‘Not a blind imitation of Mughal style’

As a virtual symposium this month puts the spotlight on often-ignored Sikh architecture, experts discuss its Mughal and Rajput influences and how it goes beyond gurudwara buildings

During late Sheila Dikshit’s tenure as Delhi Chief Minister (1998-2013), the Delhi Tourism Development Corporation Ltd. floated an Invited Design Competition for the development of highways and transportation infrastructure within the National Capital Region. Architect Gurpreet Singh’s firm, Aakar Design Consultants, based in Gurgaon, bagged the project. For Singh, who has helmed King’s Educational Academy in Bhutan and designed tanneries in Russia, this was an unexpected opportunity to tap into his roots. “Sheila Dikshit’s idea,” he says, “was to celebrate entry points into Delhi because she was of the opinion that when you cross over from Haryana or Uttar Pradesh, you don’t realise that you are in the capital. So, we came up with the concept of designing it as a tribute to Guru Tegh Bahadur, the ninth Sikh Guru, whose significance is intrinsically linked to the history of Delhi.” The two historic Gurudwaras of Delhi, Sis Ganj where Guru Tegh Bahadur and his disciples were beheaded, and Rakab Ganj, his final resting place, are important places of pilgrimage.” Singh’s structure became a modern interpretation of the sacrifice—the sweeping arches symbolic of the gallows,  the 24-metre high central pylon in stainless steel, lit with LED lights, created to resemble the Nishan Sahib, a Sikh triangular flag made of cotton or silk.  His three disciples were represented by the three stainless steel arches 18 metres in diameter, placed surrounding the central pylon, as one enters the memorial. 

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Architect Surinder Bahga

Conservation architects and scholars have lamented the lack of literature on Sikh architecture. But, this month, the subject became the central theme of a virtual symposium by Saakaar Foundation launched to commemorate Parkash Utsav of Guru Granth Sahib. Supported by the Sikh Chamber of Commerce, the Indian Institute of Architects’ Chandigarh/Punjab Chapter, and eight schools of architecture, the event is an attempt to showcase and celebrate Sikh architecture. 

Gurpreet Singh

Architect and Saakaar founder Surinder Bahga says the idea was brewing in his head for long. “In the past, I’ve had opportunities to design churches, dargahs and temples, and for each project I had to extensively study and reimagine these sacred spaces, for which there was ample literature to help.” When he was offered a chance to design a gurudwara, Bahga hit a roadblock: there was hardly any documentation or literary material to fall back on. “That’s when I realised how little we know about Sikh architecture, which is an amalgamation of Mughal and Rajput architecture,” he says. Bahga has managed to get over 1,000 architects and experts to be a part of the symposium, including luminaries like Dr SS Bhatti, former principal, Chandigarh College of Architecture; Abraham Pathrose, conservation expert architect from Aurangabad and Dr Subhash Parihar, who is a pioneer in art historical research on the Indo-Muslim Architecture of North-Western India, among others. 

Sikh pilgrims arrive at the mausoleum of Maharaja Ranjit Singh during the commemoration of his death anniversary in Lahore in 2018. Pic/Getty Images

Dr Nadhra Shahbaz Khan is Associate Professor, Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, Mushtaq Ahmad Gurmani School of Humanities and Social Sciences (MGSHSS) at Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS). In 2018, she published her book, The Samādhi of Maharaja Ranjit Singh in Lahore: A Summation of Sikh Architectural Features and Ornament. The Maharaja’s samādhi is located next to the Lahore Fort, where the Maharaja had lived during his reign of 40 years, and was the last state-funded grand project of the Lahore Darbār before annexation. It’s a chapter of history that she feels has been ignored. In a telephonic interview, Khan remembers the challenges she faced in finding a publisher for the book. “Unfortunately, nobody in India or Pakistan was interested in the subject. I tried for several years, eventually I found a publisher in Germany.” 

Dr Nadhra Shahbaz Khan is a specialist in the history of art and architecture of Punjab from the 16th to the early 20th century. Her research covers the visual and material culture of this region during the Mughal, Sikh, and colonial periods

Khan says the samādhi stands as a high point of Sikh architecture, second only to the Golden Temple at Amritsar, with fine examples of carving in red sandstone, white marble and wood, pietra dura inlay in white marble with coloured and semi-precious stones, mirror mosaic and frescoes—almost all preserved in their original form. “During Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s reign [1799-1839] is when we see Sikh architecture flourish because there’s a consolidation of power and impetus to artisans. Also, when there is money circulating, there’s a need to surround yourself with grandeur and opulence. Shortly after his death, however, there was anarchy.  Who would build large havelis when life itself was under threat?”

Virasat-e-Khalsa is a museum located at Anandpur Sahib. The museum offers an insight into the events that took place in Punjab 500 years ago which gave birth to Sikhism and finally the Khalsa Panth

Dr Rawal Singh Aulakh, Assistant Professor in the Department of Architecture, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, says it’s during the period of the fourth Guru,  Guru Ramdas, that the foundation of Sikh architectural vocabulary was laid in Amritsar. This was succeeded with the foundation of the first Sikh shrine, Sri Harmandar Sahib in the latter half of 16th century, established by Guru Arjandev, as the first nodal centre and unique example of the style. 

Dr Rawal Singh Aulakh

According to Jasreen Mayal Khanna, author of Seva: Sikh Secrets on How to be Good in the Real World, one of the most important symbols in Sikhism is the lotus flower. “Guru Nanak used this natural simile of the lotus to spread his message: live in the world but remain untouched by it just like a lotus flower, which grows in muddy waters, but rises beautifully above them. You’ll see it at the top of every gurudwara—what appears to most as a Mughal dome is actually a closed lotus flower. Even the Golden Temple and Harmandir Sahib floats in the middle of a sarovar [man-made lake] because it is symbolic of the lotus. If you look at the pillars on the parikrama [walking pathway] around the main building, you’ll see embellishments in the form of carved lotus leaves.” Khanna chose a lotus to grace the cover of her book because of its significance in the spiritualism and culture of the Sikhs.

Jasreen Mayal Khanna

Although inspired by other cultures, Sikh architecture was never a blind imitation of Mughal or Rajput design, but an aesthetic in its own right, says Singh. Khan agrees. “When the British came into the picture, they snatched power from the Sikhs, so how could they glorify them?” she says.  And so, there is a deliberate intent to malign the Sikh aesthetic. 

“The evident disdain for Sikh architecture is expressed in the Gazetteer of the Lahore District 1883-84, which lists 44  structures in three categories: “of historical interest,” “of little interest,” and “of no particular interest”. As expected, buildings from the Mughal period dominate the first category of 14  structures. With the exception of Hammam Wazir Khan, the 14 buildings in the second category were all built by Sikh patrons. These include havelīs that belonged to Rani Nakain, Naunehal Singh, Suchet Singh and Ram Singh; only the hammām and Naunehal Singh’s havelī survive today. The third list, a strange mix of 16 Mughal and Sikh buildings, contain a few that, despite their pitiful state in the late 19th century, still exist today,” she writes.

Bahga says the symposium also puts the spotlight on conservation. According to reports, the Ludhiana municipal corporation is giving the Victoria Memorial Clock Tower in Faridkot, built by Raja Balbir Singh of the then Faridkot royal estate in 1902,  a  makeover. This will include touching up the tower’s facade, repairing its mechanical clock, and lighting it up. 

That Sikhism is seen as a relatively young religion could be a reason for the lack of interest in  conserving the architecture, thinks Bahga. It’s compounded by the fact that not many in the community have taken the initiative to document the heritage.  Dr Balvinder Singh, former professor of Guru Nanak Dev University Amritsar, whose presentation was titled, Conservation of Sikh Architectural Heritage, says, to protect Sikh architectural heritage, architects must be trained in conservation techniques and traditional materials, regular inspections should be conducted and documentation of heritage buildings and areas should be on top of the agenda. “At the government level, the concept of listed buildings and heritage areas need to be introduced with legal backing.”

In Pakistan, the situation is not too different. Khan says the lack of funds have limited the government from investing the kind of resources that the West pumps into heritage conservation efforts. “But lately, efforts are being made at a community level to preserve Sikh architecture.”

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