Destruction Of Our Heritage: From History To Mythology.

[Matheen]

Posted below is part of an article posted on Sikhawareness. The SGPC and Akal Takht are doing nothing - infact the SGPC provides backing to the 'Kaarsewa wale' who are going around Punjab literally white washing our heritage out of existence. Are these the people you'd trust when it comes to Rehat Maryadas etc?

Back home in Punjab, the list of Sikh heritage structures which have fallen at the hands of overzealous babas is growing too. Dr Gurtej Singh, a Sikh scholar, lays the blame at the door of the Sikh leadership of recent times. "Whether it is the Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee or the Akal Takht or even the political Akali Dal which draws its strength from the former two, there is no appreciation for our heritage. Scholars like us do not matter in the scheme of things, because we obstruct their commercial aspirations. The sgpc patronises these babas and they do not realise that they are converting history into mythology by destroying historical evidence." Take the case of the 500-year-old house of Bebe Nanki (elder sister of Guru Nanak) in Sultanpur Lodi. A few years ago, it was bought up by one Baba Jagtar Singh and was demolished in 2003. A sparkling white marble building now stands in its place. The old homes of two Sikh gurus, Amar Das and Ram Dass, which stood in Amritsar till a few years ago, were pulled down and shining new gurudwaras erected in their place. The same fate has befallen Gurudwara Jyoti Swarup at Sirhind where the two sons of Guru Gobind Singh were cremated, and Shahid Ganj near Mani Sahib Hall near Amritsar, the site of the mass cremation of Sikh martyrs who fought against Ahmed Shah Abdali. The peeling, faded frescoes at Baba Atal Gurudwara in Amritsar and at Baba Bakala in Gurdaspur were removed and replaced by common ceramic tiles, much to the anguish of educated Sikhs. Why, even the Golden Temple at Amritsar was not spared—frescoes in its Darshani Deori were whitewashed some years ago and the 'renovation' was stopped only when the matter was raised in the local media.

But who shall bell the cat? Or is it too late already to launch a strong protest? If community leaders are apathetic to the obliteration of their spiritual heritage being done with the active collusion of religious leaders, is there hope for Sikhism's architectural heritage, much of which has already fallen prey to insensitivity and greed?

[saint-soldier]

Only people can stop any further destruction of our history from happening but the sad truth is that right now people in punjab dont want to do anything other than watch history of sikhi being destroyed by these corrupted politicians.

[Singhballer]

There was an Old tree planted by Guru hargobind Sahib Ji himself in Kashmir. Such an old tree planted by the hands of Satguru ji. That tree was cut down.. the wood sold all by one of these Kar Seva Babas.

It sadens me when I hear of these things.

[SaRpAnCh]

SGPC needs to be taken apart