Daily Routine

For thousands of Amritsar's inhabitants, the day begins very early. It begins, in fact, the night before, at three o'clock or so in the morning, as households in the city stir with the activity of people preparing for a predawn visit to the Darbar Sahib - a routine that hasn't changed for four centuries. The devout of Amritsar eagerly await this hour each morning with the keen sense of anticipation that comes from knowing they will soon visit the Harimandir.

As they walk through the familiar streets of the old city, their pace quickens in expectation of soon seeing the beloved shrine. Some of them have made this walk at this hour each morning for as long as they can remember.

Outside the main entrance, they take their shoes off, check them with an attendant and proceed into the complex. At a trough of swiftly running water, they dip their feet to cleanse them. As they pass the flower stalls, some stop to buy garlands of yellow, gold or russet marigolds to carry inside as offerings.

About half an hour before the Siri Guru Granth Sahib is brought down from the Akal Takht, the palki, a gold and silver palanquin, is prepared for it. Attendants replace the cushions and pillows on which the Siri Guru Granth Sahib will rest. They lay down fresh sets of silk and brocade coverings and, when everything is ready, they sprinkle delicately scented rose water over all.

As the head priest of the Harimandir appears with the Siri Guru Granth Sahib on a cushion on his head, a series of deep, resonant drum beats of the nigara heralds its arrival to the assembled worshippers who, even at this hour, fill the large plaza to capacity. Showering fragrant red, pink and white rose petals, and reciting hymns from the holy scriptures, they make way for the palki's journey to the Harimandir. This passage, though short, sometimes takes up to half an hour while as many worshippers as possible share the honor of carrying it.

The procession solemnly moves across the plaza, through the Darshani Deorhi, and along the causeway, stopping as it reaches the main door of the Harimandir. The head priest reverently lifts the Siri Guru Granth sahib out of the Palki, places it on a silk cushion on his head, and enters the holy shrine.

He carries it to its customary place of honor beneath a velvet canopy richly brocaded with the silver and gold, and carefully sets it on velvet cushions and silks placed on a manji sahib. As the Sangat (congregation) stands in hushed silence, the head priest seats himself in front of the Siri Guru Granth Sahib, ceremoniously opens it, and reads aloud the vaaq, or Lord's message, for the day.

The recitation of Asa di War, which had been in progress here since a little after three a.m., had stopped as the Siri Guru Granth Sahib was carried in. Sung always at this predawn hour of the morning, the Asa di War also, like all other compositions recited here, is taken from the Siri Guru Granth Sahib.

After the vaq is read, the singing of the Asa di War continues. As it ends, the entire Sangat and the sewadars of the temple stand up for the ardas, a prayer that is recited at the conclusion of each service. After the ardas, the shabad kirtan, the vocal and musical renditions from the sacred verses, are resumed. The shabad kirtan will be sung throughout the day and late into the evening by a succession of ragis.

With daylight, the pace of activity at the Darbar Sahib quickens. Groups of visitors and pilgrims steadily arrive at the main entrance, in tongas, scooters, cars, buses, trucks, tractors, trailers and on foot. Unlike the predawn devotees who had come to pray or to participate in the early morning rituals, these people have come from longer distances for the pleasure of a pilgrimage whose purpose is both pious and festive. Some will stay in the sacred precincts for a day or more.

This colorful flow of visitors continues all day and late into the night: executives in business attire; farmers in their working clothes; women in a myriad variety of dress and personal adornment; and children in clothes specially made for the occasion. All ages are represented, from those who have already made the better part of their journey through life, to newlyweds come to seek blessings for the life that lies ahead - brides in scarlet and gold wedding finery, the grooms in crisply tied pink or red turbans.

People are spread out everywhere. Some are in the Harimandir listening to the shabad kirtan on the ground floor, others are absorbed in the words of the akhand path in the quiet of its upper floors. Some visit the Akal Takht where the swords and personal weapons of Siri Guru Gobind Singh are enshrined.

Many join the line in front of the special kitchen where karah parsad is prepared. They make a contribution of money for this sacramental food and carry it into the Harimandir Sahib. They give it to the attendants stationed at the door specially to receive it. The attendants in turn pass it on with God's blessings to those leaving the sanctum.Some devotees sit in quiet contemplation in the shrine of Baba Atal, built to honor Siri Guru Hargobind's remarkably gifted son who died young, or in the shrine built in Siri Guru Tegh Bahadur's memory. Since voluntary service is the very essence of Sikhism, a continuous stream of visitors makes its way to the Siri Guru Ram Das langar, to help prepare the food that will be served to the thousands who eat there daily.

As the sun sets, and the time for evening prayers nears, there is a perceptible change in the nature of the people who now enter the Harimandir. These devotees come to sit and listen in rapt attention to the evening recitations, and to enjoy the beauty of the verses and the ragas in which these prayers are rendered. Just as in the morning, prayers began with the Asa di War, in the evening, prayers end with the Rahras, the Arti and the shabad kirtan, concluding with the ardas at 9:45p.m.

When the prayers end, the Siri Guru Granth Sahib is reverently closed, wrapped in fresh layers of rich silk and muslin, and ceremoniously carried to the palki waiting outside. As in the morning, so also now, the palki is shouldered by devout Sikhs and taken to the Kotha Sahib where the Siri Guru Granth Sahib will rest for the night.

The massive silver and rosewood doors of the Darshani Deorhi are shut and a group of volunteers inside the Harimandir starts the ritual cleansing of the shrine with milk and water in preparation for the next day. In a few hours, the doors of the Darshani Deorhi will once again be opened to worshippers, and the Harimandir will be ready to receive them so they can welcome the arrival of the Siri Guru Granth Sahib and seek its spiritual guidance for another day.

Seeing the glow of the lamps and their myriad reflections in the pool, hearing the melodic chanting of hymns, tossing handfuls of rose petals before the procession of the Siri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, and feeling the intensity of the love and reverence that attend each ritual, are experiences that will always be remembered.

Day after day, the Harimandir Sahib, the abiding symbol of the Sikh faith, continues to inspire and uplift those thousands who come to it. It is, in a sense, the heart of the Sikhs, for wherever beats a Sikh heart, there throbs the sentiment of undying devotion for this holiest of all Sikh shrines.