Amritsar/ Ludhiana, Punjab (March 25, 2013): According to recent report published by “The Telegraph” (Calcutta, India) – the June 1984 Sikh memorial in the Darbar Sahib (Amritsar) complex is nearing completion. The construction is likely to be completed next month.
According to The Telegraph: Baba Harnam Singh Khalsa, the head of Damdami Taksal, said “Work on the Gurdwara (the memorial) is almost complete. Only finishing jobs on the marble are left. The memorial will be completed much before the due date (late May). It will be thrown open to devotees on June 6, the Bluestar anniversary, with special prayers”.
It is notable that June 6 marks the anniversary of the armed attack by Indian army on Sri Darbar Sahib.
In June 1984 the Indian army had attacked Sri Darbar Sahib (Amritsar). The attack was codenamed as “Operation Blue Star”. Thousands of pilgrims were massacred by Indian army during operation blue star, that marks the beginning of the third holocaust of Sikh history.
It is notable that Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, thirteenth head of Damdami Taksal, along with Bhai Amrik Singh (All India Sikh Students Federation), General Subegh Singh, Baba Thara Singh and other defenders of faith attained martyrdom while defending the sacred premises.
The foundation stone for the memorial was laid last year.
The small octagonal structure, located near the Akal Takht, eternal seat of Sikh sovereignty.
“The entry to the memorial is from the parikrama, a marble pathway that goes around the Harmandar Sahib — as the Golden Temple is called — side of the complex” The Telegraph has reported.
“A Damdami Taksal official said marble procured from Alwar in Rajasthan had been used inside and outside the memorial. Artwork on the marble is almost over. Craftsmen from Makrana in Rajasthan and Agra in Uttar Pradesh have been engraving the interiors. The engravings are identical to those in the Golden Temple” The Telegraph has reported further.
As per reports the polishing is under way. Only precious stones are left to be embedded in the marble walls and ceiling.
It is learnt that inside the memorial, behind the spot from where the Guru Granth Sahib will be recited, is engraved a couplet by Bhagat Kabir Ji ‘Soora so pehchaniye jo lare deen ke het, purja-purja kat mare, kabh hu na chhade khet (Brave is he who fights for the underprivileged. He sacrifices himself to pieces, but does not give up the hearth).