Khalsa College, Amritsar, opens Sikh research centre for public

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, October 18

The Sikh History and Research Centre at Khalsa College opened for public after a long delay due to the pandemic. The project was undertaken by the college management to create a space dedicated to the history of the Sikh culture. The centre houses rare artifacts, manuscripts, paintings and other items from the 18th and the 19th century.

Dr Joginder Singh, in charge, research centre, said, “Tourists, research scholars and students are regular visitors to the museum section at the centre. It has five galleries, each dedicated to a specific subject, and there is no entry fee for the visitors. Only the ones, who want to use the Sikh history library, have to pay Rs 200. The library has over 7,000 books, scriptures and documents significant to the Sikh history.”

The work on the centre began in 2019, and was supposed to finish by 2020. However, it was delayed due to the lockdown. The key attraction for the scholars at the centre is the library, which has historical documents and journals brought from Britain and Lahore. The manuscripts include ‘Pothi Mehrban’ and ‘Janam Sakhi of Guru Nanak Dev’. There are approximately 6,397 books, of which, over 500 are a century-old. Apart from this, two old ‘birs’ of Guru Granth Sahib are also present.

Dr Joginder Singh said, “International research scholars have shown interest in visiting the centre. Recently, we hosted an eminent historian and researcher from Hyderabad. We hope to establish the centre as a seat for excellence in Sikh literature.” The museum and library are open for visitors from 9am to 4pm, on week days.

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