Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1879-09-18
The indian Temple at Amr1tsar.

As to the golden temple at Amritsar,
called Hari-mandir, or sometimes Durbar
Sahib, it may be said to rank next to the
Tai at Agra as one of the most striking
sights of India. To form an idea of the
unique spectacle presented by this sacred
locality one must picture to ones self a
large square sheet of water bordered by
a marble pavement, in the centre of a
picturesque Indian town. Around the
margin of this artificial lake are clustered
numerous fine mansions, most of them
once the property of Sikh chiefs, who as
sembled here every year and spent vast
sums on the endowment of the central
shrine. One of the houses is now Occu-
pied by Sirdar Mangal Sinh Ramgharia,
a well-knoWn and much esteemed men,
Der of the Sikh community. 1t has two
lofty towers, from one OF which enjoyed
a grand panoramic view of the lake and
its vicinity-one of those rare sights seen
at intervals during life which fix them
selves indelibly on the memory. In the
centre of the water rises the beautiful
temple, with its gilded dome and cupolas,
approached by a marble causeway, and
quite unlike any other place OF worship
to be seen throughout India. In structure
and appearance tits kind of compromise
between a Hindoo temple and Moham-
medan mosque, reminding one of the at
tempted compromise between Hindooism
and Islam, which was once fayorite
idea with both Kabir and Nanak. In
point of mere size the shrine is not im-
posing, but its proportions strike one as
nearly perfect. All the lower part is of
marble, inlaid, like the Tai, with precious
stones, and here and there Overlaid with
gold and silver. The principal entrance,
facing the causeway looks toward the
north. The interior is even more gor-
geous than the exterior. On the ground
floor is a well-propOrtioned Vaulted hall,
its richly gilded ceiling ornamented with
an infinite number of small mirrors, and
its walls decorated with inlaid work of
various designs, flowers, birds and eIe-
plants. Four short passages, entered by
carved silver doors, one on each of its
four sides, lead to this vaulted chamber,
giving it a shape not unlike that of
Greek cross. All around on the outside
is a narrow corridor. In the interior,
opposite the principal entrance, sits the
presiding Guru-his legs folded under
him on the bare ground-with the open
Granth before him. He is attended by
other officials of the temple, who assist
him in chanting the sacred texts. And
be it observed, that although the temple
is conspicuously free from images and is
dedicated to the one Supreme Being Gun
der his name Hari), a visible representa-
ton of the invisible God is believed to be
present in the sacred book. The Granth
is. in fact. the real divinity of the shrine,
and is treated as if it had veritable per-
sonal existence. Every morning it is
dressed out in costly brocade and rever-
entity placed on a low throne under
| jeweled canopy, said to haYe been con-
structed by Ranjit Sinh at cost OF 0O,OO0
rupees. All day long chowries are waved
over the sacred volume, and every even
| ing it is transported to the second temple
on the edge of the lake opposite the causes
way, where it is made to repOse for the
night in a golden bed within consecra-
ted chamber rallied off and protected
from all profane invasion by bolts and
| bars.