That the foundation stone of this holiest of holy shrines of the Sikhs, the Golden Temple, was laid by a Muslim saint (Pir Hazrat Mian Mir) is a living symbol of not only just religious tolerance but of the recognition and acknowledgment of spiritual sincerity of a holy man of another faith. This generous gesture and magnanimity of heart on the part of the Sikh Guru does not have any parallel in the history of world religions. It was a unique example of inter-faith understanding, co-operation and mutual respect. At a time when fanaticism, bigotry and petty narrow-mindedness were much in vogue amongst the leaders of various religious sects in India, the Guru’s choice of a Muslim saint for this highly important and significant historical act of great honour displayed immense courage and even foresight. More so when there was no dearth of Sikh saints around this Guru. It was nothing short of a miracle of that epoch.

It was in this very holy Harmandir that the Guru first installed the original holy book, the Guru Granth Sahib. The fact that this scripture contains the hymns of not only the Sikh Gurus but also of other holy men drawn from different religious backgrounds - Hindus, Muslims and those belonging to low caste - further enhances the symbolic inter-faith importance and significance of this shrine. Surely, the galaxy of Saints represented by their own compositions in the holy Guru Granth Sahib, are the torch bearers of the inter-faith concept.

The Harimandir opens on all four sides, with a door on each side - North, South, East and West. This signifies that the people from all the four corners of the world are welcome to this holiest of the holy places of worship. It is, in a way, an open invitation to all men and women irrespective of this caste, colour, creed religion, race or nationality for participation in the devotional worship of One and only One God, the Creator of all of us, His children. The Interfaith concept thus extends to the multi-racial field as well.

It was this spirit of brotherhood and equality of man based on mutual love, goodwill and respect which later found expression in words which now form part of a supplication (special prayer) said in conclusion at the end of all Sikh prayers (personal or collective). It runs:

The Temple is more commonly known as "Harimander" which means "House of God". We, the Sikhs, believe that God manifested Himself in the form of Divine Word as revealed to the Gurus and now incorporated the Guru Granth Sahib. In others words, for us, the Sikhs, the Guru Granth Sahib is an incarnation or manifestation of God Himself in the form of Divine Word (Gurbani). The constant presence of this holy book in this Temple, coupled with the continuous round-the-clock chanting of the Divine Word (hymns), does in reality make it a dwelling place of God. Thus the name "Harimander" given to Temple is not just in a figurative sense but is in fact invested with the mystic presence of God Himself.

To grasp fully the idea of "God-Guru-Word" concept of the Sikh faith, the Christian readers may well refer to St. John’s Gospel. I quote:

The similarity and even approach to this God-Word concept is rather striking.

For inter-faith understanding it is necessary to imbibe a spirit of humility. The Sikh Gurus have invariably emphasized the value and importance of this virtue. One can quote numerous passages from scriptures exhorting the Sikhs to remain humble in every respect. The need, necessity and the merits of being humble have been very much highlighted and extolled by the Gurus. Bhai Gurdas, the well known Sikh savant, while referring to Guru Nanak’s life in his writing mentions that when Guru presented himself before God he was blessed with miraculous powers, God’s Name and also "humility".

To give this abstract idea rather a concrete shape the Guru made it a point to build the Golden Temple at a lower level. The symbolic significance was to impress upon the disciples the merit and importance the Guru attached to humility. One may enter the Golden Temple from any of the four gates, one has to climb down a few steps. This is the humble way to approach a sacred and holy place of worship. No doubt the Temple with its golden dome and exquisite architecture stands majestically in the heart of a tank, its significance as a symbol of humility can cannot be lost sight of. There is humility even in loftiness and grandeur. This is the message which the Golden Temple conveys to those who have to descend on its precincts as a mark of reverence.

In conclusion an English rendering of the poem on "Harimander Sahib" by that illustrious saint-poet, Bhai Vir Singh, will surely be a fitting tribute to this holiest of holy shrines of the Sikhs:

When the pilgrim to the Harimander rests his forehead on its threshold, the honey flavour of the Divine Name is restored.

What Divine Energy or mystic power exists there?

Heaven itself has descended to save the devout saints!

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