39 years ago, Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was killed by two of her own security guards after an Army action at the Golden Temple. This murder occurred after a long conflict in India.
Reporting from The Indian Express , Indira was murdered on October 31, 1984. Two of the Indian PM’s bodyguards, Beant Singh and Satwant Singh, fired more than 30 bullets at her from close range, allegedly to avenge the insult to Sikhs and the desecration of the Golden Temple in Amritsar during Operation Blue Star in June of that year.
Indira’s murder sent shockwaves across the country, unleashing some of the most violent communal violence India had ever seen. In just about three days, around 3,350 Sikhs (government estimate) were massacred, 2,800 of them in the Indian capital.
Built with 400 Kilograms of Gold
Reporting from the official website, the Golden Temple is located in the Sikh holy city, Amritsar. The Golden Temple is famous for its full golden dome and is one of the most sacred pilgrimage places for Sikhs.
The mandir is built on 67 square feet of marble and is a two-storied building. Maharaja Ranjit Singh had the top of the building constructed with around 400 gold leaf cliograms.
The Golden Temple is surrounded by a number of other famous temples such as the Durgiana Temple. The fourth Sikh guru, Guru Ram Das, who originally built a pond here, founded Amritsar, which houses the Golden Temple or Harmandir Sahib. It was here that Sage Valmiki wrote the epic Ramayana. Rama and Sita are believed to have spent fourteen years of their exile in Amritsar, the center of the Sikh religion.
Distributing Around 20 thousand Free Food Every Day
To the south of the temple there is a garden and the Baba Atal tower. The Central Sikh Museum is on top of the Clock Tower. Guru-Ka-Langar (public canteen) offers free food to around 20,000 people every day. The number can reach 100,000 people on special occasions.
Visitors must cover their heads before entering the temple area. The Granth Sahib is kept in the Temple during the day and kept in the Akal Takht or Eternal Throne at night. Akal Takht also houses ancient weapons used by Sikh warriors. Guru Hargobind founded it. The sturdy old Jubi tree in the northwest corner of the complex is believed to have special powers. This tree was planted 450 years ago, by the first great priest of the Golden Temple, Baba Buddha.
Guru-ka-Langar is at the eastern entrance of the temple complex and provides free food to all visitors, regardless of color, creed, caste or gender. Visitors to India’s Golden Temple must remove their shoes and cover their heads before entering the temple. The temple is not very busy on weekend mornings.
Source : Tempo