The average time required to the Golden Temple Darshan via line is 2-4 hours, but this may vary depending on special occasions, festivals, weekdays, or seasons. More crowds means more time is needed to visit the Golden Temple. If you wish to explore the entire Golden Temple complex, including the inside temple darshan, an average of 5 hours is required.

Following are the rules to be followed to enter in the Golden Temple:

• Visitors have to remove their shoes and submit in the Joda Ghar before entering  the main complex
• If you are a non sikh person and don’t wear a turban, you have to cover your head with a scarf or handkerchief before entering the complex.
• Visitors should wear modest and respectful clothing; any type of immodest clothing is not allowed in the complex.
• If you have drunk or consumed any type of intoxicant or smoking & tobacco product then you are not allowed in the complex; you should come in a sober state.

Following are things not allowed in the Golden Temple:

• Footwear inside the complex
• Smoking or any type of Tobacco products
• Weapons
• Intoxication like Alcohol, etc.
• Hats or any type of head wearables (you need to cover your head using cloth)
• Disrespectful behaviour
• Unauthorised photography
• Immodest, showy and short clothes

The best time to visit Golden Temple is between 3-5 am. During the early morning, there are fewer crowds compared to other active times. Crowd levels also vary depending on special occasions, festivals, weekdays, or seasons. In winter, the crowd is generally less compared to other seasons. On festival days, the crowd can double or even more. Nowadays, weekends like Saturday and Sunday are also more crowded.

No, there is no VIP entry in the Golden Temple. The place treats everyone equally, whether they are the president of a country or just an ordinary man. Only those individuals who hold esteemed positions in the Gurudwara, such as Head Granthi Sahib Ji and Ragi Sahiban, are permitted to enter from the sidelines like VIPs. In Sikhism, these individuals are regarded as the Guru’s Wazir (ministers).

Before the establishment of the golden temple, there was a tree in the center of the holy pool, where Guru Amardas ji usually sat and recited the worship of god. That’s why Guru Arjan Dev ji decided to build a Gurdwara there.