SGPC non-committal on heritage status for Golden Temple

Perneet Singh

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, March 8

Even as the Union Government has submitted a revised list of 46 monuments and sites, including the Golden Temple in Amritsar, for inclusion in the list of UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites, the SGPC appears non-committal on the issue that created a furore in the community a decade ago.

SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar said they would discuss the issue in the executive committee and take a collective decision in that regard. He appeared cautious while talking over the issue, apparently to steer clear of any controversy.

SGPC member Kiranjot Kaur, who played a key role in preparing the dossier for the heritage status a decade ago, said she was skeptical whether the holy shrine could now get the status of the World Heritage Site as a lot of changes had been made in and around it.

“The Golden Temple and its vicinity have witnessed construction of modern structures over the past few years. This has changed the look as well as the architectural heritage of the shrine. Even its buffer zone has undergone a significant change due to the Golden Temple Entrance Plaza project,” she said.

Had the shrine got the heritage status in 2005, its architectural heritage would have remained intact, she said. She recalled the process had reached the final stage and the dossier was ready to be placed before the World Heritage Committee. However, a month before the meeting, the Union Government withdrew the case at the behest of the SGPC.

When asked whether the SGPC should rethink over the issue, she said she was doubtful whether the plea would be acceptable now in the light of modern interventions made in and around the shrine during the last decade.

The SGPC had rejected a similar move during the tenure of Jagir Kaur in 2005, contending that seeking heritage site status for Sri Harmandar Sahib was a challenge to its spiritual power as well as to Sikh sentiments. The move divided the community the world over with a section feeling the status would lead to UNESCO’s “interference” in the holy shrine’s affairs.

Jagir Kaur had then stated that Sri Harmandar Sahib did not need any “stamp” from UNESCO. “Harmandar Sahib is a living monument and abode of the Almighty where sangat pays obeisance and hence it could not be treated as a tourist centre,” she had stated after the SGPC executive meeting that rejected the move on April 21, 2005.

On Wednesday, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Culture Dr Mahesh Sharma informed the Rajya Sabha that the list, which includes the Golden Temple, was sent to UNESCO in April last year.