AMRITSAR SAHIB, Punjab—Reinstatement work on the interiors of the sanctum sanctorum at the Sri Harmandir Sahib, the holiest Sikh shrine, is likely to be finished by the end of the current month. The wall paintings in the area where Guru Granth Sahib has been installed will be done last, as special arrangements will have to be made.
The experts have infused a fresh lease of life into the wall paintings. Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) sources said the restoration of wall paintings in the “parikarma” on the first floor have been completed, and work in the passage area is in progress.
Wall paintings on the first floor involve the most complicated work. It took the team almost half a year to restore these. There was a considerable flaking in some areas and artists had to “reconstruct” the lost part of the paintings by taking clues from the existing pattern. The team has yet to take up the work of reconstructing lost, or deteriorated parts on the roof of the first floor, as it involves precious “gach” work.
Experts said restoration work is carried out in such a way as to ensure originality, and aesthetics remain intact. He said most of the work on the first floor has been completed. He said they are at present assessing how to go about the preservation of gold work inside the sanctum sanctorum. The restoration work is preceded by compilation of a detailed damage assessment report in which the entire wall paintings are documented. It took experts a couple of months to prepare their report before they could embark on the restoration work done in December last year.
The SGPC has clarified that there will be no tampering with ancient artwork, and all efforts will be made to preserve its originality. This is the first time ever that the restoration work on the interiors of the shrine is being done. The gold-plating and the artwork at the shrine dates back to the Maharaja Ranjit Singh era. The interiors boast of rare architecture comprising “mohrakashi”, “tukri” and “gach” work.
The gold-plating inside the shrine has turned black, apparently due to rising pollution, and in a few places it is coming away from the walls. Similarly, the artwork on the upper floor has suffered damage at various locations, particularly along staircases leading to the top floor.
The gold plate on the outer walls of the shrine was replaced in 1999, after a span of 170 years. The task of re-gilding the domes and upper portion was entrusted by the SGPC to the UK-based Guru Nanak Nishkam Sewak Jatha in February of 1995. Its completion coincided with the tercentenary celebrations of the Khalsa Panth’s foundation in 1999.
