Four-foot-wide street reminiscent of Guru’s times

Only a four-foot-wide street outside Gurdwara Guru Ke Mahal, birthplace of Guru Tegh Bahadur, whose 350th martyrdom anniversary is being observed at a grand scale, transposes devotees to the Guru’s era. Over the years, modern structures including the gurdwara building have altered the area’s original architecture and character.

Situated in the narrow winding lanes close to the Golden Temple, the old building of Gurdwara Guru Ke Mahal, which was built on a small fragment of land, was demolished to widen the shrine in 1977, informed Head Granthi Gursewak Singh. A modest dwelling built by Guru Ram Das in 1573 west of Akal Takht across Guru Ka Bazar, the building served as a residential place for Gurus and their families. The Head Granthi said five Gurus either lived or stayed here, while weddings of Guru Arjan Dev and Guru Hargobind were also solemnised here. In the intervening years, the four-foot width of the street has remained constant. Majority of the houses are constructed on 40 to 80 sq feet land. “Only a well from the Guru’s era has survived. It had been lying buried under the earth. The process to uncover it was undertaken and the teams have managed to reach down 50 feet,” he added.

A spatial conservation planner, Dr Balvinder Singh, former head of Guru Ram Das School of Planning, Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU), dubbed the inability to preserve sacred places related to the Gurus “unfortunate”. “There’s no doubt that conservation concepts were introduced in our country too late and due importance was not given to for preserve spiritual heritage,” he remarked.