Skip to main content

Heritage of Amritsar around Golden Temple (Darbar Sahib) is crumbling, crying to be preserved

 


Crumbling Amritsar heritage around Darbar Sahib (Golden Temple) that is crying to be preserved

Ground Zero

Jagtar Singh

Amritsar needs no introduction. The city founded by the Sikh Gurus is on the global map due to Darbar Sahib (Golden Temple). Darbar Sahib is the centre of Sikh Faith and struggle of the Sikhs.

The Punjab government organized the first ever Punjab Tourism summit at Mohali recently where he announced special schemes to develop the holy  city as wedding destination too. The  proposal should be welcomed.

Already, about one lakh people visit the city every day on an average. Gone are the days when one would go to Darbar Sahib and pay obeisance at the sanctum sanctorum with standing in the queue.



The issue here, however, is that part of the heritage and that too around Darbar Sahib that is crying to be preserved.

The Akali Dal developed the main access to Darbar Sahib from the Town Hall as the ‘Heritage Street’, although it is less of heritage and more of beautification. The statutes of Bhangra dancers in front of Dharam Singh Market had to be removed following persistent protest from devotees. The heritage of Darbar Sahib has nothing to do with Bhangra and Giddha.



In reality, this heritage street is a cover for the heritage that is under discussion here.

.Narrow lanes from heritage street lead to Katra Ahluwalia, once the main business centre of Amritsar, which is a heritage marvel. So are other bazars around Darbar Sahib.

The pictures displayed here are that of Katra Ahluwalia. One can enter any of these narrow lanes leading to Darbar Sahib.



Several of these heritage buildings have collapsed over the years.

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann should take a round of these crowded narrow lanes but without causing inconvenience to the people to have a feel of the area.

Or he should depute his tourism minister Anmol Gagan Mann.



The preservation of this heritage without disturbing the originality would be a big contribution of the Mann government.

It is pertinent to mention here that the so-called heritage street destroyed the originality. One can’t recognize even Dharam Singh Market.



At least one feature that has been missing for decades too can to added to the heritage.

The Phuwara Chowk  (Fountain Chowk) is without Phuwara that was removed decades back. Of course, statute of Maharaja Ranjit Singh replaced that of Queen Victoria in Malka Chowk that is about 50 meters from Phuwara Chowk.

The foundation area of the city that was the original heritage was destroyed under Galliara Yojna launched by the Centre that was designed  more to create sanitized area around the shrine rather than just being beautification drive.



What remains of the original heritage of Amritsar around Darbar Sahib needs to be preserved.

Lahore undertook preservation in some old area and beautifully.

One can learn from some European countries too.

However, care must be taken to retain the originality and heritage itself means preserving the original, not covering the same with just red stone.

It might be long term project but these areas several of which have not been mentioned here including Karmo Deodi area should be included and preserved.

Of course, this entire area might need renovation but that should be undertaken without disturbing originality.

Can the Punjab government focus on this project?

This heritage is already crumbling.

Make the tourism summit meaningful.

 

 


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

With India pausing trade talks with Canada, Khalistan narrative assume new dimension

  With India pausing trade talks with Canada, Khalistan narrative assume new dimension Ground Zero Jagtar Singh The decades old Khalistan narrative relating to an independent Sikh state has, for the first time, impacted India’s international relations. Pakistan is in different category. Going by the media reports, India has suspended trade talks with Canada, the country that is the most sought after by the youth from Punjab, the region where the issue of Khalistan is the most vibrant. Canada, as per these reports, has “indefinitely postponed a trade mission to India scheduled for October”. Though no direct reference has been made, tension has escalated between the two countries on the issue of Khalistan. Earlier, India has been accusing neighbouring Pakistan for aiding and abetting Sikh separatists in this part of Punjab. But one can’t choose a neighbour. However, Canada is not a neighbour and hence is in a different category. But then Indian settlers abroad being act
Post a Comment
Read more

Lacking vocal support in Punjab, globalized Khalistan narrative continues to concern India

  Lacking vocal support in Punjab, globalized Khalistan narrative continues to concern India Ground Zero Jagtar Singh Chandigarh: One of the stories associated with sidelines of G20 front-paged by the media is the meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi had with his Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau whose focus was intensified activities of the secessionists who happen to be migrants of Indian origin. In simple and straight terms, the issue was the activities of those demanding setting up of Khalistan in Indian Punjab. Neither the demand for Khalistan nor the narrative between India and Canada   is new. Thousands of people died in Punjab including innocents and hundreds of those killed by security forces in fake encounters in the armed struggle that got triggered with the gunning down of Nirankari chief Gurbachan Singh on April 24, 1980 in Delhi by then unknown ordinary Sikh Ranjit Singh accompanied by Kabul Singh from Damdami Taksal. This was to avenge the killing of 13 Sik
Post a Comment
Read more

As Institutionalization of politics of polarisation produced Horror of Manipur, battle has to be ideological

  Institutionalization of politics of polarisation produces Horror of Manipur Ground Zero Jagtar Singh Who is responsible for the horror of Manipur? This question might seem ridiculous after the arrest of some perpetrators of this crime against humanity. It is not. The issue is that of the roots. There is also a reason as to why the expression of shame at the top was not unqualified. There is a reason as to why a dominant section in India is trying to unjustly legitimize horror of Manipur by citing examples of crimes against women in West Bengal, Rajasthan and some other non-BJP rules states. It is not that the country has witnessed such horror for the first time since 1947. This happened in November 1984 on the streets of the national capital that is Delhi and several other cities in the country. The victims then were the Sikhs. This happened in 2002 in Gujarat. The victims were the Muslims. At the root was politics of hate. The Congress used politics of communalizatio
Post a Comment
Read more