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amandeepm

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    http://www.punjabheritage.org

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    London
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    Sikh History / Heritage and conservation

amandeepm's Achievements

  1. Freed, in the 19th century there was a panel on the right hand side that contained an english translation of the Gurumukhi veriosn (embellished with lots of flowery language directed at the Queen). There are barely a couple of photographs that captured this panel - one of which is just readbale. I attach some text from our forthcoming book on Sikh photographs (please dont hold your breath!) Pilgrims and tourists wishing to enter the Harimandir Sahib first passed through a grand gateway known as the darshan deorhi. Placed in prominent positions either side were two copper gilt plaques containing notices written in English and Punjabi (in the Gurmukhi script). These were fixed in place in 1879 shortly after the death of the second British-nominated sarbarah, Mangal Singh Ramgarhia, the greatgrand nephew of the famous warrior-statesman, Jassa Singh Ramgarhia, and a prominent soldier-administrator under Ranjit Singh. Both of the notices commemorated the same miraculous incident that occurred early one morning in April 1877: a bolt of lightning appeared to fall from the sky and move through the Harimandir Sahib before returning to the heavens. With Queen Victoria having been proclaimed Empress of India only a few months earlier, it offered the perfect opportunity for the administration to impress the power of the British Empire on the minds of superstitious masses. As they thronged each day through the gateway, they read of a miracle ascribed to both their Guru and their Queen. Although the plaques are no longer extant, the full text of the English version read as follows: "It should be generally known that a wonderful event took place lately in the Golden Temple. This building was erected by the great Guru Ram Dass King of Kings and incarnation of Ram who gives blessings and receives worship from all creatures. The following is an account of what occurred on the 30th of April 1877 at 4.30 a.m. about 400 persons according to ancient custom were praying in this Sri Durbar Sahib and listening to psalms whose music was almost drowned by the roar of thunder. Suddenly a flash of lightning fell from heaven and entered the holy place by the northern door close to the singers and musicians a ball of fire of about two seers in weight burst in the temple shining with dazzling terrible brightness. Then immediately after shining before the holy book it returned to the sky through the southern entrance and although it fell with such awful violence and so loud a report yet there was no injury caused to the durbar Sahib or to human life. Therefore all who were assembled joined in ascribing this miracle to Ram Dass who dedicated this temple to Hari. We think it is also a sign of the great prosperity of the British rule also we are thankful to the Empress of India we pray to the creator of all things for a daily increase in their happy influence and for the destruction of all the enemies of her Imperial Majesty. The government inspector waited on the Comr. [Commissioner of Punjab] and informed him of this remarkable event. The following gentlemen viz the Commissioner Rajah Surat Singh Sardar General Gulab Singh Bhagowalia Sardar Mangal Singh Ramgharia and all the worshippers agreed:—That money being collected by friends of the Golden Temple half should be given towards the support of the sacred edifice and half to pay for a dinner to the poor Sufficient money was gathered to pay for seven readings of the Granth Sahib and to feed some thousands of poor people who all expressed their gratitude. This notice is also intended as a memorial of the superintendent Sardar Mangal Singh over the Sri Darbar Sahib of Hari and as a remembrance of the miracle of Guru Ram Dass and the prosperity of our rulers which we pray may last to the end of time " The eulogy to British imperialism in the final sentence was intended to serve as a potent reminder of the permanency of the Empire’s writ. Yet neither the prosperity of the British Raj in Punjab nor the plaques themselves were to last forever. Shortly after the English notice was removed in the early part of the 20th century, the sunset of the Raj soon followed.
  2. Freed, a couple of random bits of information that I have picked up over the years that need some verification but point to some historical links between Ethiopia/Rasta and Sikhs. HAille Sallasie's close friend and personal photographer was a Sikh man . This Singh took some of the most iconic pictures of the emperor and died a few years ago. I remember reading an obituary but didn’t keep it. Sant Singh Chattwal (NY hotelier, friend of Hillary Clinton and father of Vikram Chattwal) was Sellasie's bridge partner ! The Maharaja of Faridkot had Sikh troops stationed in Ethiopia as part of the British Indian Army during the second world war (presumably as part of the force that kicked out the Italians). As a result Sellassie was sufficiently impressed by the Sikh troops for the Ethiopian Emperor to offer the Maharaja a Sikh homeland within Ethiopia Does anyone have any information on these stories, I hate to post things unless they are verifiable and these are somewhat soft.
  3. [left:883e99bc69]http://www.punjabheritage.org/images/20060214_11.jpg[/left:883e99bc69]In recognition of the one-year anniversary of the launch of our daily news site Punjab Heritage News we have added six stunning galleries of photography of some of the most important heritage locations in the Punjab. http://www.punjabheritage.org/editorials--...ction-0705.html A new location will be added each month. Access is available to those who have registered and logged into the Punjab Heritage website. Registration is simple and free. Log in and then click on the "Gallery" option. The first picture galleries that are launched are : The Royal City of Patiala The Tomb of Jehangir The Samadhi of Ranjit Singh Badshahi Masjid Kapurthala's Built Heritage Dera Sahib Gurdwara in Lahore.
  4. Dear Vinegar, This isn't about opposing everything that the SGPC do. This is about them making interventions into the building when they dont understand the implications. The electrification of the building and indeed the more recent cabling to support the broadcasts from the Darbar Sahib are positive but their implemetnation has been far from positive. PLease see the images below taken in 2006 by Taran Singh of how the electrification has been carried out. By looking at these I think we have a legitimate right to question very strongly the exact need for this intervention becuase there is no going back once they start. http://www.punjabheritage.org/material-her...emple-2704.html
  5. Friends The SGPC is now at an advanced level of planning to install air conditioning units in the Harimandir Sahib (Golden Temple). This move demands holes to be punched through the ancient walls of the structure. The sub-committee leading this plan has been influenced by a single political "VVIP" who is apparently visiting the site on a monthly basis and finds it uncomfortable. Please visit the story and leave your comments. http://www.punjabheritage.org/material-her...emple-2704.html The pressure applied by advocacy groups like Punjab Heritage News over the last few months on the authorities at Nanded have assured that the Ranjit Singh Baradari were conserved instead of destroyed. Please keep up the good work. Amandeep Madra
  6. Freed Another great posting and a really entertaining one. Freed, I was struck by the use of modern western instruments in that Gurdas Mann clip; an accordian, guitar, bongos and even a mandolin ! It's a typically Punjabi reaction to something modern or seemingly better to abandon the traditional ways. I wonder if you can comment on the folk-instruments of old and. I was wondering if in the folk tradition the instruments have always just been devices to attract the listeners, therfore they've always needed to be eye-catching and modern?
  7. Freed, Thanks for posting these. Menpes also published a book called "india" and there is a oil paiting of the Harimandir in there as wella some more Paintings of veterens. The painting of the Tailor was carried out in Amritsar, there is a limited edition drypoint print of this titled "Tailor Amritsar". These are remarkably similar to JOhn Lockwwod Kipling's sketches around the old city of Amritsar and the Amritsar Jail. Another nerdy point; Menpes published all his books (including Durbar and India) in two first editions. There was a limited edition of 1000 books that were published with superior binding and each one was numbered and signed by Menpes. These sometimes come up for sale. Most of the original paintnigs are now in various museums and galleries in Australia, where Menpes is considered an old-master for that country since he ended his days there.
  8. Peter BAnce (who wrote the book "The Duleep Singhs" ) is working on another illustyrated book called "Sikhs in Britain" he has identified over 70% of the people in this picture, including the author and journalist Khushwant Singh, who was a young law student in London and is pictured (somewhere) in that group
  9. The latest story on www.punjabheritage.org in the Hidden Heritage series is about a remarkable order of merit instituted by the flamboyant Maharaja of Patiala, Bhupindar Singh. The Nishan-i-Phul is a striking piece and something that speaks volumes about Sikh symbolism of the turn of the 20th century. One of the Maharaja's personal pieces and something that he considered the highest order of merit, the Nishan-i-Phul is a window into the extravagant world of Bhupindar's Patiala court.
  10. This weekend will see an explosion of coverage about the Battle of the Somme, commemorating the 90th anniversary and remembering the 1 million men who were killed during the campaign. The role of the Sikh soldier is often forgotten during the First World War. The latest in the "Hidden Heritage" series goes some way to remember these forgotten heroes during this commemorative weekend. Please visit www.punjabheritage.org for the latest story with rare and unpublished pictures and a remarkable story using the words of the men who fought the battle Amandeep Punjab Heritage News
  11. I just found Hazur Sahib on Google Earth. I have an ever growing list of google earth sites realted to Punjab and Sikh History. Anyone interested in getting a copy of the kmz file can PM me
  12. Dear Friends Please do visit Punjab Heritage News today and see the latest story in the Hidden Heritage series. This takes a view of some of Punjab's most important heritage sites, from the air vie Google Earth which has just released high definition pictures of parts of the region. These are accompanied with photos, from the ground. Amandeep The Harimandir Sahib complex from the air, please see www.punjabheritage.org for more views from the air.
  13. Banda If you're talking about the British Indian Army then pop down to the National Army Museum in Chelsea armed with as much data that you have about your relatives. You will need to know exactly which regiments/batallions they were in and what years and ideally the naem of a commanding officer. At the NAM, you can get the role calls so you can see which unit they were in and start to build a picture of what that unit did by looking in the regimental histories. If you're lucky you may find pictures in either th NAM's archives (which are organsied by regiment) or the Imperial War Museum photo archives (a lot f whcih I've catalogued). Pictures were geenrally taken of officers and NCOs rather than the common soldier so its really hit and miss. If you were talking of the indian army post 1947 then I have no idea aman
  14. Take a look at the latest story on www.punjabheritage.org which reports the very latest discovery of a tomb of one of the Prophet's descendants in East Punjab. Forgotten since the partition in 1947 it became the property of the Buddha Dal who have some kind of guardianship ever since. It was discovered only recently, almost by chance, and has been creating a great deal of interest in the muslim world. Click onto the home page of Punjab heritage news on www.punjabheritage.org or straight to the news story http://www.punjabheritage.org/index.php?op...56&Itemid=1 aman
  15. dear "unbreakable" Thanks for your support. I do hope that you have visited the punjabheritage site and that you can encourage others to do so. Those of us who care about culture and heritage are in a tiny minority. I have high hopes that the punjabheritage web site will bring with it some sense of community and together we can exert some force against the Tsunami of destruction that the authorities and the sangat are engaged in. Some practical steps to preserve Sikh heritage are : 1. Stop giving the people whop destroy heritage any money. You can decide for yourself whether this includes the SGPC, Kar Seva babas, Building fund collections etc 2. When the Kar sevaks come asking for money , bend their ear and tell them of the destruction that they are causing. 3. Document what you do see now. Take pictures of even the most modest historical structure or material heritage. There is little guarantee that it will survive. 4. Take an interest and visit places of heritage in Punjab. Local communities will feel a sense of pride / ownership about places where foreign visitors come to see them. 5. Educate those around you. Buy good quality books as presents, encourage people onto websites like punjabheritage.org. Please sign up to the website because then I can send you details of any campaigns or really important stories. 6. Start openly discussing the heritage destruction that the SGPC and Kar Sevaks are engaged in. This isn’t a dirty secret. All Sikhs that I talk to will nod in agreement and wring their hands at the state of our heriateg and are concerned about the damage that is being done. But, typically, no one does anything particularly practical and they continue to fill the gholaks of the worst offenders. We need an educated, engaged and vocal sangat. Once the sense of outrage hits that tipping point we will be able to stop this thing.
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