruction
are as follows:
The first construction took place sometimes between
1588 and 1604A.D.
Subsequent reconstruction took place between 1764 and
1776A.D., following attacks by Ahmad Shah Abdali.
Renovation, and perhaps a major change in the design
and fabric, was done by Maharaja Ranjit Singh starting from
1802 and continued through 1839A.D.

ARCHITECTURAL DETAILS

It is a 3 storeyed square building with an additional 2storeyed building of half-hexagon shape appended to the
back, thus the ground floor plan is like a hexa-square.
The main building is surmounted by a central domical
structure and kiosks at the cardinal sides.
The building is placed on a square platform in the centre of
a square tank, crossed over, in the western side, by a
causeway terminating into double storeyed entrance
pavillion with an imposing archway.
The sides of the square platform of the temple serve as the
Parikrama and a similar function is served by the paved
paths of the tank.
The arched pavillion serves as the entrance gateway
(Darshini Deorhi) for an access into the causeway leading
to the temple.

Northern Gateway
The entrance to the precincts of Hari Mandir, is obtained from
the northern side through a three storeyed structure,
surmounted by a domical member.
The ground floor is divided into three section by two rows of
square pillars.
Stairs leading to the upper storeys have been provide in
both the sides of the entrance.
The first floor consists of a big hall which serves as a Central
Sikh museum. There are projected balconies on northern and
southern sides of this floor.
The second floor consists of a small room erected exactly on
the central four pillars.
The third storey has been built exactly on the walls of the
second storey. There are three rectangular windows in its
each wall over which is fixed a clock on each of its sides.
On each corner there is a small kiosk. At the top is fluted
dome with lotus petal base fixed on a circular drum.

The Southern & Eastern Gateways

The southern gateway is identical to the northern gateway
in architectural design.
The eastern gateway has a big archway as the main
architectural feature

The tank of Immorality

The tank or Sarovar is a rectangle, measuring 510x490
and is 17 deep.
The main source of water for the tank is through a canal
dug from river Ravi in 1778A.D.
The banks of the tank which serve as pradakshina is paved
with marble on all sides.
To avoid any accident, or to prevent people from going
deep in the tank, perforated marble walls have been put in
the water.

Darshini Gate
On the western banks of the tank is a two storeyed building
known as Darshini Deorhi. The whole building can be
divided into three parts i.e. the central archway, northern
and southern wings.
The ground floor has the management offices in the side
wings of central doorway
The Darshini Gate is 66 in length and 36 in width. The
ante chamber in which the ate opens is 25 in length and
146 in width.
The first floor contains the Tosha Khanna (temple
treasury). It has 3 openings on each side of its side winga,
both in western and eastern facades. In the centre, on both
the facades, there is a bi projected balcony.
At the top are 4 chhatris, one each in the middle of all
four sides
All the chhatris are roofed with decorative fluted domical
tops with Kalasas on inverted lotus base at the top.

The Causeway
The causeway or bridge that leads to the Hari Mandir is
20210long and 21 wide.
It is constructed in the pool of Nectar.
The bridge is constructed on 8 large and 35 small spans,
which are known as Swarg Dwaries.
Ten golden lanterns supported on tapering fluted marble
pillars decorate both the sides of the causeway. These pillars
are joined by lattice balustrades on both the sides.
The bridge was constructed by Mohd. Yar and his brothers
of Amritsar who were well reputed masons and craftsmen of
Maharaja Ranjit Singhs time.

Pradakshina
The
bridge
is
connected
with
the
1311wide
circumambulatory path which runs the main shrine,
measuring 682 each side.

Har Ki Pauri
A two storeyed structure appended on the eastern side of the
temple is an irregular quadrangular in plan. This is known as
Har Ki Pauri.
In the centre of the structure, is 810 wide entrance to
reach the pool of Nectar.
In northern and southern wings of the central entrance stairs
have been provided which move in circular plan upto the top
of the temple with terminal openings in the first floor.
The first floor is a large pavillion, supported and formed by
semi-circular arches.
It is beautifully decorated with gold and mirror work in all its
sides including cielings.
It is roofed with fluted dome with the usual Kalasa motif at
the top.

Main Sanctuary
The main sanctuary of the Hari Mandir is a square edifice of
404x404 in dimensions erected on a square platform of
64 side.
The building has one rectangular doorway from each of its
four sides.
The doors of eastern and Western were plated with silver by
Maharaja Ranjit Singh in 1830A.D.
Stairways spiral to the thickness of wall in the northern side
upto the top with terminal in the first floor.
The parapet of the sanctuary has been decorated with small
turrets, 58 in number, with their individual square base of 2
in side.
The four architectural members in the four corners re
crowned with cupolas.
The cupolas are roofed with fluted domes, surmounted by
Kalasa on the inverted lotus base.
The cupolas on the Har Ki Pauri are octagonal with eight
openings
Exactly on the top of central hall of main sanctuary, is the

 Finally there springs the low fluted gumbaz having lotus

petal motif in relief at the base and inverted lotus at the top,
which supports the Kalasa having a beautiful chhatri at the
end.
The dome at its base has a series of small turrets, 36 in
number, and one kiosk in each corner.

View from southern gateway

Sri Akal Takhat

Main sanctuary

Darshini gate

The causeway
Har Ki Pauri

pradakshina
Amrit Sarovar

Nishan Sahib

The Decoration and Ornamentation

Golden Temple
The Hari Mandir is decorated in such a marvelous manner
that there is no other building which can be compared to
its grandeur.
The beautification of the Hari Mandir was taken in hand
by Maharaja Ranjit Singh.
The whole work of gold plating was executed by Mistri
Mohammad Yar Khan of Amritsar.
The lower walls of the whole edifice of the temple are
faced with marble slabs with arabseques of conventional
flower sprays in precious stones of different colors and
shades.

 The inlay work of floral decoration on the walls in the ground

floor was executed by the Muslim masons from Chaniot under
the supervision of Badaru-Mohiudin, the Chief Architect.
The interior of the Hari Mandir is exquisitely
beautified and ornamented with floral designs.
The embellishments of the cielings of Darshini
Gate was done by Raja Sangat Singh of Jind.
There are abut 300 different designs on walls
of Golden Temple

Darshini Gate ceiling

The only surviving mural can

be seen on the lintel of
northern stairways of the first
floor.

Gurudwara Baba Atal, Amritsar

The ground floor Pradakshina and the first floor are
beautifully embellished with fresco painting.
The roof of the circumambulatory is beautified in Gach
technique.
The first floor is decorated with
paintings from the life of Guru
Nanak.
The archway or Deorhi
contains paintings in their
original form and colors.

Large panels illustrate scenes

from the life of Guru Nanak and
Baba Atal Rai.

Sri Akal Takhat, Amritsar

The interior of the first storey of Sri Akal Takhat has been
beautified on the pattern of the Golden Temple, Amritsar.
The second storey of the north wing was adorned with
paintings depicting themes from Sikh History.

Techniques
Gach Work: Gach was a sort of gypsum or stone. This was
propounded & fried in pan. When it formed a paste being
mixed with water, it was put to use on walls like lime.
Tukri Work: Tukri work is another kind of Gach work. It
involves the setting of the pieces of glass of various sizes in
the cut clay work. Colored glass, mirror, glass pieces and
gold leaves were used.
Jarat Kari: It involves the in-laying of colored stone in
marble. The designs are prepared by artists and transferred
to marble slabs. The multi-colored stones were then cut in
that pattern.

Architectural Features
The Dome:
Almost all important Sikh shrines have an imposing visual
effect because of the types and forms of the domes.
The dome of Golden Temple, Amritsar is unique not only in
view of its imposing size and dignified grandeur but also
due to interesting formation of its domical superstructure.
The dome represents the synthesis of all important
characteristics of the shape and details of ornamentation
noticed in the domes of other shrines.

The Kiosk:
The Sikh shrines have number of subsidery structres in the
form of Kiosks. The most common type of a kiosk is a
square miniature room crowned by a domical member. The
room normally has the walls disposed into number of
entrances , often with arched or foliated upper portion. The
maximum number of entrances is however 3 on each side.

Kiosk at N. gateway

Kiosk& dome- main sanctuary

The Golden Temple has kiosks of octagonal, rectangular

and square form. Varieties of kiosks can be seen in Sri Akal
Takhat also.

The Balconied Windows

A very distinctive characteristic of Sikh Shrines is
represented by the balconied windows. Several varieties of
windows could be noticed in Sikh monuments.

Window detail(Baba Atal)

Bay window at golden temple

Window at N. gateway

The Arches:
Sikh shrines offer interesting varieties in respect of the
types and forms of the arches. The most common, perhaps
the foremost popular, type of arch is represented by
foliations or cusps. The number of cusps is invariably found
to be nine.

Arches along Parikrama

The Pillars and Pilasters:

One of the major distinctive features of Sikh shrines
seems to be the presence of pillars and pilasters.

capital

base

The shafts are mostly plain, without any

carving, except the vertical lines of
accession. The capitals consists of floral
or foliage designs.