Sikh architecture

Sikh architecture is a style of architecture that was developed under the Sikh Confederacy and Sikh Empire during the 18th and 19th centuries in the Punjab region. Due to its progressive style, it is constantly evolving into many newly developing branches with new contemporary styles. Although Sikh architecture was initially developed within Sikhism its style has been used in many non-religious buildings due to its beauty. 300 years ago, Sikh architecture was distinguished for its many curves and straight lines; Keshgarh Sahib and the Harmandir Sahib (Golden Temple) are prime examples.

Sikh architecture

The Harmandir Sahib in Amritsar, India. Sarovar (sacred pool) at Gurdwara Fatehgarh Sahib, Punjab, India.

Samadhi of Ranjit Singh in Lahore, Pakistan. Fateh Burj, is the tallest minar in India.

Gurdwara Sri Ber Sahib in Sultanpur Lodhi, India.

Map of the Harmandir Sahib Complex, Click to enlarge

Background

Architectural sketch depicting a dome design by Gian Singh Naqqash from page 279 of his book, Vishkarma Darpan, ca.1926

Sikh Architecture is heavily influenced by Mughal and Islamic styles. The onion dome, frescoes, in-lay work, and multi-foil arches, are Mughal influences, more specially from Shah Jahan's period, whereas chattris, oriel windows, bracket supported eaves at the string-course, and ornamented friezes are derived from elements of Rajput architecture.

Exterior of the Gurdwara Baba Atal, located in Amritsar, India.

Apart from religious buildings, Sikh architecture includes secular forts, bungas (residential places), palaces, and colleges. The religious structure is called gurdwara (a place where the Guru dwells). The word gurdwara is a compound of guru (guide or master) and dwara (gateway or seat). So, it has an architectural connotation. Sikh gurdwaras are generally commemorative buildings connected with the ten gurus in some way, or with places and events of historical significance. Some examples are Gurdwara Dera Sahib (encampment place), in Batala in Gurdaspur district. It was erected in memory of the brief stay of Guru Nanak along with his companions on the occasion of his marriage. Gurdwara Shahid Ganj (Martyrdom Memorial) in Muktsar in Faridkot district commemorates the cremation spot of Sikhs who were killed in a battle between Guru Gobind Singh and the Mughals in 1705. Gurdwara Shish Mahal (palace of mirrors) in Kiratpur in Ropar district was made where Guru Har Kishan was born.

There are over 500 historical gurdwaras.

Conservation

Many priceless Sikh heritage sites (including their architecture) have been destroyed or altered beyond recognition under the guise of "kar seva" renovations by various institutions and groups in recent-times, especially vulnerable are Sikh heritage sites in both India and Pakistan according to one scholar, who states it is due to "...the lack of will on the part of the authorities concerned to preserve them". An example of these haphazard and destructive renovations is an incident involving the top section of the historical Darshani Deori gatehouse at the Gurdwara Tarn Taran Sahib complex, which was demolished by Kar Seva groups in March 2019. Many groups are rushing to digitize what historical architecture and structures remains for posterity before they are lost, such as Panjab Digital Library. In July 2021, the SGPC launched a project to archive and document the heritage structures of the community and have set up the old doors of the Golden Temple as museum display when they were replaced. However, around the same time the SGPC denied the importance of a historical Sikh structure discovered underground near the Golden Temple complex, which experts at the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) deemed as 'historic'. Also, the SGPC made plans to raze a historical building known as Guru Ram Das Sarai, even in the face of criticism of the decision by experts. As many as ninety percent of Sikh heritage monuments have been destroyed in Punjab in the name of renovation and kar seva. Many historical Sikh structures that were destroyed by Kar Seva renovations include original houses of the Sikh gurus and their relatives.

According to the Sikh historian, Harjinder Singh Dilgeer:

Though kar seva babas had been renovating gurudwaras ever since anyone can remember, it was after Operation Bluestar, when the Sikh community donated generously for the massive rebuilding of the Golden Temple premises, that 'babas' began to appreciate the money-making opportunities such rebuilding threw up. The trend then spread across Punjab and in the last two decades, old heritage structures began to be demolished and replaced by garish, opulent marble gurudwaras. These pseudo-babas are armed with so much money but they spend it foolishly on rebuilding instead of restoration, because they are absolutely ignorant about the historical value of these old monuments. Somewhere along the line, the original, unpretentious Sikh architecture has begun to be perceived as something to be ashamed of. Our Gurus were simple, down-to-earth men of the soil, and their buildings reflect the simplicity and harmony which Sikhism is all about.

— Harjinder Singh Dilgeer, Sikh historian

Peter Bance, when evaluating the status of Sikh sites in present-day India, where the majority of Sikhs live today, criticizes the destruction of the originality of 19th-century-era Sikh sites under the guise of "renovation", whereby historical structures are toppled and new buildings take their former place. An example cited by him of sites losing their originality relates to nanakshahi bricks, which are characteristic of Sikh architecture from the 19th century, being replaced by renovators of historical Sikh sites in India by marble and gold. Bance advocates that a grassroots movement advocating for the proper restoration and preservation of historical Sikh sites and their original architecture is necessary, which works together with private enthusiasts and government bodies in-cooperation with one another. Bance further claims that a lack of willpower rather than a lack of funds is responsible for the poor conservation of Sikh historical sites. Bance believes that the way forward in the modern-age to conserve Sikh heritage must be a digital approach, where social networking and technology is utilized to share research, build-up archives, and promote tourism to these sites. Increased tourism has the potential to increase efforts to preserve and restore Sikh heritage sites. Bance uses the Instagram platform to bring light to forgotten Sikh heritage lying in Pakistan with the wider community, using engagements there to generate social awareness and passion. Through his Instagram account, Bance has been contacted by persons interested in restoring Sikh heritage sites, which have allowed them to be connected with others who specialize in this field. Furthermore, he claims that on a weekly-basis hundreds of members of the general public from both India and Pakistan contact him through social media requesting him to visit their locality to document the Sikh heritage located there, as they lack the know-how on how to do this themselves.

Shahid Shabbir is a Pakistani historian and journalist who has documented countless Sikh heritage sites (most often neglected, dilapidated, or abandoned) located in his country, including their extant artwork and architecture. Sikh architecture remains a seldom studied or researched subject.

Gallery

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  Golden dome of Gurdwara Dera Sahib in Lahore
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  The Gurdwara Janam Asthan in Nankana Sahib, Pakistan, commemorates the site where Guru Nanak is believed to have been born. It was rebuilt by the Pakistani Government
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  Darbar Sahib, gurdwara commemorating Guru Nanak, in Kartarpur, Pakistan
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  Shri Hazoor Sahib is a gurdwara in Nanded, Maharashtra, India; is one of the five takhts.
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  Gurudwara Bangla Sahib is one of the most prominent Sikh gurdwara in Delhi, India and known for its association with the eighth Sikh Guru, Guru Har Krishan, as well as the pool inside its complex, known as the "sarovar."
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  Original structure of Gurudwara Sri Sheesh Mahal Sahib, Kiratpur Sahib
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  Photograph of a Sikh gurdwara at Dacca (Dhaka) in Bengal, India (now Bangladesh), circa 1920–21
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  True-colour photograph of Gurdwara Dera Sahib in Lahore, India (now Pakistan), taken in 1914 by Stéphane Passet.
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  True-colour photograph titled ‘Interior decoration of the western door of the Darbar Sahib’, taken on 15 January 1914 by Stéphane Passet.

See also

• Sikh architecture in Karnataka
• Nanak Shahi bricks
• Sikh art and culture
• Sikh scriptures
• History of Sikhism
• Sikh Ajaibghar
• Mehdiana Sahib

Bibliography

• Arshi, Pardeep Singh, Sikh Architecture in the Punjab, Intellectual Pub. House, 1986.
• Brown, Percy, Indian Architecture (Islamic Period), Fifth Edition, 1965, Bombay.
• Brown, Percy, Indian Architecture (Hindu and Buddhist Period), Fifth Edition, 1965, Bombay.
• Singh, Mehar, Sikh Shrines In India, Publications Division, Government of India, 1974, New Delhi.
• Singh, Darshan, The Sikh art and architecture, Dept. of Guru Nanak Sikh Studies, Panjab University, 1987.
• Marg, Volume XXX, Number 3, June 1977, Bombay.

Further reading

• Rajwant Singh Chilana (2005). International Bibliography of Sikh Studies. Springer Netherlands. ISBN 978-1-4020-3043-7.
• Kerry Brown, ed. (1999). Sikh Art and Literature. Routledge. ISBN 978-0-415-20289-3.

External links

• Article on Sikh Architecture
• Article on Sikh Architecture