SANGRUR: A team led by Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC) executive Karnail Singh Panjoli on Saturday visited Gurdwara Sachkhand Angeetha Sahib here to inspect a controversial structure, which is purported to be a replica of the Golden Temple (Harmandar Sahib) at Amritsar.Â
A day after team visited the controversial place, the SGPC team announced that they would send an engineer and an architect to suggest some more changes in its design.
According to a report by HT, Panjoli said in deference to the wishes of Akal Takht and SGPC, the local committee had appropriately covered and blocked the ‘Har-ki-Pauri’ and a ‘veranda’ and there were no violations of the two ‘Hukamnamas’ (religious edicts) issued by Akal Takht.
Panjoli also said there was no need to fill up the tank around the gurdwara and demolish the bridge leading to it. “We have seen some other gurdwaras as well where sangat has constructed similar tanks. A gurdwara at Sapli village is one such example“, he added.
Panjoli observed that copying unique architectural designs was not uncommon. However, this did not apply to Akal Takht and Harmandar Sahib, whose design and concept were unique and individualistic; thus cannot be permitted to be copied or replicated.
Gurdwara in-charge Surjit Singh requested the visiting team to send an architect, an engineer and masons to take stock of the structure and carry out any ‘demolitions or modifications’ that were required so that the existing structure did not look like a replica of the Harmandar Sahib and a permanent end was put to the controversy, which keeps erupting because some persons had vested interests. “Ever since the edicts, no work has been executed at the site“, he added.
Accepting the request, the visiting team assured that expert would be dispatched next week to resolve the issue once for all. In fact, Gurdwara Mastuana Sahib Trust general secretary Jaspal Singh appealed to the SGPC that it must take into confidence the trust before taking any action on any issue concerning the gurdwara. SAD MP Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa is the president of the trust.
SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar had constituted a committee following the June 29 protest atop a water tank in Bhwanigarh subdivision by some persons, who had demanded demolition of the ‘Harmandar Sahib-look-like’ structure and action against the gurdwara committee responsible for hurting Sikh sentiments.
Timeline
1968-69 | Construction started
1994 | Brick structure completed
1994 | Balwant Singh Sihodewala, a head of a popular dera, states it would be the Golden Temple of Malwa
1995 | Akal Takht issues an edict to stop construction
2009 | SGPC forms fact-finding team that recommends modification in structure of gurdwara
2009 | Gurdwara’s structure modified, Har Kai Pauri closed and parkarma covered with roof
June 26, 2015 | Protests again launched by a small-time Akali leader of Bhawanigarh town demanding demolition of gurdwara
June 30, 2015 | SGPC forms committee to review gurdwara structure