Guru Ram Das - Digging of Amritsar Sarovar

Dadi: "Guddu, have you ever seen the Golden Temple in pictures?"

Guddu: "Yes! It's so beautiful, all covered in gold!"

Dadi: "At its heart is a sacred pool called the Amrit Sarovar - the Pool of Nectar. Let me tell you how it was made."

Guddu: "Someone built a pool?"

Dadi: "Not just built - dug it with their own hands. Guru Ram Das, the fourth Sikh Guru, had a vision. He wanted to create a place where anyone could come to find peace and purify their soul."

Guddu: "How did he start?"

Dadi: "First, he bought the land. Then, in 1573, with a simple prayer, the digging began. But here's the remarkable part - the Guru didn't just give orders from a distance."

Guddu: "What did he do?"

Dadi: "He picked up a shovel and dug alongside the workers! Day after day, the Guru and his followers moved earth, one basket at a time. No machines, beta - just human hands and devotion."

Guddu: "That must have taken forever!"

Dadi: "Years and years. Baba Buddha, a great elder, supervised the work. Volunteers came from everywhere, offering their labor as seva - selfless service. Rich and poor dug side by side."

Guddu: "Why was the pool so important?"

Dadi: "Water is sacred in many traditions. The Guru believed that bathing in this pool while remembering God could wash away spiritual impurities. The water itself was said to have healing properties."

Guddu: "Like medicine water?"

Dadi: "Many believed so. People came seeking cures for ailments. But more importantly, they came seeking peace of mind. The pool became a symbol of equality - everyone could bathe together, regardless of caste or wealth."

Guddu: "And later they built the Golden Temple there?"

Dadi: "Yes! Guru Ram Das's son, Guru Arjan Dev, completed the work and built the beautiful temple in the center of the pool. The town that grew around it was first called Ramdaspur, after the Guru who started it all. Later, it became known as Amritsar - named after the sacred pool."

Guddu: "So a whole city came from one man's dream to dig a pool?"

Dadi: "And the dream continues today, beta. Millions visit the Golden Temple every year. They bathe in the same waters that Guru Ram Das envisioned. They eat in the langar that feeds everyone equally. The spirit of service that moved those first shovels of earth still lives."

Guddu: "Dadi, I like that the Guru dug the pool himself. He didn't just tell others what to do."

Dadi: "That's true leadership, beta. Guru Ram Das showed that no work is beneath anyone. The same hands that taught and blessed also moved dirt. That's why the pool is so sacred - it was built with love, not just labor."

Guddu: "I want to visit Amritsar someday."

Dadi: "We'll go together. You'll walk around the pool, enter the Golden Temple, and feel what millions have felt - the peace that comes from a place built with devotion."

Guddu: "Thank you for this story, Dadi."

Dadi: "Thank you for wanting to learn. Now, sweet dreams about golden temples and sacred waters."