Original Gold Panels and components of Darbar Sahib

[Freed]

These pictures show the original priceless gold panels and components donated by Maharaja Ranjit Singh , removed during the "Restoration" Kar Sewa of the Darbar Sahib.

I believe they are kept in storage near the Langar Hall and Manji Sahib Amritsar.

It maybe wishful thinking , but maybe one day they might be returned to where they belong - on the Darbar Sahib. In the meantime can't a museum be made to house them? - one of the only benefits of removing them is that the outstanding gold work and portraits in the panels can be seen 'up close'

If you go to Florence you will see that Michelangelo's David is kept in the 'Accademia' museum, the one outside the Palazzo Vecchio (Original site ) is a copy.

- perhaps we could do the same ? and put the originals on show in a purpose built museum - at least some good would come out of the "restoration" debacle.

(- on a positive note it can be seen that the components have all been labelled and I presume catalogued .)

Perhaps a member of the GNNS Jatha could comment - is a museum in the pipeline ??

The original 'Fluted Domes'

The original panels in storage - pic from SikhiFM.com taken in 2004 on a GNNSJ yatra

[Sikher]

Soho Road Auntys

[amandeepm]

This really bothers me. These panels are priceless, on the open market they are worth literally hundreds of thousands of pounds and they lie in a store room in Amritsar. I have been to the houses of SGPC people in the past and they revel in adorning their houses in minature paintings and even temple carvings from hindu temples (I have ven seen a a really ancient Ghandaran Statue being used as a door stop). They dont understand the value and they certainly dont understand conservation.

I am seriously worried that slowly these panels will start to leach away as decortion pieces into teh houses of the corrupt SGPC officials. The maddening thing is that the right place for these panels in the Harimandir itself.

Why on earth were they torn off?

THey are not damaged beyond repair?

Why were they kept in a store room while the GNNSJ stated that they were "cremated" and/or buried

The gNNSJ are smart enoughto knwo the value of these panels but still chose to take them off, why?

Is it true that the GNNSJ were actually planning to rebuild a replica harimandir sahib (using the original panels) in Birmingham?

How many of the panels have gone missing?

Are the stickers that have been on there for nearly 6 years eating into the original guilding and do they contain any acidic content that coudl irreversibly damage the copper underneath OR more liekly, were they bought mindlessely from "Vikrams Sticker shop" around teh corner and will they now cause even more damage?

Do the GNNSJ actually give a crap or are they just moving onto the next monument ?

aman

[Sikher]

Maybe a collective approch to GNNSJ should be done, they are all clever people and I know Bhai Mohinder may listen, but its is chela underneath that believe the sun only shines from Soho Road and no where else.

Any one up for a disscussion/plann with them else Hazoor Sahib is next !

[amandeepm]

They all knwo the issue and they all know what teh problem is (including MOhinder Singh). They need to make a public statement about what they did and why and also what they are going to do about the damp, the wall paintings taht were destroyed , the panels and their future plans. Lets all hear it. I'm fed up of them saying "come up to Soho Road for a chat with Mohinder Singh" - they knwo the problem and they need to make their position clear

[Freed]

I understand and share your anger -

It seems like talking to the 'so called' custodians of our heritage is like talking to - or banging your head against - a brick wall.

You are right they have 'moved on ' to the next monument - Hazoor Sahib - only this time they have been allowed to "restore" (in their own inimitable manner) the interior gach and gold work -- something they were thankfully stopped from doing at the Darbar Sahib.

I mentioned Michelangelo's David - when over zealous museum directors wanted to clean the marble statue - in time for the 500 year celebrations - there was uproar - and in the end it was cleaned with distilled water only - and the major 'stains' were left untouched. - We need to learn from them and kick up more of a fuss .

How did such an important restoration project get given to such inexperienced people ? - have the SGPC learnt no lessons ? - I was reading that during 1965 Sant Fateh Singh and Sant Chanan Singh decided to 'clean' the gilded panels - after a while the panels started to go dark - when experts were consulted it was discovered that the solutions used to clean had stripped the gold off the copper panels ! -- Do you see a pattern ? - Experts consulted AFTER the Damage was done !! -- when will we learn !!

The damage was only put right in 1974 when NEW gold was put on the domes - again new rather than restored .(source Siri Harimander Sahib di sunehri itihas - S S Giani Kirpal Singh 1991 pg 140 )

Sometimes I just despair at the state we are in !

[Khalsa Fauji]

This really bothers me. These panels are priceless, on the open market they are worth literally hundreds of thousands of pounds and they lie in a store room in Amritsar. I have been to the houses of SGPC people in the past and they revel in adorning their houses in minature paintings and even temple carvings from hindu temples (I have ven seen a a really ancient Ghandaran Statue being used as a door stop). They dont understand the value and they certainly dont understand conservation.

I am seriously worried that slowly these panels will start to leach away as decortion pieces into teh houses of the corrupt SGPC officials. The maddening thing is that the right place for these panels in the Harimandir itself.

Why on earth were they torn off?

THey are not damaged beyond repair?

Why were they kept in a store room while the GNNSJ stated that they were "cremated" and/or buried

The gNNSJ are smart enoughto knwo the value of these panels but still chose to take them off, why?

Is it true that the GNNSJ were actually planning to rebuild a replica harimandir sahib (using the original panels) in Birmingham?

How many of the panels have gone missing?

Are the stickers that have been on there for nearly 6 years eating into the original guilding and do they contain any acidic content that coudl irreversibly damage the copper underneath OR more liekly, were they bought mindlessely from "Vikrams Sticker shop" around teh corner and will they now cause even more damage?

Do the GNNSJ actually give a crap or are they just moving onto the next monument ?

aman

Gurfateh!!

Veer Ji, i am 100% sure that GNNSJ understands the value of these priceless artifacts.

With regards to the SGPC officals its appalling to hear what you have said, hopefully not all are like that. However with regards to these pieces, they are being kept in storage for meanwhile.

They were not torn off they were removed with utmost respect, and are being looked after. When you say damaged beyond repair, they may not appear it but what you must remember is after all these years the copper underneath the guilding is extensivly corroded on most panels. It does not make sense to use a few old panel which can be repaired when the rest od the panels are brand new and made with the best possible purest materials available and the best craftsmanship one could find.

The jatha did not say that they were 'cremated'/ burried. They have been kept safely and im am extremely glad these pics are up to also expose rumors of them disappearing.

The Jatha is not planning on building a replica Harmandir Sahib, thats pretty absurd :shock: Im not quite sure whether they will be housed in a museum but for the meantime the panels are being kept safe.

The stickers on there are not from vikrams sticker store and they do not contain acids which are eating at the guilding or copper well thats the best i can say with my limited knowledge on the active ingredients of stickers :wink:

And lastly veer ji GNNSJ do give a crap, the reason they undertake all these seva's is because they care about our history and keeping historical gurudwareh in tacked which is what the sgpc has failed to do.

It is only after someone has tried that people criticise. In this world nothing can ever be done without criticsm, which is a good thing if constructive. Where were all these experts before why did they not offer help when the seva started the Jatha would never refuse seva from anyone. If all the experts decided to help instead of just sit back and then criticise then the seva could have been 100x better.

Anyway i am not an official spokesperson for GNNSJ, but just wished to give the otherside of the story. I hope this has helped to clarify some myths.

Bhul Chuk Maaf!

Gurfateh!!

[stopsingh]

>>Where were all these experts before why did they not offer help when the seva started the Jatha would never refuse seva from anyone. If all the experts decided to help instead of just sit back and then criticise then the seva could have been 100x better.

The experts were there, but ignored by the Soho Road Wale. The experts did not crawl out the woodwork years later as some Soho Road followers will have you believe.

The room where the panels are being kept does not look like a proper storage facility. In the west they used humidity/temperature controlled rooms to house priceless items but as can be seen in the pictures a room with dodgy looking shelfing will do for our Gold Panels.

Amandeep veerji, we need to take this process forward. I understand what you are saying and know that you have tried in the past but we need to restart dialogue with Bhai Mohinder Singh Ji. If an open meeting was called would you be willing to take part ?

How many other brothers and sisters would be willing to take part ?

Everyone could air their views and the meeting could be recorded and put on the internet so everyone can learn what was said by both sides.

[Singh47]

atleast they are in storage. Some people began spreading rumours that all the gold was melted and sold.

[stopsingh]

Yes they are in storage but I bet most people keep their gold jewellery in better storage than this.