SGPC approves renovation of Sikh Museum

Amritsar, Punjab: The SGPC executive has approved renovation the Central Sikh Museum at the Golden Temple complex here.

Museum in charge Iqbal Singh said under the renovation plan, photographs, rare documents, artefacts, weapons and musical instruments kept at the museum would be placed into categories.

One section of the museum would portray Sikh history related to the Gurus while another would showcase the history of Sikh misls and the Maharaja Ranjit Singh era. The photographs would have identical frames with captions in Hindi, English and Gurmukhi for the convenience of visitors.

Special care would be taken to exhibit rare documents and artefacts dating back to the era of the Sikh Gurus.

A team of experts that visited the museum on July 25 suggested the widening of stairs leading to the museum, installation of a lift for the elderly and physically challenged and installation of air-conditioners.

Meanwhile, the SGPC is contemplating to display rare artefacts from the Toshakhana of the holy shrine. It has constituted a panel to deliberate on the issue. Makkar said they were considering exhibiting rare artefacts at the Golden Temple ‘parkarma’.

The SGPC had earlier decided to shift the museum to a new building at Akali Market but the proposal had been put on the backburner.

The Central Sikh Museum, on the right side of the main entrance to the Golden Temple, showcases paintings of Sikh Gurus, warriors and leaders who contributed to the propagation of Sikhism.

The museum boasts of old hand-written manuscripts, cannons, 18th century swords, coins from the times of Maharaja Ranjit Singh and ancient musical instruments like the sarangi, saranda, mardang and vachittar veena.

On display is also a list of 743 persons killed during Operation Bluestar in 1984.

Measures ahead

• Rare documents, artefacts, weapons and musical instruments will be placed into categories
• One section of the museum will portray Sikh history related to the Gurus
• Another will showcase the history of Sikh misls and the Maharaja Ranjit Singh era

• The photographs will have identical frames with captions in Hindi, English and Gurmukhi 

Source: The Tribune