Gurudwara Sri Ramsar Sahib, Amritsar

Gurudwara Sri Ramsar Sahib is situated in district city Amritsar. It is situated in the chattiwind gate area. Sri Guru Arjan Dev ji got a holy tank (Sarovar) dug here and named it Ramsar Sahib after name of Sri Guru ramDas ji. It was calm place and Guru Sahib got his tent pitched on the south side of Sarovar. Guru Sahib started dictating Sri Guru Granth Sahib ji to Bhai gurDas ji which included relics of all the four Guru Sahib and Sri Guru Arjan Dev ji's also. When Sri Guru Granth Sahib was completed then it was established at Sri Harimandir Sahib. Now in the modern day printing of Sri Guru Granth Sahib is done here only. Gurdwara Sri Ramsar Sahib Amritsar stands alongside the Ramsar sarovar, the smallest of Amritsar's five holy sarovars. Located near Chativind Gate, on the south-eastern side of the walled city of Amritsar, the present Gurdwara Ramsar is a marble-lined hall topped by a gilded, fluted lotus dome. The original Gurdwara was first built in 1855 at this site. However, long before any Gurdwara was constructed, Sri Guru Arjan Sahib Ji was looking for a quiet spot away from the growing city of Amritsar. Guru Arjan chose this site as the spot where the Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji would take form. Adi Granth means the first Guru Granth ie. containing the Gurbani of the first five Sikh Gurus. In 1603, after the completion of Sri Harimandir Sahib in 1601, Guru Arjan chose this once secluded, shady spot, about 1 km away from the bustle of the town growing around Sri Harmandar Sahib, and set about collecting the Gurbani (holy Sikh hymns) of the first four Gurus, Guru Nanak, Guru Angad, Guru Amar Das and Guru Ram Das. Although there were plenty of cool shady trees around, the spot provided the peace and quiet that Guru Arjan needed, the cooling breezes of the Amrit Sarovar were far away. To make the surroundings more agreeable, Guru Sahib had a small sarovar dug, which he named 'Ramsar' after his father Guru Ram Das. Guru Arjan and his scribe, Bhai Gurdas spent over a year at the site in semi-seclusion. Guru Arjan added his compositions to those of the earlier Gurus, as well as selections from the writings of several bhats and bhagats from a variety of different backgrounds that shared the principles of Sikhism. After the completion of the Adi Granth in 1604 the Adi Granth was installed, with due honor and ceremony, in Sri Harimandir Sahib. Today the Adi Granth is known as the Guru Granth Sahib; the sacred Sikh scripture. The Guru Granth Sahib, which now spans 1430 pages, was installed by Guru Gobind Singh as the Eternal Guru of the Sikhs, shortly before Guru Sahib re-joined with God. This unique holy Granth preserves the purity of the scriptures, embodying, the philosophy of the Gurus for the perpetual guidance of Sikhism, as well as other faiths.