HARMANDIR SAHIB GOLDEN TEMPLE.

THE HARMANDIR SAHIB GOLDEN TEMPLE

Ø      The Harmandir Sahib or Hari Mandir in Amritsar, Punjab, is the holiest shrine in Sikhism.

Ø      Previously and still more commonly known as the Golden Temple, it was officially renamed Harmandir Sahib in March 2005.

Ø      The temple or gurdwara is a major pilgrimage destination for Sikhs from all over the world, as well as an increasingly popular tourist attraction.

Ø      Unlike many historical sacred sites, the Golden Temple of Amritsar is still fully alive with religious fervor and sacredness, and visitors are welcomed to join in the experience.

Ø      Although the building itself has great historical and architectural interest, it is the Golden Temple's great spiritual meaning for Sikh believers and others that is most memorable to visitors.

Ø      In a country that is exceptionally rich with vibrant devotion, Frommer's rates the Golden Temple "the most tangibly spiritual place in the country."

The Harmandir Sahib at night

History

Ø      Construction of the Golden Temple began in 1574 on land donated by the Mughal emperor Akbar.

Ø      The building project was overseen by the fourth and fifth Sikh Gurus.

Ø      The temple was completed in 1601, but restoration and embellishment continued over the years. The temple had to be substantially rebuilt after it was sacked in the 1760s.

Ø      In the early 19th century, 100 kg of gold were applied to the inverted lotus-shaped dome and decorative marble was added.

Ø      All this gold and marble work took place under the patronage of Maharaja Ranjit Singh.

Ø      The legendary warrior king was a major donor of money and materials for the shrine and is remembered with much affection by the Sikh community and Punjabi people.

Ø      In June 1984, Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi ordered an attack on armed Sikh militants holed up in the Golden Temple. Over 500 people were killed in the ensuing firefight, and Sikhs around the world were outraged at the desecration of their holiest site.

Ø      Four months after the attack, Gandhi was assassinated by her two Sikh bodyguards, leading to a massacre followed in which thousands of Sikhs lost their lives.

Ø      The Sikh community refused to allow the central government to repair the damage to the temple, instead undertaking the work themselves.

Ø      Although most of the damaged been repaired, the incident has not been forgotten.

Ø        Many people in Amritsar are still anxious to explain the Sikh side of the story to visitors.

Ber Baba Buddha Ji

What to See

Ø      Despite its great sacred status, the Golden Temple is open to visitors, like all Sikh temples.

Ø      The only restrictions are that visitors must not drink alcohol, eat meat or smoke in the shrine.

Ø       And unlike many other Indian temples, visitors to the Harmandir Sahib are made to feel truly welcome and not pressured to buy anything.

Ø      The information office left of the main gate gives helpful advice and information, as well as booklets on Sikhism.

Ø      Most visitors to the Golden Temple, whether Sikh or not, are humbled by what is quite simply the most tangibly spiritual place in the country.

Ø       Arrive with a few good hours set aside and get lost in its magical beauty.

Ø      Visitors must leave their shoes at the facility near the entrance, cover their head bandanas are provided, or you can buy a souvenir bandana from a vendor, and wash their feet by wading through the shallow pool before entering.

Ø      The most famous and sacred part of the Golden Temple complex is the Hari Mandir  or Divine Temple or Darbar Sahib  meaning Court of the Lord, which is the beautiful golden structure at the center of a large body of water.

Ø      The gold-plated building features copper cupolas and white marble walls encrusted with precious stones arranged in decorative Islamic-style floral patterns.

Ø       The structure is decorated inside and out with verses from the Granth Sahib.

Ø      The water that surrounds the Hari Mandir is a sacred pool known as the Amrit Sarovar meaning Pool of Nectar.

Ø      The temple is reached by following the Parikrama, which circumscribes the sacred pool in a clockwise direction.

Ø      Connecting the pathway with the Hari Mandir is a marble causeway called the Guru's Bridge, which symbolizes the journey of the soul after death.

Ø      The gateway to the bridge, the Darshani Deorhi, has magnificent silver doors.

Ø      The fascinating scene inside the Hari Mandir is televised throughout India for Sikh viewers.

Ø       Amidst a crowd of fervent and solemn devotees, scriptures from the Holy Book are sung beneath a canopy studded with jewels.

Ø       A chauri  meaning whisk is continually waved above the Book as lines of Sikhs pay their respects by touching their foreheads to the temple floor and walls, continuing in a clockwise direction at a relaxed pace.

Ø      Another major highlight of the Golden Temple complex is the Guru-ka-Langar, a dining hall where around 35,000 people a day are fed for free by temple volunteers.

Ø      Everyone is invited to join this communal breaking of bread. All participants sit on the floor, regardless of caste, status, wealth or creed, powerfully symbolizing the central Sikh doctrine of the equality of all people.

Ø      Guest quarters are also available for international Sikh visitors for a nominal fee, and at least 400 simple rooms are provided free of charge to Sikh pilgrims.

Ø      In the Central Sikh Museum at the main entrance, galleries display images and remembrances of Sikh gurus, warriors, and saints; it includes some graphic portraits of the torture and execution of gurus.

Dukh Bhanjani Beri & Ath Sath Tirath

Festivals and Events

Ø      Every night, the Granth Sahib is carried in procession along this bridge to its "bed" in the Akal Takht, the seat of the Sikh parliament built in 1609 Called the Palki Sahib, this nightly ceremony provides a chance for all male pilgrims and visitors to actively participate in the veneration of the Holy Book.

Ø      Lines form in front of and behind the heavy palanquin and each man shoulders the burden for a few seconds before passing it along, forming a human conveyer belt that allows everyone to participate and everyone to rest.

Ø       The ceremony usually takes place at 11pm in summer at 9:30pm in winter.

Quick Facts

Ø      The Golden Temple, located in the city of Amritsar in the state of Punjab,is a place of great beauty and sublime peacefulness.

Ø      Originally a small lake in the midst of a quiet forest, the site has been a meditation retreat for wandering mendicants and sages since deep antiquity. The Buddha is known to have spent time at this place in contemplation.

Ø      Two thousand years after Buddha's time, another philosopher-saint came to live and meditate by the peaceful lake. This was Guru Nanak (1469-1539), the founder of the Sikh religion.

Ø      After the passing away of Guru Nanak, his disciples continued to frequent the site; over the centuries it became the primary sacred shrine of the Sikhs.

Ø      The lake was enlarged and structurally contained during the leadership of the fourth Sikh Guru (Ram Dass, 1574-1581), and during the leadership of the fifth Guru (Arjan, 1581-1606), the Hari Mandir, or Temple of God was built.

Ø      From the early 1600s to the mid 1700s the sixth through tenth Sikh Gurus were constantly involved in defending both their religion and their temple against Muslim armies.

Ø      On numerous occasions the temple was destroyed by the Muslims, and each time was rebuilt more beautifully by the Sikhs.

Ø      From 1767 onwards, the Sikhs became strong enough militarily to repulse invaders. Peace returned to the Hari Mandir.

Ø      The temple's architecture draws on both Hindu and Muslim artistic styles yet represent a unique co evolution of the two.

Ø      During the reign of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, Hari Mandir was richly ornamented with marble sculptures, golden gilding, and large quantities of precious stones.

Ø      Within the sanctuary, on a jewel-studded platform, lies the Adi Grantha, the sacred scripture of the Sikhs.

Ø      This scripture is a collection of devotional poems, prayers, and hymns composed by the ten Sikh gurus and various Muslim and Hindu saints.

Ø      Beginning early in the morning and lasting until long past sunset, these hymns are chanted to the exquisite accompaniment of flutes, drums, and stringed instruments.

Ø      Echoing across the serene lake, this enchantingly beautiful music induces a delicate yet powerful state of trance in the pilgrims strolling leisurely around the marble concourse encircling the pool and temple.

Ø       An underground spring feeds the sacred lake, and throughout the day and night pilgrims immerse themselves in the water, a symbolic cleansing of the soul rather than an actual bathing of the body.

Ø      Next to the temple complex are enormous pilgrims' dormitories and dining halls where all persons, irrespective of race, religion, or gender, are lodged and fed for free.

Ø      The Golden temple is considered holy by Sikhs because the eternal Guru of Sikhism, the Sri Guru Granth Sahib, is always present inside in it and its construction was mainly intended to build a place of worship for men and women from all walks of life and all religion to come and worship God equally.

Ø      The Sri Guru Granth Sahib is the holiest literature in the Sikh religion, the tenth Guru of Sikhism, Guru Gobind Singh on 7th October 1708 at Nanded made it the eternal Sikh Guru and the leader of Sikhism.

Ø      Anywhere in the world where the Guru Granth Sahib is present is equally holy and precious to Sikhs.

Ø      Its name literally means temple of God. The fourth Guru of Sikhism, Guru Ram Das, excavated a tank in 1577 AD which subsequently became known as Amritsar which means Pool of the Nectar of Immortality, & later giving its name to the city that grew around it.

Ø      In due course, a splendid Sikh edifice, Harmandir Sahib meaning: The abode of God rose in the middle of this tank and became the supreme centre of Sikhism.

Ø      Its sanctum came to house the Adi Granth comprising compositions of Sikh Gurus and other saints considered to have Sikh values and philosophies e.g. Baba Farid, Kabir, sant namdeo etc.

Ø      The compilation of the Adi Granth was started by the fifth Guru of Sikhism, Guru Arjan Dev.

Construction of the Harmandir Sahib

Ø      Originally built during 1574 AD, the site of the temple was surrounded by a small lake in a thin forest. The third of the six grand Mughals, emperor Akbar, who visited the third Sikh Guru, Guru Amar Das, at the neighbouring town of Goindval was so impressed by the way of life in the town that he gave a jagir the land and the revenues of several villages in the vicinity to the Guru's daughter Bhani as a gift on her marriage to Bhai Jetha, who later became the fourth Sikh Guru, Guru Ram Das.

Ø      Guru Ram Das enlarged the lake and built a small township around it. The town was named after Guru Ram Das as "Guru Ka Chak", "Chak Ram Das" or "Ram Das Pura".

Ø      During the leadership of the fifth Guru, Guru Arjan Dev , the full-fledged Temple was built.

Ø      In December 1588 the great Muslim Sufi saint of Lahore Hazrat Mian Mir, who was a close friend of Guru Arjan Dev Ji, initiated the construction of the temple by laying the first foundation stone in December 1588 AD.

Ø      A mason then straightened the stone but Guru Arjan Dev told him that, as he had undone the work just completed by the holy man, a disaster might come to the Harmandir Sahib. It was later attacked by the Mughals.

Ø      The temple was completed in 1604. Guru Arjan Dev, installed the Guru Granth Sahib in it and appointed Baba Buddha Ji as the first Granthi meaning Reader of it on August 1604.

Ø       In the mid-18th century it was attacked by the Afghans, by one of Ahmed Shah Abdali's Generals, Jahan Khan, and had to be substantially rebuilt in the 1760s.

Ø      However, in response a Sikh Army was sent to hunt down the Afghan force. They were under orders to show no mercy and historical evidence suggests the Sikh Army was decisively victorious in the ensuing battle.

Ø       Both forces met each other 5 miles outside Amritsar; Jahan Khan's army was destroyed. He himself was decapitated by commander Sardar Dayal Singh.

The Harmandir Sahib Complex and areas in its vicinity

•    The temple is surrounded by a large lake, known as the Sarovar, which consists of Amrit  meaning "holy water".

Ø       There are four entrances to the temple, signifying the importance of acceptance and openness.

Ø      Inside the temple complex there are many shrines to past Sikh Gurus, Saints and martyrs

Ø      There are three holy trees (Bers) each signifying a historical event or Sikh saint. Inside the temple there are many memorial plaques that commemorate past Sikh historical events, saints, martyrs and includes commemorative inscriptions of all the Sikh soldiers who died fighting in World Wars I and II.

Ø      Much of the present decorative gilding and marblework dates from the early 19th century. All the gold and exquisite marble work were conducted under the patronage of Hukam Singh Chimni and Emperor Ranjit Singh, Maharaja of the Sikh Empire of the Punjab.

Ø      The Darshani Deorhi Arch stands at the beginning of the causeway to the Harmandir Sahib; it is 202 feet i.e. 62 m high and 21 feet 6 m in width.

Ø      The gold plating on the Harmandir Sahib was begun by Emperor Ranjit Singh and was finished in 1830 AD.

Ø       The Sher-e-Punjab meaning Lion of the Punjab, was a heavy donor of wealth and materials for the shrine and is remembered with much affection by the Punjabi people in general and the Sikh community in particular.

Ø       Maharaja Ranjit Singh also built two of the other most sacred temples in Sikhism. This was due to Maharaja Ranjit Singh having a deep love for the tenth Guru of Sikhism Guru Gobind Singh.

Ø      The other two most sacred temples in Sikhism, which he built, are Takht Sri Patna Sahib, intiation or birth place of Guru Gobind Singh and Takht Sri Hazur Sahib the place of Guru Gobind Singh's Sikh ascension into heaven.

 Sikh architecture

Ø      So little has been written about Sikh architecture that it is difficult for anyone to believe that such a style of architecture exists at all.

Ø      It is ironic that whereas the Sikhs are known the world over for their characteristic vigor, valor, versatility, above all their distinct physical, moral and spiritual identity, their architecture should have remained so abjectly unidentified.

Ø      This is an attempt to outline the main elements, principles, and objectives of building design with a view to conjuring up an overall picture of a style of architecture which can be doubtlessly called Sikh Architecture.

Ø       This venture will be extended to touch upon another area of architecture which has come to be known as urban design, and whose existence in Sikh architecture can also be substantiated by apt examples.

Ø      Apart from buildings of religious order, Sikh architecture has secular types of forts, palaces, bungas residential places, colleges, etc.

Ø      The religious structure is the gurdwara, a place where the Guru dwells. A gurdwara is not only the all-important building of the Faith, as masjid or mosque of the Islamic faith and mandir or temple of the Hindu religion, but it is also, like its Islamic and Hindu counterparts, the keynote of Sikh architecture.

Ø      The word gurdwara is compounded of Guru meaning Guide or Master and Dwara meaning Gateway or Seat and therefore has an architectural connotation.

Ø      Sikh temples are by and large commemorative buildings connected with the ten Gurus in some way, or with places and events of historical significance.

Ø      Gurdwara Dera Sahib meaning Halting place in Batala in Gurdaspur district was erected to commemorate the brief stay here of Guru Nanak along with the party on the ocassion of his marriage.

Ø      Gurdwara Shish Mahal meaning Hall of Mirrors in Kiratpur in Ropar district was built where the eighth Guru, Harkishan, was born and so on.

Ø      Gurdwara Shahid Ganj meaning Martyr's Memorial in Muktsar in Faridkot district commemorates the place where the dead bodies of the Sikhs, who were killed in the battle between Guru Gobind Singh and the Mughal forces in 1705, were cremated.

Ø       Gurdwara Ram Sar meaning God's Pool in Amritsar stands on a site where the fifth Guru, Arjan Dev, got the Adi Granth compiled by Bhai Gurdas.

Ø      The main requirement of a gurdwara is that of a room in which the Adi Granth, the Holy Book, can be placed and a small sangat or congregation can be seated to listen to the path or readings from the Holy Book and to sing and recite its verses.

Ø      The buildings of the Sikh shrines cover a wide spectrum of structures varying from the simple and the austere to the richly embellished and respondent.

Ø      Gurdwaras have entrances on all the sides signifying that they are open to one and all without any distinction whatsoever. This distinguishing feature also symbolizes the essential tenet of the Sikh faith that God is omnipresent.

Ø      Many Sikh temples have a deorhi meaning an entrance or gateway, through which one has to pass before reaching the shrine.

Ø      A deorhi is often an impressive structure with an imposing gateway, and sometimes provides accommodation for office and other use.

Ø      The visitors get the first glimpse of the sanctum sanctotum from the deorhi.

Ø      There are over five hundred gurdwaras, big and small, which have an historical past. They are to be found throughout India, although a majority of them are located in the Punjab and its surrounding provinces.

Ø      Some important gurdwaras also exist in Pakistan, Bangladesh and elsewhere in the world.

Ø      The buildings of the Sikh shrines, when classified according to their plan, are of four basic types: the square, the rectangular, the octagonal, and the cruciform.

Ø       On the basis of the number of storeys, gurdwaras have structures, which may be one, two, three, five or nine storeys high.

Ø      One comes across several interesting variations of gurdwara designs worked out on the permutations and combinations of the aforesaid basic plan and elevation types.

Ø      A few examples are now given to illustrate the above categories. Darbar Sahib at Dera Baba Nanak in Gurdaspur district is constructed on a square plan and is a single-storeyed structure. Gurdwara Shahid Ganj at Muktsar in Faridkot district has one storey built on a rectangular plan. Examples of this plan shape are extremely rare.

Ø      Gurdwara Lohgarh in Anandpur Sahib in Ropar district has an octagonal plan and a single-storied elevation. Gurdwara Tamboo Sahib in Muktsar is a double-storied building constructed on a square plan, on a raised basement.

Ø      Gurdwara Chobara Sahib at Goindwal in Amritsar district is a three-storeyed structure elevated on a square plan. Gurdwara Tham Sahib meaning pillar at Kartarpur in Jullunder district has a square plan and five storeys.

Ø      Gurdwara Shadian meaning martyrs' in Amritsar is a three-storied octagonal structure. Gurdwara Baba Atal Sahib meaning immutable in Amritsar, basically a smadh meaning cenotaph raised in the memory of Baba Atal, the revered son of the sixth Guru, Hargobind, is a nine storeyed building standing on an octagonal plan.

Ø       Baolis meaning stepped wells are also not uncommon in Sikh architecture. Gurdwara Baoli Sahib at Goindwal in Amritsar district is representative example of such structures, which, for the purpose of this article, belong to the miscellaneous class.

Ø       Gurdwara Nanak Jhira in Bidar in Karnataka, stands on a cruciform plan.

Ø      There are five historical shrines which have been given the status of thakats meaning thrones where the gurmattas meaning decisions of a binding character taken through a consensus of the sangat meaning congregation have great importance, affecting as they did the social and political life of the Sikh community.

Ø      These are: Akal Takht, Amritsar; Harmandir Sahib, Patna, Bihar; Keshgarh Sahib, Anandpur; Damdama Sahib, Talwandi Sabo; and Hazur Sahib, Nanded, Maharashtra. Of these five takhats, the Akal Takhat meaning Indestructible Throne is the most important by virtue of its location in Amritsar, the Vatican for the Sikhs.

Ø      As a rule, a gumbad meaning dome is the crowning feature of a gurdwara. Rarely, a shrine may be flat-roofed, as in the case of Gurdwara Guru-ka-Lahore near Anandpur Sahib in Ropar district.

Ø      Sometimes, a small single roomed shrine is topped by a palaki, a palanquin-like roof, derived from Bengal style of architecture, as can be seen in Gurdwara Tahli Sahib, in village Tahala in Bhatinda district.

Ø      Gurdwara Bahadur Garh in Patiala has a palaki instead of a dome as its crowning feature.

Ø      More often than not, a dome is fluted or ribbed but a plane dome has also been used in many cases, as in Manji Sahib at Damdama Sahib in Bhatinda district.

Ø      Several dome shapes are to be found in Sikh shrines -- hemispherical, three-quarters of a sphere, etc., although the last mentioned is more frequently used.

Ø      The shape of the dome of Gurdwara Patal Puri at Kiratpur in Ropar district has a remarkable likeness to the domes seen in Bijapur provincial style of architecture.

Ø      The dome is usually white, and sometimes gilded, as in the Golden Temple at Amritsar, Darbar Sahib at Taran Tarn, and Sis Ganj in Delhi.

Ø      Usually domes on Sikh shrines spring from a floral base, and have inverted lotus symbol top from which rises the kalasa, an ornate finial. Based on Mount Kailasa it shoots up in the form of a cylindrical construction, of ten with some concentric discs, spheroids, culminating in a small canopy with pendants hanging at the outer rim.

Ø      An interesting point to note is the manner in which the dome is related to the cuboid structure of the shrine. As a rule, the lower part dominates the domical structure and looks somewhat austere in comparison with it.

Ø      Apart from the larger central dome, there are often four other smaller cupolas, one on each corner of the unusually cuboid structure of the shrine. The parapet may be embellished with several turrets, or small rudimentary domes, or crenellations, or replicas of arcades with domical toppings, or strings of guldastas  meaning bouquets or similar other embellishments.

Ø      Minarets - the symbols of royalty - are rarely seen in a Gurdwara. An exception Katal Garh  meaning Place of Execution at Chamkaur Sahib in Ropar district has several minarets.

Ø      A recurrent element of gurdwara design is the preferred usage of two storeys to gain sufficient elevation for the shrine. The most important division is, of course, the entrance which receives more ornate treatment than other areas.

Ø      The treatment often creates bas-reliefs of geometrical, floral, and other designs. Where magnificence is the aim, repousse work in brass or copper gilt sheathing is often introduced with a note of extravagance.

Ø      Jaratkari or in-lay work, gach or plaster-of-Paris work, tukri work, fresco painting, pinjra or lattice work are the techniques used for embellishment of exterior surfaces as well as for interior decoration.

Ø      Jaratkari is both a very extensive and time-consuming technique of studding precious and colored stones into marble slabs. The slabs often have florid or geometrical borders, which enclose painstakingly, executed in-lay work using floral shapes and patterns.

Ø      Beautiful designs are made on the walls with gach, which is subsequently gilded. Excellent examples of this work can be seen in the Golden Temple at Amritsar.

Ø      Brick, lime mortar as well as lime or gypsum plaster, and lime concrete have been the most favored building materials, although stone, such as red stone and white marble, has also been used in a number of shrines. The latter found use more as cladding or decorative material than for meeting structural needs for well over two hundred years.

Ø      Nanak Shahi meaning from the times of Nanak brick was most commonly used for its intrinsic advantages.  

Ø      Sikh architecture represents the last flicker of religious architecture in India. Golden Temple at Amritsar is most celebrated example as this is one monument in which all the characteristics of the style are fully represented.

Ø      Golden Temple being the sheet anchor of the stylistic index of Sikh architecture, it may well be to give some details of the revered temple.

Ø      Sikh architecture is a lively blend of the Mughal and Rajput styles. Onion-shaped domes, multi-foil arches, paired pilasters, in-lay work, frescoes, etc. are of Mughal extraction, more specially of Shah Jahan's period, while oriel windows, bracket supported eaves at the string-course, chattris, richly ornamented friezes, etc., are derived from elements of Rajput architecture such as is seen in Jaipur, Jodhpur, Bikaner and other places in Rajasthan.

Ø      Sikh architecture expresses the characteristic resilience of the Sikh spirit and its inviolable freedom to deviate from the artistic exuberance, aesthetic magnificence and creative fullness.

Ø      The curious mannerist emphasis on creative freedom makes Sikh architecture the Indian Baroque, with its characteristics of sculptured skylines, variegated wall treatments, interesting juxtaposition and or disposition of recesses and projections - at once bold, vigorous, and tastefully sumptuous.

Ø      Use of water as an element of design has been frequently exploited in Mughal and Hindu architecture, but nowhere in so lively a manner as in Sikh architecture. Water becomes a sine qua non of Sikh architectural design, as in the Golden Temple at Amritsar or Darbar Sahib at Tarn Taran, and not merely an appendage to the main shrine.

Ø       The gurdwara is placed lower down than the structures in the vicinity signifying humility, unlike a mosque or a Hindu temple which are usually placed on raised platforms.

Ø      With the main shrine as the focus, Sikh architecture has tended to develop into a complex of several buildings serving different functions including residences, offices, museums, community kitchens, etc. These characteristics aptly express the three commandments of the Sikh Faith: working, worshipping and sharing.

Ø      While sticking to the same basic requirements, different Sikh shrines have developed their own characteristic expression. It may be recalled that most of the Gurdwaras are commemorative buildings, and therefore the sites on which they have been built, had the intrinsic challenges and advantages which were more fortuitous than premeditated..

Ø      Most situations have been dealt with remarkable imagination and ingenuity. Eventually, no two shrines look exactly alike although there are exceptions such as Dera Sahib, Lahore, and Panja Sahib, both in Pakistan.

Ø      Also the low metal-gilt fluted dome of the Golden Temple has been copied in these two shrines as well as in the Darbar Sahib at Tarn Taran. Sometimes, the difference in design is so great that it would be difficult to recognize a Gurdwara if the Sikh standard or Nishan Sahib meaning Sikh flag were not there to help in its identification.

Ø      Some of the Gurdwaras look more like gateways, as is the case with Fatehgarh Sahib meaning Town of Victory, Sirhind, or like an educational institution, as in the case with Ber Sahib, Sultanpur Lodhi, or like a Rajput Palace, as in the case of Gurdwara Bahadur Garh meaning Fort of the Valient in Patiala district, when one first encounters its enclosing structures.

Ø      But all this deviation, if somewhat baffling, does not detract one from the essentials of Sikh architecture. On the contrary, it substantiates the very basis of creative freedom on which it is built.

Ø      As exemplified by Gurdwaras, Sikh Architecture is a veritable artistic expression of the evergreen ebullience of the Sikh way of life - its intensity, open-mindedness, and exuberance. It imparts a dimension of palpable immanence to the Transcendent Principle of Truth on which the Sikh faith is founded.

Ø      There is a variety of scattered evidence that structures other than Gurdwaras still exists, if in a state of utter neglect, here and there, on this side and across the border, which were/are significant contributions of Sikh architecture to the art and science of building.

Ø      For instance, it has been reliably learnt that Hari Singh Nalwa built a 14-storeyed structure with additional three in the basement (taikhanas) for use during summer. Only four storeys now survive. It is said that the (taikhanas were cold enough for use of blankets even when there was sweltering heat outside. If it could be established that such a structure did come up in the first quarter of the 19th century,

Ø      Sikh architecture would have the proud privilege of having put up the first skyscraper of the world. History has recorded that the age of the skyscraper began when Home Insurance building, a ten storied structure was constructed in Chicago towards the end of the 19th century.

Ø      It is thus reasonable to surmise that a rich repertoire of buildings, which through their distinctive character belong to Sikh architecture, can be reconstructed through proper search and research in the field, which has hitherto remained neglected for various reasons.

Ø      Undoubtedly, there is an urgent need for exhaustive documentation, in-depth study and thorough research in the field of Sikh Architecture and Art. There is also a need for preserving our tradition, and for extending it through a continued process of modernization. As members of a young and living faith, we owe it to posterity.