Why I believe the 2019 destruction of the Darshani Deori in Tarn Taran will go down as a pivotal moment in Sikh history

[SinghGill]

 

In 2019, a series of events occurred that led to a paradigm shift in the future conservation of Sikh heritage. At Gurdwara Sri Darbar Sahib in Tarn Taran, founded by Sri Guru Arjan Dev Ji, there is a historic Darshani Deori gateway that was constructed during Sikh-rule by Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s grandson, Kunwar Nau Nihal Singh, who felt a deep connection to the sacred gurdwara. However, as with all buildings, overtime lack of surveillance and maintenance led to cracks developing in the structure. The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee passed a resolution allowing the Kar Seva baba Jagtar Singh to “restore”, “renovate”, or “reconstruct” the Darshanj Deori. On 14 September 2018, a Jagtar Singh’s group attempted to topple the structure but local Sikh activists stopped them, saving it. By October of the same year, the resolution was withdrawn and the decision was put on-hold. However, that didn’t stop the zealous baba in his mission to destroy the historical building. The following year on the night of Saturday, 30 March 2019 at 9:00 P.M., a 300-man strong “army” of Kar Seva workers under Jagtar Singh armed with sharp-edged weapons, baseball bats, hammers, and sticks started toppling the structure, allegedly without the SGPC’s permission. For two hours, they continued their destructive rampage on the edifice ignoring desperate calls to stop their demolition from local Sikhs. The SGPC ignored calls trying to draw their attention to the issue. Finally at around 11:00 P.M., a police team led by deputy-superintendent Kawaljit Singh arrived and intervened, putting a stop to the Kar Seva destruction. Sadly, four domed-structured and other features located at the top of the building had been destroyed but the rest of the building was saved, for now. Local Sikhs demanded that a criminal case be put against the Kar Seva baba Jagtar Singh and warned that they would protest if this was not done. The manager of the gurdwara complex, Partap Singh, claimed to have called Jagtar Singh and told him to cease the vandalism but he did not lodge a police complaint.

Sikhs were rightfully outraged at the wanton razing of their historical heritage by corrupt and ignoramus parties. The SGPC, seeing the anger of the Sikh Quom, decided instead to renovate and conserve the historical deori rather than demolishing it and rebuilding a new one. Before initiating the renovation work, a meeting was held in this regard and experts of Directorate of Cultural Affairs Archaeology and Archives Museum Punjab, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, local intellectuals and members of Sikh organisations assembled for discussion. The SGPC formed a three-member panel to investigate the issue. Partap Singh, manager of the gurdwara, was suspended for failing to prevent the dismantlement of the deori. All further gurdwara repair-related responsible were withdrawn from the Jagtar Singh-led Kar Seva group. An alliance of 30 Sikh organizations demanded an independent probe into the role of the SGPC and criminal action against the Kar Seva group. Surely, someone must be profiting from this affair, whether that means pocketing funds gathered under the guise of well-meaning Kar Seva from the Sikh community or other nefarious activities. The darshani deori would eventually be restored over the years following the incident by an archeological agency under the guidance of experts, without tampering with the original structure.

This remains a critical moment in Sikh history: for the first time ever, the Sikh community stood-up and said NO, enough is enough. Too much has been lost, we will not allow more to be taken from us. The Kar Seva babas have destroyed 90-95% of Sikh heritage in Punjab within the past decades, the SGPC allows them to do so. Only we as Sikhs have the power to stop them. We have to raise our voice and allow ourselves to be heard! Staying silent and docile means more of our history will be stolen from us by these dushman, who prefer to pocket funds while converting Sikh history into mythology by wiping out all evidences of our past from this Earth.

IMAGE CREDITS

These photographs were sourced from various news articles and social-media posts documenting the incident. Two of the historical photographs (both from 1934) were provided by the Sikh History Research Centre of Khalsa College while another historical photograph was sourced from SikhMuseum.com. The colour photograph of the darshani deori taken prior to the destruction was sourced from the Facebook account of Rajwant Singh (Washington).

[caveman]

Very good post 

 It's such a shame listen anandpur sahib and all it's fort could not be preserved 

[caveman]

Reason behind it is.  You can't get mass sangat in to fill the golak up.... that's why they are all the same in design etc .probs some mafia rAcket related to the mass marbeling of gurughars. Such a shame. Hardly any pictures of the original anandgar qila..only one in the toor collection 

[caveman]

Shame if our past these modern days jatts sgpc lost are .

One question I have is...where were the Nihangs and the anti jar Seva when anandgarh was town down and kshgarh remade to what it is now....mughals couldn't even destroy the qila. Yet we did at multiple places with our own hands..shame on sangat flr not stopping precious ones and lakh lanat to the destructors of Sikh puratan asthaans all these kar Seva babeh of the past