Books
New Coffee-Table Book on The Darbar Sahib
A Book Review by SHYAM BHATIA
THE GOLDEN TEMPLE OF AMRITSAR: REFLECTIONS OF THE PAST (1808-1959), Edited by Amandeep Singh Madra, Parmjit Singh & Juga Singh. Kashi House, London, 2011. Hardcover, pp 303. ISBN-10: 0956016812, !SBN-1: 978-0956016812.
A labour of love has gone into the creation of a new book about the Darbar Sahib that incorporates a comprehensive account of the photographic and visual history of the complex, including the earliest known image from an 1825 miniature.
Amandeep Singh Madra and his co-author Parmjit Singh are the moving spirits behind this 303-page book that was launched on Friday, December 30, 2011, by Kashi House, the publishing wing of the U.K. Punjab Heritage Association. The book has been designed by Juga Singh with writing and research back-up provided by Harbaksh Singh and Gurdeep Singh Gill.
Critics describe the book as a coffee table presentation, but there is much more substance to “The Golden Temple of Amritsar, Reflections of the Past (1808-1959)”, which starts with an impressive and detailed introduction that records pre-Sikh mythology, including the story of the Pandavs, as well as Lav and Kush and the visit of the Buddha. Also detailed are the various destruction of the building, the re-building of the gurdwara and the Great Game played out between the British Empire and its European rivals from France to Russia.
Few can fail to be moved by quotes from the Gurus, including the verses by Guru Arjan, the Fifth Master, as well as the observations of secular, foreign visitors. Three Englishmen who visited Harmandar Sahib in 1897 had this to say:
“It was beautiful, this offering of blushing flowers, the reverence, the meekness, the atmosphere of mysticism, the lavish resplendent wealth, the impressive music, the fascinating Eastern-ness of it all. We came away speaking no words.”
One of the most interesting and shocking stories, extracted from the published account put together by the late Prof. Sahib Singh of Khalsa College, Amritsar, concerns the attempted auction of the Golden Temple by the British authorities in 1877.
This is a shock and awe story related to an actual miracle that happened when a ball of lightning that entered the gurdwara in April 1877 from one door while the congregation inside was at prayer, hovered above the Guru Granth Sahib and disappeared through the opposite door, leaving everyone astounded. The alarmed British authorities were told of the miracle on the morning they were planning to auction the gurdwara. The auction was subsequently cancelled.
The authors also write about the ‘bungas’, the palatial dwellings along the gurdwara periphery that belonged to the Sikh aristocracy, as well as to various religious orders who offered free education in languages and religion, as well as comparative religion. Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s bunga was demolished by the British in 1870 to make way for a clock tower that overshadowed gurdwara itself. Demolitions of other bungas continued thereafter until none were left by the time of the Partition of Punjab.
Although the book is pricey at £45, it represents a huge amount of effort spanning two years with archives investigated from Delhi to Honolulu, including the uncovering of 70 eyewitness accounts.
[Courtesy: Tribune]
December 31, 2011
Conversation about this article
1: pardeep Singh (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), January 01, 2012, 8:07 PM.
The book is priceless, the research is priceless, the quality is priceless. They say a good book is a friend forever ... so for 45 pounds, it is actually a bargain!
2: Jas Singh (London, United Kingdom), January 03, 2012, 3:04 PM.
I would like to nominate this book for next month's book of the month. [EDITOR: We'll be glad to consider it as a BOTM. In order to do so, the publisher needs to send us two copies for review purposes.]
3: Lt. Col. Avtar Singh (Mohali, Punjab), February 19, 2012, 1:47 AM.
Nice to know that such a nice book has come up, more so when it contains a photo of Darbar Sahib taken by my father, S. Niranjan Singh Nakodari, in 1935, well before I was born. Feel proud of my Dad!
4: Daljeet Singh Sidhu (Chandigarh, Punjab), March 02, 2012, 12:57 AM.
I acquired my copy last week. At Rs. 4000 in India, it is expensive but worth every word and every picture included in the book. I highly recommend it.
5: Sophia Nijher (Auckland, New Zealand), September 08, 2012, 1:35 PM.
The B&W photo of Darbar Sahib was taken by my grand-dad, S. Niranjan Singh Nakodari. I am proud of you, Grandpa.
6: Ruby (India), January 01, 2013, 12:47 AM.
I liked the book a lot. But especially because one photo in it is by our grandfather, S. Niranjan Singh Nakodari.