Many tradesmen were called to construct the Harmandhir building. They were skilled and masters in their trades. They built four doors, one in each direction. The beloved Sikhs were doing Seva. They were making choona by adding many raw materials. They carried the bricks and choona on top of their heads with love. They placed them close to the tradesmen and craftsmen. The tradesmen did their best work. They worked with love and followed what Guru Arjan Dev ji would say. Guru ji said: “do not use any wood. It should be brick and choona.” The building was solid. The four walls were erected in the middle on top of the base. Guru ji made the building as Akaal Purakh ji directed. The temporary walls were built to structure the bricks. The four doors were brought to one place and constructed with choona. There was no mud used to set the bricks. Guru ji wrote Shabads regarding the glory of Guru Ramdas ji and Sri Harmandhir Sahib. The Sangat would rejoice when they would hear those Shabads. He praised the Sarovar and the Harmandhir in his Bani. Both were great.
The place that was between Guru ji’s home and the Sarovar, a market was made there for businesses and to establish an economy. Guru ji commanded for the market to be built. The merchant Sikhs came and built their shops. Guru ji wrote many Shabads in praise of Amritsar which raised the morale of the new merchants. Guru ji said: “a prosperous and dense city will be here that will be called Ramdaspur. There will be no other city like this, with shops. Laxmi (Goddess of Wealth) will be standing in the court all the time. It will grow in every direction. People from all castes and religions will live here with joy. No one will ever be hungry here. Trades with far away lands will occur. Rich people will live here.” Listening to Guru ji’s words, many Sikhs came there to settle. They made their homes and shops. They began to do business. The people living in Lahore came to live there. Some people laughed at the fact that Guru ji wanted to establish a city in the middle of the jungle. They were fools who did not know the glory of Guru ji. They would try to stop and laugh at people who left for Amritsar. The rich people would sit and talk to each other to make fun: “how can a new city be established? The place is low. If it rains, the area will flood. These Sikhs will drown. Whoever goes there will come back in 6 months. The place will be in ruins in a little while.” The Sikhs would hear this and be upset. Some were demotivated. When they came to Guru ji, they folded their hands and said: “listen Guru ji, you are doing a big thing to make a new city. You said it yourself that this place will be dense and that there will be a lot of wealth with Laxmi. Guru ji, the rich people of other cities laugh at us. They say this place will be in ruins and said that the place is in a lower level. They said that this place will flood and be in ruins.” Guru ji listened to the Sikhs and said: “just as the water is coming from every direction, that is how the people of all directions will come. Kings, rich and poor will come here. They will live here and plead for a place to live here. They will have to pay a lot of money to live here. Rich people will come here to live. Many people will get food here. The wealth of the world will come here. People will come here to eat. The rarest things will be found here. Have faith. This place will grow. The people that will live here, will be in peace. They will do Simran of Gobind in their hearts when they go to the Harmandhir. They will do Keertan and live here. They will make the Shabad reside in their hearts. When they die, they will receive Mukti. They will be happy in both the worlds. The slanderers and cheats will be jealous. They will see others as happy and feel pain. They will try their best but no harm will come to Amritsar. They will have to come to the court and bow to Harmandhir. The ones who don’t come now, will regret not building their homes here.” The Sikhs received hope after listening to Guru ji. They said: “you are great Guru ji! Your words are true.”
Many Sikhs came everyday to settle here and start their businesses. The population grew on a daily basis as the people brought their families as well. The markets were open and trades began. Satguru ji protected everyone. After a few months, the merchants began to sell their items but they had no customers. There were not enough customers to make a living. One day, all of the merchants gathered and came to Sri Guru Arjan Dev ji where he was directing the Seva. They folded their hands and said: “Guru ji, you are the sustainer of the world. You give everyone subsistence. We listened to you and moved our businesses to Amritsar. We moved here as we thought this will be a prosperous place to live and work. We have no customers though. We have various types of commodities to sell. We wanted to make a living here and live with you. We are all householders with families. We need to make a living with our businesses. We are all in the same situation. Since we opened up our shops, we have been waiting for customers. There is no one to buy anything. We sell very little which is not enough. We need to provide for our families. Food and clothes are needed. Money is needed for weddings and celebrations. We came here but we are not getting any revenue. Please help us. We can’t do any other work as we have been merchants for many generations. Where can we go now? You are omniscient and know everything. You helped us settle here and now you are the one that sustains us. We have no other master. We only came here because of you. You nurture the whole world. Whatever comes form your mouth is true. We have a deep faith in your words. Akaal Purakh will listen to you.” Guru ji heard the merchants. He smiled and said: “don’t do all this counting. You will be rich if you listen to me: wake up at Amritvela and take a bath. Recite Gurbani and meditate on it. Go to Harmandhir Sahib everyday and offer whatever money you can. Fold your hands and bow your heads. Visiting Harmandhir Sahib is the same as visiting Akaal Purakh. After coming here, go and open your shops. Make your life a success like this. You will make a good profit. In the evening, close your shops and come to Harmandhir Sahib again. Visit it and do your Ardaas. Whatever wishes you will have, shall be fulfilled. Do your businesses in this way. You will not have any shortages. Your wishes will be fulfilled. Laxmi will come and live in your homes. The glory of Harmandhir is great. The servant of Sri Harmandhir Sahib is Maya. Maya lives here with 9 Niddhis, Riddhis and Siddhis. All of the powers bow their heads here. Whoever does Seva here will receive all of the gifts and powers. In the end, they will receive Mukti. There will be no shortages in the court of Akaal Purakh. Akaal Purakh Hari lives here.” The Sikhs obeyed Guru ji’s words and had faith. They did as Guru ji said. They visited Harmandhir Sahib in the morning and evening. They did not come empty-handed. They brought whatever they could afford. The merchant Sikhs had good revenue and got everything they wanted. They had good food and items of need. The merchants have been following this tradition even till today. The Sikhs that went to Harmandhir Sahib and bowed their heads, their wishes were all fulfilled.