Thousands of tourists and pilgrims visit the Golden Temple in Amritsar every day.
Tourists have been banned from snapping photographs inside the Golden Temple in Amritsar, one of its most popular attractions, to preserve the sanctity of Sikhism's holiest shrine, an official said today.
The governing body for the temple in northern Punjab said visitors crowding for selfies and shooting videos within the centuries-old complex disrespected those making pilgrimages from all over the world.
"This is not a place you come for leisure... it is a religious site where devotees come to pray and seek solace from their sorrows," said Roop Singh, chief secretary of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, which administers the site in the city of Amritsar.
Thousands of tourists and pilgrims visit the Golden Temple every day, marvelling at the ornate buildings fringing a central lake and the brilliant shrine at the heart of the complex.
Boards announcing that photography and videography is prohibited in the precincts of the Golden Temple. (AFP)
Mr Singh said photographs will still be allowed in an official capacity for visiting delegates and VIPs on a case-by-case basis.
"We will make necessary arrangements keeping in mind the sanctity of the place," he said.