Golden Temple or Harmandir Sahib informally referred to as The Golden Temple or Temple of God, is culturally the most significant place of worship of the Sikhs and one of the oldest Sikh gurdwaras. It is located in the city of Amritsar, which was established by Guru Ram Das Ji, the fourth guru of the Sikhs, and is, also due to the shrine, known as Guru Di Nagri meaning city of the Guru.
The Harmandir Sahib is considered the most holiest shrine by Sikhs. The 11th and eternal Guru Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji is present inside it. It is moved to the Sri Akal Takhat Sahib at around 10 PM and then moved back from there to Sri Harmandir Sahib at 4.45 AM, site contains the time schedule, please note that there might be changes in the timing as per the season. Its construction was mainly intended as a place of worship for men and women from all walks of life and all religions to come and worship God equally. The Sri Guru Granth Sahib is the holiest literature in the Sikh religion, the tenth Guru of Sikhs, Sri Guru Gobind Singh on 7 October 1708 made it the eternal Sikh Guru and the leader of Sikhism. Anywhere in the world where the Guru Granth Sahib is present is equally holy and precious to Sikhs. Harmandir Sahib was built with four doors to show that every religion or faith is allowed to go in to meditate or just listen to the prayers for peace.
he magnificent temple was built between 1589 and 1601. The foundation of the temple was laid by Guru (spiritual head) Arjan Dev in 1588. Another version states that the foundation stone was laid was a Muslim saint named Miyan Mir. The idea was to build a center of Sikhism, much like Varanasi for the Hindus, and Mecca for Islam. The surrounding village of Ramdaspur came up as his followers started residing there. Ramdaspur came to be known as Amritsar, after the sacred tank called Amrit Sarovar was dug in the area, planned by Guru Amar Das.
The golden temple was rebuilt under Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the great Sikh ruler of the 18th -19th centuries, after being severely damaged by Ahmad Shah Abdali, the Afghan invader who defeated the Marathas in the third battle of Panipat. It was Ranjit Singh who got the dome of the temple covered in gold, giving the temple its name. The interior was also decorated lavishly under his patronage.