GOLDEN TEMPLE (Harmandir, Parikrama and Bungas)

CLIENT

SGPC

ARCHITECT

Ranjodh Singh

YEAR

2009 - 2014

LOCATION

Amritsar

VISUALS

AWA, Diljit Sethi

The Golden Temple precinct is the most sacred place for people of the Sikh faith and considered a national monument in India. Our lighting design reinforces a sense of purity and sanctity and further augments the beauty of the Golden Temple and the Ramgarhia Bungas, the only surviving example of Bunga architecture typology. Placed amidst the holy water pond (Amrit Sarovar) is the gold-clad Harmandir Sahib. The lighting treatment has been designed to highlight the natural beauty of the architecture with-out encumbering it with conflicting shadows and color distortion, such that it becomes a beacon of purity and piety for the faithful within the tranquil Amrit Sarovar. The digitally controlled LED lights installed along the Parikrama (the pilgrimage path) to the main shrine are incorporated into the celebrations of special festivals. The lighting design solution is inspired by our conceptual construct of the expanding box, whereby the perceptual enclosure of a space is composed of layers of light that expand the sense of the space. The carefully planned visual hierarchy of luminances with discreet placement of glare-free fixtures highlights the massing and details of the architectural elements to create a reverential and pure space.