Main entrance of Golden Temple to be plated with gold
A dome atop the main entrance of the Golden Temple would be plated with gold, Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) said, adding that devotees were generously donating ornaments for decorating the holiest religious site for Sikhs. The step has been taken to make the entry point more beautiful, said SGPC's Additional Secretary Daljit Singh Bedi. SGPC is the apex religious body of the Sikhs.
SGPC has enough gold to gild temple's entry gate: Bedi
Bedi said the SGPC had enough gold in its treasury donated by devotees. "There are four entry gates where copper domes are affixed and the SGPC has chosen the dome of the main entrance gate to give it an attractive look to it," Bedi said. However, there is no plan as of now to gild other three entry points with gold, he added.
Sikh volunteer Baba Kashmir looks after the gold plating task
The SGPC had handed over the task of gold plating to Sikh volunteer Baba Kashmir Singh Bhooriwale. Bhooriwale had set up his own cabin in the Golden Temple where devotees were donating their gold ornaments besides cash for this cause, he said. "Once the entire work is completed, the SGPC will be in a position to tell how much gold was used," he said.
Gold donated by devotees usually 22 carat purity
Gold, generally donated by devotees in the form of ornaments for the gold plating was usually 22 carats, which is later purified to 24 carats. The pure gold is then melted and shaped into a bar and the malleable metal is pressed into flat ribbons.
