Akal Takht

Akal Takht
Seal of the Akal Takht
Photograph of the Akal Takht
Map
Alternative namesAkal Bunga
General information
StatusFirst Takht of the Sikhs [1]
Architectural styleSikh architecture
AddressSri Akal Takht Sahib, Golden Temple Rd, Amritsar, Punjab, India
Town or cityAmritsar
Coordinates31°37′14″N 74°52′31″E / 31.6206°N 74.8753°E / 31.6206; 74.8753
Completed15 June 1606 (Akal Bunga)
Rebuilding of structure demolished in 1986 completed in 1995
DestroyedHeavily damaged in 1984 (Misl-era structure)
Fully demolished in 1986 to protest damage and spurn completed government-sponsored repairs

The Akal Takht (Gurmukhi: ਅਕਾਲ ਤਖ਼ਤ, Punjabi pronunciation: [äːkäːl t̪axt]; lit.'Throne of the Timeless One'; originally Akal Bunga)[2] is one of five takhts (seats of power) of the Sikhs. It is located in the Darbar Sahib (Golden Temple) complex in Amritsar, Punjab, India. The Akal Takht (originally called Akal Bunga) was built by Guru Hargobind as a place of justice and consideration of temporal issues; the highest seat of earthly authority of the Khalsa (the collective body of the Sikhs) and the place of the Jathedar, the highest spokesman of the Sikhs.

The position of the Jathedar is disputed between the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee who appointed Giani Raghubir Singh as the acting Jathedar in 2023, and the Sarbat Khalsa organized by some Sikh organizations in 2015. Due to the political imprisonment of Jagtar Singh Hawara, Dhian Singh Mand was appointed as the acting Jathedar by the Sarbat Khalsa. The Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee however refused to accept its authority.[3][4]

  1. ^ Nabha, Kahan Singh (13 April 1930). Gur Shabad Ratanakar Mahankosh (1 ed.). Languages Department of Punjab, Patiala. p. ਅਕਾਲਬੁੰਗਾ. Archived from the original on 19 August 2016. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Fahlbusch 2008 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ At Sarbat Khalsa, hardliners appoint Hawara Akal Takht Jathedar
  4. ^ Paul, GS (8 November 2018). "Takht Jathedar's address marred by sloganeering". The Tribune. Retrieved 10 November 2022.