Documents of Sikh Gurus’ times, rare books digitised

Divya Sharma

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, August 17

The digitisation of rare manuscripts, books, and handwritten documents belonging to Sikh Gurus’ times and Punjab’s rich cultural heritage at the Sikh Research Library and Museum has been completed by the Khalsa College authorities. The project is now in its second phase for digitisation of other aspects of the library and museum.

The authorities had initiated the project to save the rare historic items from decaying. The library was established in 1930 and is a treasure trove of historical documents dating back to the 16th and 17th centuries.

It houses more than 6,274 books which include rare books in English and Punjabi and there are hundreds of manuscripts and documents in Urdu, Sanskrit and Persian also apart from newspapers and magazines as old as 1904 and some of the books are available only here. The museum is soon going to be shifted to a new building under construction. The department has also the holy book, The Ramayana, written in Punjabi apart from a rare collection of newspaper printed in the pre-Partition and the post-Partition era. A few printed copies of The Tribune going back to 1904 and 1947 have also been preserved and digitised under the new system. The place also has vintage war instruments, photographs of a gurdwara based in Lahore and other places besides evidences of Anglo-Indian wars.

Dr Inderjit Singh, in charge of the Sikh Research Library and Museum, said, “We are done with digitisation of our manuscripts and books. Other things are under process. We have a number of scholars who have been studying the Sikh culture. This transformation of matter will be a boost for them. More than 3,00,000 pages have been digitised.”

The college authorities have roped in a Jalandhar-based software company to develop the project further.