A new aura of splendour for the Golden Temple

About Project

The Golden Temple at Amritsar in the Punjab region of India (also known as Sri Harimandir Sahib) is the Sikh religion's main temple and a shrine that every Sikh must visit at least once in their life. It is also a worldwide tourist attraction. The temple was founded by the Sikh Guru, Guru Ram Das, in 1577, and completed in 1601. The site is particularly beautiful, as the shrine is located in the centre of a holy lake that is overlooked by a series of other sacred buildings. Recently, to enhance the area, the prime minister of Punjab ordered a road to be built connecting the Golden Temple to the site's entrance gate, which is now recognised as the most beautiful heritage road in the world. The facades of all the buildings overlooking the road have been restored with an overall design style that seeks to create a vintage look evoking 400 years of Amritsar history. Over 20 buildings have been illuminated and as every facade is unique, each one has its own individual requirements. On one of them, for example, a washer-effect Trick luminaire has been used to highlight the decorations that run along its summit. Creating a lighting design for the site was not easy, as the luminaires had to be installed in public places where there was very little space for them, and the architects had specified that they all had to be kept hidden. One obvious example of how these difficulties were overcome is the town hall that is a world heritage site and was also included in the renovation project. As no luminaires were allowed to be mounted directly on the building, a wall washer effect was created using Linealuce mini luminaires, combined with a series of recessed Linealuce luminaires installed in the courtyard to illuminate the columns with highly picturesque effects. At the beginning of the road that leads to the temple there is a large fountain with a circular 7-tier structure and a large statue of Ranjit Singh at the top. At the base of the fountain are 65 lions from which water gushes and these have been highlighted with projected light from IP 68 Waterapp devices. iPro floodlights have also been used for the Ambedkar Circle to highlight the statue located at its summit and to create homogeneity on the first circle at the base. In this whole area, the light system has been designed to create a sense of solemnity and help accentuate the site's sacred and spectacular beauty.

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• Year:
  2016
• Client:
  A new aura of splendour for the Golden Temple
• Architectural project:
  Sincere Architects - Anoop Bartaria
• Structural engineering:
  Johns Automation Systems
• Photographer:
  Johns Automation Systems