Founding the City of Amritsar

In the 16th century, the land where Amritsar now stands had just trees and dhabs (ponds) located in it. Bhai Jetha purchased a large parcel of land here from the local zamindars or landlords of Tung and other nearby villages in 1564 CE, and a large sarovar or tank was constructed at its centre. The new township was called Guru da Chakk or Chakk Ramdas (the Guru’s Village).

In 1574 CE, following the demise of Guru Amar Das ji, Bhai Jetha became the Fourth Sikh Guru, known as Guru Ram Das ji. In keeping with tradition, and his predecessor’s wishes, he shifted the spiritual centre of Sikhism, from Goindwal Sahib to Guru Da Chakk, which became known as Ramdaspur. The tank at its centre came to be called Amrit Kund (Pond of Nectar) and later Amritsar (Lake of Nectar). Over time, both the tank and the township came to be known as Amritsar.

Entrance to the temple, photo by William Henry Baker

The Establishment of Harmandir Sahib

Guru Ram Das ji, upon his death in 1581, was succeeded by his son, Guru Arjan Dev ji. The new Guru wanted to establish a space where people could come and learn the Sikh faith’s messages of equality and love. And so he began construction of the Sri Harmandir Sahib, in the centre of the sacred tank or sarovar of the city. Most traditional texts hold that Guru Arjan Dev ji invited the Sufi saint Hazrat Sain Mian Mir ji from Lahore to lay the foundation stone of the shrine, to promote and reflect tolerance among faiths. But few in the Sikh community dispute this and claim that Guru Arjan Dev ji himself laid the foundation stone. Either way, by 1589 CE, the original brick building of the Sri Harmandir Sahib was complete. Some Sikh scholars even argue that along with the shrine a small mosque was also built in the city for the Muslim devotes, but it couldn’t survive in the reconstruction of the city in 19th century.

The completion of the awe-inspiring structure would also be a turning point in Sikh religious history, because it was here that Guru Arjan Dev ji, moving beyond the oral teachings of earlier Gurus, began compiling an official Sikh scripture. It was known as the Adi Granth, which would later evolve into the Guru Granth Sahib. It was placed in the sanctum in 1604, with Baba Buddha, a respected and learned Sikh, as its first Granthi or scripture reader.