Har Mandir Saheb, popularly known, as the Golden temple is the holiest shrine for the Sikhs, so called because the entire upper half was inlaid with copper covered over by gold plate. The architecture of the Golden Temple, is a blend of Hindu and Muslim styles.

'Adi Granth' (original Holy Book of the Sikhs) is kept in the temple as the focus of devotion and teaching and read here continuously. From the very day the first copy of the Siri Guru Granth Sahib was taken ceremonially to the Harmandir, till the present time, it is customary to take it with the same ceremony every morning from the Akal Takht-where it is kept each night-to the Harmandir. This is one of only five Takhats or Seats of Authority of the Sikhs.

The other four Takhats are:

Takhat Keshgarh Sahib (Birthplace of the Khalsa) - Anandpur Sahib

Takhat Sachkhand Sri Patna Sahib - Patna, Bihar

Takhat Sachkhand Shri Hazur Sahib(the place where Guru Gobind Singh took his last breath) - Hazur Sahib

Takhat Damdama Sahib - Bathinda, Punjab