The Akal Takht
ਅਕਾਲ ਤਖ਼ਤ ਸਾਹਿਬ
The Akal Takht (
Punjabi:
ਅਕਾਲ ਤਖ਼ਤ) meaning
throne of the timeless one [1] is one of five
takhts (seats of power) of the
Sikh religion. It is located in the
Harmandir Sahib (Golden Temple) complex in
Amritsar,
Punjab, about 290 miles (470 km) northwest of
New Delhi. The Akal Takht was built by
Guru Hargobind Sahib as a place of justice and consideration of temporal issues; the highest seat of earthly authority of the
Khalsa (the collective body of the Sikhs) and the place of the
Jathedar, the highest spokesman of the Sikhs.
kal Takhat (Punjabi: ਅਕਾਲ ਤਖ਼ਤ, Akĝl Taḵẖt)
(31.6206°n 74.8754°e) means the
Throne of the Immortal and is the highest political institution of the
Sikhs. "Akal" means
"The Timeless One" - another term for God. "Takhat" means
"throne" in Persian.The Akal Takhat is an impressive building that sits directly in front of the causeway leading to the
Golden Temple in
Amritsar,
Punjab,
India. The Akal Takhat was founded by
Guru Hargobind on
June 15,
1606
(now celebrated on 2 July) and was established as the place from which
the spiritual and temporal concerns of the Sikh community could be acted
upon.It stood as a symbol of political bulwark against the
Mughal Emperors in the 17th and 18th century. Various attacks on the Akal Takhat and
Harimandir Sahib
have been led in past by Ahmed Shah Abdali and Massa Rangar in the 18
century. On June 4, 1984, the Indian Army did more than just damage the
outer facade of the Akal Takhat, they destroyed the sancitity of the
Akal Takht with tanks and reduced it to rubble, while attempting to take
out Baba Jarnail Singh Bindrenwala & men in a controversial
military operation known as
Operation Bluestar.
Martyrdom of Guru Arjan
Two years after the
Adi Granth was installed in the
Harimandir Sahib, its compiler,
Guru Arjan Dev ji was arrested and tortured to death by order of the Mughal Emperor
Jehangir.
Jehangir mentions in his biography his opposition to the faith of Guru
Arjan Dev ji and his desire to convert him to Islam. He states that he
was given an opportunity when Guru Arjan Dev ji harboured his rebel son
Khusro. But, although some historians see the harbouring of Khusro as a
political act, nothing in
Guru Arjan Dev
ji’s life supports this view. It is said that the success of Guru Arjan
Dev ji in transforming Sikhism into a new age faith earned him many
enemies. They were at pains to bring harm to Guru ji and had even made
an unsuccessful attempt to harm him by complaining to
Akbar.
His concerns were spiritual, not political, and the murder of this man
of profound learning was a senseless act. It gave Sikhism it's first
martyr and transformed the Sikh character and the Sikh ethos from purely
spiritual to the martial for the defence of the masses.This tragic turning point left a deep impression on the Sikh
psyche in the form of a sharp and sudden awareness of the concept of
martyrdom. Out of it grew the community’s tradition of taking an
implacable stand against injustice and the vagaries of tyrannical
rulers. A new and lasting dimension was now added to the Sikh sense of
mission and purpose.Before his death, anticipating that the end was near, Guru Arjan
Dev ji in a parting message to his son asked him to, “sit fully armed on
his throne and maintain an army.” And
Guru Hargobind did just that.
Guru Hargobind
Guru Hargobind
acceded to the Guruship in 1606, after his father’s tragic end.
Although he was just eleven years old at the time, Guru Hargobind is
believed to have immediately begun the process of establishing an
independent and strong Sikh panth. At the ceremony of ascension, the
Guru declared his intentions: on his turban, he would wear the ruler’s
aigrette; instead of the ascetics seli, he would wear a sword-belt with
two swords symbolizing Miri and Piri, temporal and spiritual authority.
Adopting traditional marks of sovereignty, Guru Hargobind asked his
Sikhs to donate not cash but horses and arms. He raised a troop of 52
bodyguards, which formed the nucleus of his army. 500 youths came to him
for enlistment from the Manjha (the country between the Ravi and Bias),
the Doab (between the Bias and Satluj) and the Malwa countries
(comprises the portion of the Punjab formed by Patiala, Nabha, Jind,
Faridkot, Firzopur and Ludhiana). Guru Hargobind is also credited with
developing Gatka, the martial arts of the Sikhs.Guru Hargobind’s architectural projects, not surprisingly,
reflect his agenda and his personality. On Monday, the fifth day of the
light half of Har, Sambat 1663, Guru Hargobind ji laid the foundation of
the Takhat Akal Bunga.
The Role of the Akal Takhat
Akal Takhat Sahib and Harimandir Sahib; Miri and Piri
The
original structure of Akal Takht was built by Guru Hargobind ji,
Bhai Gurdas ji and Baba Buddha ji, with their own hands. No other person
or artist was employed to build the platform. Guru ji remarked that the
seat of guru would serve the panth for eternity. Guru ji raised the
height of the platform to twelve feet, defying the royal edict of
Jehangir that no other person except the Emperor himself can sit on a
raised platform of more than three feet. Guru Hargobind would regularly
sit on the raised platform, Takht, with all marks of royalty and
dispence justice for all disputes of Sikhs.The Akal Takhat was built a
fraction lower than the Harimandir
Sahib, implying the order of importance, that the search for spiritual
grace was always to lead. A similar balancing of assertion and
submission was built into Guru Hargobind’s daily routine, which
alternatively highlighted the shrine, with its spiritual function and
self-effacing architectural symbolism, and the throne platform, with its
assertion of sovereignty and temporal authority. The Guru started the
day with worship in the Harimandir; he would then go on a hunt in the
late morning and grant audience from the Akal Takhat in the afternoon;
in the evening he would return to the shrine for prayers and hymns, and
at night he and his followers would return to the Akal Takht to listen
to martial songs of heroic deeds.It is from the Akal Takhat that
Hukamnamas (edics or writs) are
announced to provide guidance or clarification on any point of
Sikhdoctrine or practice. It may lay under penance persons charged with
violation of religious discipline or with activity prejudicial to Sikh
interests or solidarity. It may place on record its appreciation of
outstanding services rendered or sacrifices made by individuals
espousing the cause of Sikhism or of the Sikhs. Importantly, no
individual is above the Akal Takhat.On one occasion the
Sarbat Khalsa
met at the Akal Takhat and decided to penalize Maharaja Ranjit singh
for his misdemeanours with a certain number of lashes on his back. The
Gursikh in Ranjit Singh surrendered to the discipline and presented
himself at the Akal Takhat to receive chastisement. However, corporal
punishment to the sovereign was converted into a heavy fine.
Architecture
Traces
of old lime plaster, with painted Mughal-style floral motifs, inside
the Akal Takhat. This may relate to the original plinth of Guru
Hargobind's time. Photograph: Gurmeet Rai for CRCI, Delhi.
On
the original plot of land of the Akal Takhat, there only existed a
high mound of earth across a wide open space, where Guru Hargobind as a
child used to play. The Gurus original Takhat is said to have been a
simple platform, 3.5 metres high, on which the Guru would sit like a
king at court, surrounded by insignia of royalty such as the parasol and
the flywhisk, and perform kingly tasks of receiving petitions and
administrating justice. Today’s Akal Takhat is a large 5-storey modern
structure (3 storeys were added by
Maharaja Ranjit Singh)
with inlaid marble and a gold-leafed dome, that does not convey the
design of Guru Hargobind’s simple Takht or plinth. However, recent
restoration work has uncovered a layer of lime plaster, with painted
decoration, that may have been part of the original Takhat. That plinth
was far higher than the plinth of the Harimandir; yet the absence of a
superstructure kept the original Akal Takhat at a level lower than the
shrine.
Interior of the Akal Takhat
The
elaboration of the structure on marble pillars, as a semi-circular
platform with an open view to the courtyard, reminiscent of an
air-house, must have grown from the use to which the Durbar hall was
put.
The gilding of the ceiling with ornamentations like those in the
interior of the Hari Mandir is perhaps later than in the holy of holies.
The wall paintings apparently belong to a later period, as there are
panels showing Europeans.The total effect of the Akal Takhat and the open courtyard, in
front of the Darshani Deori and the viewa of the Amritsar beyond, is of a
unique and noble structure remenisant of the of the piazza Saint Marco
in Venice where the Doge's Palace faces the Grand Canal.
1984: Akal Takhat Martyrdom
Known as Ghallugaara (Great disaster), on June 6, 1984 the Indian
Army stormed the Golden Temple, even bringing its main battle tanks
onto the Parikarma. Untold numbers of Sikhs, both the armed contingent
of Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and Innocent Pilgrims and visitors to
the Harmandir Sahib were killed. The Akal Takhat, the supreme seat of
authority for the Sikhs bore the brunt of the attack suffering severe
damage. Many Sikh artifacts were burned in the destruction. Like the
Martrydom of Guru Arjan which had lead Guru Har Gobind to erect the
Takht the severe damage to the Takhat served to awaken a sleeping
spiritual nation.May the anniversary of the 'Attack on the Harmandir Sahib and
the Akal Takht always serve to remind us of those who died in order to
uphold and protect the Sikh Panth (Faith).
Re-building
The Indian government began to rebuild the Akal Takht. Sikhs called the new structure the
Sarkari Takht (the word
sarkar in Hindi and Punjabi means "government") to indicate it had been built by the government and was not
Akal (sacred). The Sikh home minister,
Buta Singh,
was excommunicated for his role in building the new Takht. He was
accepted back into the community after a period of penitence (cleaning
the devotees's utensils and shoes at the Golden Temple).
[6]
In 1986, the Sikh nation called the 'Sarbat Khalsa' (Sikh commonwealth)
in which it declared Khalistan as the homeland of the Sikhs and also
moved to rebuild Sri Akal Takht Sahib that had been repaired by the
Indian Government. Funds provided by the Sikh nation were used for its
re-building.
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