What Makes a Takht Different From Any Other Gurudwara
The word Takht means throne. In Sikh tradition, the five Takhts are the seats of temporal and spiritual authority, the places from which the Panth issues religious edicts called Hukamnamas that bind Sikhs worldwide. Every Gurudwara is a place of worship, but only a Takht carries this legislative weight. Of the five, three are in Punjab: Akal Takht in Amritsar, Takht Sri Keshgarh Sahib in Anandpur, and Takht Sri Damdama Sahib in Talwandi Sabo. The other two are separated from Punjab by hundreds of kilometres, one anchored to Guru Gobind Singh's birthplace and one to his death. These are the two that most pilgrims from outside the faith know least about, and the two that reward the most deliberate travel.
