DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.636#0187
The Sikh Sect. 175
open on one side. Its guardian had a high-peaked turban
encircled by steel rings (cakra), used as weapons. He was
evidently an Akali—or 'worshipper of the timeless God'—
a term applied to a particular class of Sikh zealots who be-
lieve themselves justified in putting every opponent of their
religion to the sword. As I entered the court of the temple,
accompanied by a Musalman friend, this Akali displayed
great excitement, and I began to fear an outburst of fana-
ticism which might have been dangerous to us both. Happily
my companion knew the man we had to deal with, and, under
a process of judicious handling, the fiery zealot cooled down,
and even allowed us to inspect the interior of the tenth
Guru's shrine.
On one side, in a small recess—supposed to be the actual
room in which Govind was born more than two centuries
before—were some of his garments and weapons, and what
was once his bed, with other relics, all in a state of decay.
On the other side was a kind of low altar, on which were
lying under a canopy a beautifully embroidered copy of the
Adi-Granth and of the Granth of Govind. In the centre, on
a raised platform, were a number of sacred swords, which
appeared to be as much objects of worship as the sacred
books.
As to the golden temple at Amritsar, called Hari-mandira,
' the temple of Hari,' or sometimes Durbar Sahib, it may be
said to rank next to the Taj 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 oneself 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 nu-
merous fine mansions, most of them once the property of
Sikh chiefs who assembled here every year, and spent vast
sums on the endowment of the central shrine. One of the
houses is occupied by Sirdar Mangal Sinh Ramgharia, a well-
open on one side. Its guardian had a high-peaked turban
encircled by steel rings (cakra), used as weapons. He was
evidently an Akali—or 'worshipper of the timeless God'—
a term applied to a particular class of Sikh zealots who be-
lieve themselves justified in putting every opponent of their
religion to the sword. As I entered the court of the temple,
accompanied by a Musalman friend, this Akali displayed
great excitement, and I began to fear an outburst of fana-
ticism which might have been dangerous to us both. Happily
my companion knew the man we had to deal with, and, under
a process of judicious handling, the fiery zealot cooled down,
and even allowed us to inspect the interior of the tenth
Guru's shrine.
On one side, in a small recess—supposed to be the actual
room in which Govind was born more than two centuries
before—were some of his garments and weapons, and what
was once his bed, with other relics, all in a state of decay.
On the other side was a kind of low altar, on which were
lying under a canopy a beautifully embroidered copy of the
Adi-Granth and of the Granth of Govind. In the centre, on
a raised platform, were a number of sacred swords, which
appeared to be as much objects of worship as the sacred
books.
As to the golden temple at Amritsar, called Hari-mandira,
' the temple of Hari,' or sometimes Durbar Sahib, it may be
said to rank next to the Taj 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 oneself 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 nu-
merous fine mansions, most of them once the property of
Sikh chiefs who assembled here every year, and spent vast
sums on the endowment of the central shrine. One of the
houses is occupied by Sirdar Mangal Sinh Ramgharia, a well-