M A I N   N E W S

Guru Arjan Dev's attire restored at Jalandhar shrine
Perneet Singh
Tribune News Service

Amritsar, July 14
A team of experts has restored the attire of Fifth Sikh Master Guru Arjan Dev and his other articles that are now on display at a historic gurdwara at Bilga village in Jalandhar. The articles include Guru’s ‘chola’, ‘pyjama’, ‘dushala’, a cap, a handkerchief, a wallet made of cloth and a rosary.

The gurdwara is associated with Guru Arjan Dev’s wedding and its affairs are being managed by the SGPC, which roped in a team of experts led by former National Museum Director SP Singh for the restoration work. Talking to The Tribune, SP Singh said the SGPC had entrusted the job of preserving these articles with NRI Harbhajan Singh Shergill.

He said the condition of the articles, especially those made of cloth — ‘chola’, ‘payjama’ and handkerchief — had deteriorated with the passage of time. “First, we took stock of the condition of these articles and prepared a report on it. During the entire process, the experts minutely examined the cloth which was used in making the attire and also identified the damage caused to it over the period of time. Prior to taking corrective measures, the articles were photographed and video-graphed,” SP Singh. Silk and cotton were used to make the ‘pyjama’ and its threads had lost the grip with time. Similarly, the ‘chola’, too, was in a bad shape. He said the ‘dushala’ was also made of silk. “We cleaned these articles scientifically and strengthened their threads. At the same time, we took care to ensure their originality remained intact,” said Singh. He said it took the team around three months to restore these articles which have now been kept on display in special glass cases for the pilgrims visiting the shrine.

The history

The holy shrine at Bilga village in Jalandhar was built to commemorate the two-day stay of the wedding procession of Guru Arjan Dev in July 1590. The villagers treated the marriage party with great respect and dedication for two days. Impressed by the hospitality, Guru Arjan Dev gifted his holy clothes —‘chola’, pyjama, rumal, dushala and simarna — after taking a bath at an ancient well.