The walls of the two lower storeys form parapets and end with rounded pinnacles. Four chhatris or kiosks surround the corners, combined with dozens of large, medium and miniature domes, creating a dazzling and unique effect, which is enhanced by their reflection in the water below.
The typical art and architectural features of the Golden Temple can be summed up as (1) multiplicity of chhatris which ornament the parapets, angles at every prominence or projection; (2) the invariable use of fluted domes covered with gilded copper; (3) balconised windows thrown out on carved brackets or bay-windows with shallow elliptical cornices; and (4) enrichment of walls, arches and ceilings by various forms of mural art.
Under the category of mural paintings there are decorations of floral patterns combined with animal motifs. Over 300 various patterns cover the temple�s walls, which from a distance look like hung Persian carpets. The painters of these paintings developed their own terminology to allow them to distinguish among various designs. The most common one is Dehin, which is a way of expressing the artist�s imagination and own creations of idealised forms. The base of Dehin is Gharwanjh, which is a decorative device that uses knotted grapples between animals. In the Golden Temple, this is seen between the cobras, lions, and elephants clutching one another or carrying flower vases in which fairies and fruits are shown. A decorative wood design, which is used around the Dehin, is a patta often shown through creepers and aquatic creatures.
On the walls behind the northern stairway, which leads to the top of the shrine, a mural depicting the only human figures is seen representing Guru Gobind Singh Ji on horseback. A Kangra artist, who had been specially commissioned by Ranjit Singh for this purpose, painted it. It is a true copy of a miniature painting that was originally in the collection of Raja Sansar Chand of Kangra. Ranjit Singh had intended to get it copied into the form of a mural in the Golden Temple but since the artist of the miniature had already died, the grandson of the artist did the mural, whose name is not known.
A range of mural arts such as embossed Copper, gach, tukri, jaratkari, and ivory inlay have been done in the Golden Temple many times. The raised decorations on the exterior walls of the Golden Temple are mainly floral and abstract but there are some panels representing human figures. For example, on the front side are two panels, the lower represents Guru Nanak Dev Ji with Bala and Mardana and the upper shows Guru Gobind Singh Ji on horseback.
Gach, a sort of stone or gypsum, was treated to form a paste and was applied on the wall like lime. Then it was fashioned out in designs with steel cutters and other implements. Gach work inlaid with coloured glass was known as tukri work and is to be seen in the second storey of the Shish Mahal. Jaratkari work involved the inlaying of coloured cut-stones in marble and is to be found on the lower portion of the exterior walls of the temple. In fact, the work consists of semi-precious stones, such as lapis lazuli and onyx. The designs are Mughal in spirit, but the introduction of human figures, never shown in true Mughal decorations, reveals their Sikh origin.