Chief centre of religious authority for Indian Sikhs, located in Amritsar opposite the Golden Temple .
It also serves as the headquarters of the Akali Party . Since the line of Guru s came to an end in 1708, the Sikh community has settled religious and political disputes at meetings in front of the Akal Takht. In the 20th century local congregations began to pass resolutions on matters of Sikh doctrine and rules of conduct; disputed resolutions may be appealed to the Akal Takht. It was badly damaged during the assault on the Golden Temple by the Indian army in 1984 and had to be rebuilt. See also Sikhism .