Did you know that the magnificent Akal Takht that we see today isn’t the original structure? The original building, which was called Akal Bunga, was constructed in 1609 by Guru Hargobind, the sixth Sikh Guru, at the same site where it stands today. Back then, it was a simple platform measuring 3.5 meters in height, where the guru would hold court and listen to the petitioners. As a mark of his spiritual and temporal authority, he put two swords on the platform. Later, a semi-circular structure with gilded interior and marble pillars was constructed.
During the 18th century, the Akal Takht and the Golden Temple came under repeated attacks from Ahmed Shah Abdali, the famous Afghani emperor and Massa Rangar, a Mughal commander. Between 1770 and 1780, the structure was reconstructed using bricks. Hari Singh Nalwa, one of the generals under Maharaja Ranjit Singh, adorned the dome of the Akal Takht with gold.
During the infamous Operation Blue Star by the Indian Army in 1984, the Akal Takht suffered extensive damage. It was rebuilt by the Government of India but the Sikhs did not accept the new structure. Finally, they demolished it and rebuilt the Akal Takht in its present form in 1995.

Guru Hargobind sahib was only eleven years old at the time of the martyrdom of his father, Guru Arjun dev sahib. He was faced with two choices, either to let the Muslim tyrannical rulers (Mughals) and fanatical clergy to annihilate Sikhism and other non-Islamic religions of India or fight the tyranny. Guru sahib chose the latter and showed extraordinary personal courage, valour and political acumen and manoeuvred Sikhism on its course chartered by Guru Nanak through the initial crucial stages. The martyrdom of Guru Arjun in 1606 at the behest of the fanatical Mughal Emperor Jahangir prompted the succeeding young Guru Hargobind sahib to refocused the role of the Sikh Gurus. The Guru discerned sagely that the Sikhism had to fight for its survival or be devoured by the mighty Mughals who were tyrannically converting predominantly Hindu society of India to Islam. At his succession ceremony the Guru donned one sword to symbolize Piri, [spiritual authority] and second to symbolize Miri, [temporal authority]. Evidently the Guru sahib's concept of Miri Piri and motivation to assume the dual role of Miri and Piri were to challenge the religious coercion, political tyranny, social oppression and ensure peaceful and prosperous co-existence not only for the Sikhs but also, for the whole multi-religious and multi-cultural society of India. The Guru's motives to assume the dual role of Miri Piri were misconstrued at the time; but were soon validated when the Sikhs had to fight four defensive battles in 1628, 1630, 1631, 1634, A.D. against the aggressive Muslim imperial forces. Led by the Guru himself, the Sikhs routed the numerically superior Mughal forces in all four battles.