Sri Harmandir Sahib, also known as the Golden Temple, is collectively named from two words Hari (God) and the Mandir (temple), the temple of God.
Located in the city of Amritsar in Punjab, the shrine is managed by the supreme Sikh body, SGPC.
According to an estimate, over 100,000 people visit the holy shrine daily, a number that is often exceeded on Gurpurabs, festivals and other important days in Sikh history.
The visitors are often devotees from Sikh as well as non-Sikh backgrounds, who come to the sanctum sanctorum to pay their obeisance.
Visitors also include people who just come to see the spectacular site at the Golden Temple which has an eye-catching glittering building located inside a holy pool (Sarovar).
They often take photos and videos to load them on social media, to mark their memories of visiting this place.
SGPC has now taken a stance to prohibit visitors to click photos and make videos inside the precinct.
Earlier, the photography and videography were only banned inside the sanctum sanctorum and the main entrance [Darshani Deodi] but now the same has been extended to the periphery [Parikarma] of the Gurudwara as well.
Dr. Roop Singh, Chief Secretary SGPC said that there was an urgent need to take this step so as to restore the sanctity of the holy place. The decision was taken in the view of the religious sentiments of the Sangat [the devotees],” he said in a media release.
“This decision should only be taken in the view of preserving the sanctity of this place.”
Dr Singh said that it’s not a ‘place for tourism’, rather a pilgrimage where devotees congregate to attain spiritual fulfilment.
Amritsar’s Golden Temple also known as Sri Harmandir Sahib is one of India’s most spectacular sites. Source: Supplied
But there are indications that the new policy may not be strictly imposed, because the SGPC official suggested that if anybody wants to take photographs with reverence and respect, then the officials will help them in this regard.
Dr Singh also advised media personnel to only take pictures or make videos from designated places at the complex.
He appealed to the devotees not to take pictures indiscriminately within the precinct, to uphold the holiness of Sri Harmandir Sahib.
A representative from the Sikh Sangat has requested SGPC to make some amendments with regards to the decision taken, suggesting:
"SGPC should look for a possible solution by setting up a number of booths/spots around the precinct. These spots could be manned with SGPC personnel that may take pictures of the families visiting with their own camera equipment with a possibility of transferring them via email or any other transfer method", he suggested in a video shared by the Sikh Channel.
According to an estimate, over 100,000 people visit the holy shrine daily for worship and also partake jointly in the free community kitchen and meal [Langar] regardless of any distinctions, a tradition that is a hallmark of all Sikh Gurudwaras.
