M A I N   N E W S

Sikh relics lying in state of neglect
Varinder Walia
Tribune News Service

Amritsar, April 5
The 172-year-old gold plates, domes and embossed pictures of the legendary Maharaja Ranjit Singh period, which were removed during the “restoration of the Golden Temple”, have been lying in a state of ‘neglect’ in the Darbar Sahib complex as the SGPC has not come forward to take possession of the invaluable relics from the UK-based Guru Nanak Nishkam Sevak Jatha which completed the “gold plating sewa” two years ago.

One of the gold plates removed from outside the sanctum sanctorum reads: “The Almighty has blessed me (Maharaja himself) for taking up the holy work”. The plate bears the mark of a bullet received during Operation Bluestar.

Though the state government has chalked out an ambitious year-long programme to celebrate the bicentenary of Maharaja Ranjit Singh from April 13, it has failed to preserve the relics of the legendary Maharaja’s era. During his regime, Maharaja Ranjit Singh started renovation work on the temple. He called craftsmen of all faiths from far and near to decorate the shrine with marble, semi-precious stones and mirrors. The upper storeys and domes were gilded with gold.

Harmandar Sahib was destroyed thrice by Afghan invaders in 1757, 1762 and 1764 and rebuilt in the present form after 1764.

The renovation and repair of the Golden Temple was entrusted to Guru Nanak Nishkam Sevak Jatha in June, 1994. This was the first time that such a task was allotted to the jatha since the time of Maharaja Ranjit Singh in 1830.

Baba Mehnga Singh, a sewak of the jatha told The Tribune that despite repeated requests to the SGPC chiefs, including Mr Gurcharan Singh Tohra, Bibi Jagir Kaur and Mr Jagdev Singh Talwandi, from time to time, the SGPC had not taken any step to preserve the relics.

He said Bibi Jagir Kaur had visited the place where the old gold plates and domes had been kept, but she had failed to understand the significance of the relics. “Had these been in a foreign country, these would have got proper care at the beginning,” he said.

“For more than 170 years, lavish craftsmanship bestowed upon the Harmandar Sahib under the auspices of Maharaja Ranjit Singh has not only inspired millions of worshippers, but also stood the test of time”. He said the works in gold should be preserved in a museum. Interestingly, at one time the SGPC had decided to dispose off the relics but was stopped due to the intervention of art lovers and devoted Sikhs.

Mr Parkash Singh Badal, Chief Minister, and President of the Shiromani Akali Dal, had visited the Golden Temple in March, 1999, to mark the completion of the gilding of the temple. However, later nobody took the initiative to preserve the gold plates and other material. The Nishkam Jatha has placed a folio on each relic for record. Most of the gold works bear bullet marks. These include a rare embossed picture of Baba Nanak (2748 folio), Guru Hargobind Sahib (2750), beautifully embossed flowers (92-93) and another rare picture of Guru Nanak with Bala and Mardana (2758).

One of the gold plates depicts the story of a “miracle” which occurred on April 30,1877, during the wee hours. The plate (2746) reads that a miracle occurred when Guru Granth Sahib was found unblemished despite lightning and a thunderstorm.

Baba Mehnga Singh said the Nishkam Jatha had also preserved pieces of copper (about nine tonnes) imported from West Germany used for gilding of the Golden Temple. A “khanda” (double-edged sword) removed from Takht Kesgarh Sahib at the time of ‘kar seva’ undertaken by the Jatha had also been kept in a room.
(to be concluded)