The most sacred of Sikh shrines, the Golden Temple, is a major pilgrimage destination for devotees from around the world, as well as, an ever increasing popular tourist attraction. Surrounded by the Amrit Sarovar (pool of nectar), The lower facade of the Golden Temple is clad in marble, inlaid with precious and semi-precious coloured stones, using the pietra dura technique to create motifs.

The most sacred of Sikh shrines, the Golden Temple, is a major pilgrimage destination for devotees from around the world, as well as, an ever increasing popular tourist attraction. Surrounded by the Amrit Sarovar (pool of nectar), The lower facade of the Golden Temple is clad in marble, inlaid with precious and semi-precious coloured stones, using the pietra dura technique to create motifs.

Within, the Guru Granth Sahib is enshrined on the ground floor, in a room embellished with splendid frescoes. Also part of the complex is the seat of the Sikh temporal authority, the Akal Takhat, the foundation of which was laid in 1606 by Guru Hargobind, who felt that the Sikh faith required a martial tenor.