Amritsar, December 12
The Golden Temple, which is being considered as a world heritage site, will get “pure” water for the first time in more than four centuries.
The survey for setting up a water treatment plant within the SGPC complex has been completed by an America based team. Treated water will be supplied to the ancient sarovar (tank of nectar) with its installation. The same water will be supplied to the four other sarovars of Amritsar — the ones at Gurdwara Santokhsar, Gurdwara Bibeksar, Gurdwara Mata Kaulan and Gurdwara Ramsar.
Earlier, the kar seva was entrusted to Baba Jagtar Singh.
A living monument of spiritual and historical traditions of the Sikhs, Harmandar Sahib, has been a source of inspiration to the community ever since it was founded.
The team, headed by Mr Douglass G. Whitpeakpr, an engineer who has helped supply treated water to numerous lakes in the world, spent three days conducting the survey here.
Mr Ranjit Singh Tut, a California-based Sikh who accompanied the engineer, said the cost of the treatment plant would run into crores of
rupees. He said machinery and equipment would have to be imported for this purpose.
Baba Amrik Singh, in charge of the sarovar’s kar seva, claimed that after installing sand filters and other equipment, devotees would get pure water for “charnamat” and bathing.
Giving the background of bringing water to the Golden Temple, Baba Amrik Singh said the first efforts in this regard were made by Baba Pritam Singh in 1835. At that time, he (Baba Pritam Singh) got water
from the Ravi at Pathankot to the Golden Temple by getting channels dug. Then in 1927, Baba Gurmukh Singh began the work of widening the water channels. It took eight years to complete the work. More than 12 crore lakh litres of water is needed for the sarovar of the Golden Temple.
The sarovar was kutcha till Guru Arjun Dev ascended the “Gurgaddi” in 1581. At his behest, the tank was made pucca and the stairs on all four sides were lined with bricks.
Sikh historians claim that the bottom of the sarovar, however, remained kutcha. The Guru sent hukamnamas to the ‘masands’ (religious
agents) of the country, asking them to offer help for constructing the holy tank.
