Akal Takht
The Akal Takht (Punjabi: ਅਕਾਲ ਤਖ਼ਤ, Akāl Taḵẖt) is the highest Political Institution of the Sikhs. Akal means The Timeless One - another term for God. Takht means 'throne' in Persian. Hence, Akal Takht translates as The Throne of the Timeless One. It sits directly in front of the Golden Temple in Amritsar. The Akal Takht was made by the Sikhs' sixth Guru, Guru Har Gobind as a symbol for Political freedom of Sikhs. It stood as symbol of Political Bulwark against the Mughal Emperors in the 17th and 18th century. Various attacks on the Akal Takht and Harmandar Sahib have been led in past by Ahmed Shah Abdali and Massa Rangar in the 18 century. On June 4, 1984, the Indian Army damaged the outer facade of the Akal Takht while attempting to flush out Sikh militants in a controversial military operation known as Operation Bluestar.
The Jathedar of the Akal Takht is a representative authority of Sikhs in Political and Spiritual matters. The present Jathedar is Sardar Joginder Singh Vedanti.
The Akal Takht is one of five sacred takhts in the Sikh faith. The other takhts are:
See Also
- Golden Temple, Amritsar
External Links
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