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Heritage structure ‘believed’ to be linked to Sikh warrior Ramgarhia razed in name of conservation
During the celebrations of the 300th birth anniversary of the legendary Sikh leader of the 18th century Jassa Singh Ramgarhia, one of the old heritage structures, believed to be associated with the Sikh warrior in the historic town of Sri Hargobindpur in Gurdaspur district was found to have been almost razed in the name of its conservation and renovation.
During the celebrations of the 300th birth anniversary of the legendary Sikh leader of the 18th century Jassa Singh Ramgarhia, one of the old heritage structures, believed to be associated with the Sikh warrior in the historic town of Sri Hargobindpur in Gurdaspur district was found to have been almost razed in the name of its conservation and renovation.
Founded by the sixth Sikh Master Guru Hargobind, the town was the official headquarters of Ramgarhia misl. Ramgarhia Sikh Heritage Trust (Regd) took over a structure, built with small bricks commonly used in the 18th century, to conserve and renovate the site.
The trust kicked off its plans in 2015 and the project, as per the plaque installed at the site, was inaugurated by the then Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Vijay Sampla. But on May 5, when the Punjab government and Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) were marking the birth anniversary of the legendary warrior, this historical structure was found to have been almost demolished to replace it with a new modern structure as a homage to the Sikh warrior.
Gurdaspur district public relations officer (DPRO) Inderjit Singh Harpura, who is also a heritage lover, said, “The demolition was noticed when on the 3rd centenary of Ramgarhia, students from Baba Aaya Singh Riarki College in nearby Tughalwala village of Gurdaspur visited the town to see the relics associated with Ramgarhia misl and the legendary warrior. It was shocking.”
Upon being brought to Gurdaspur deputy commissioner Himanshu Aggarwal’s notice the work on the site with immediately stopped.
“I have ordered that the work at the site be stopped promptly. If anyone has noticed that the work is continuing, I will look into it,” Aggarwal said.
A delegation of Virasti Manch, Batala, Amritsar Chapter of Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage, Maharaja Jassa Singh Ramgarhia Foundation and Sahil-E-Beas Sports and Cultural Society visited the site on Saturday.
“Members of the delegation were shocked to see the demolition. The trust, which is executing the project, has razed this building contrary to its promise of conservation and renovation,” said Baldev Singh Randhawa, representative of Virasti Manch Batala.
“The other relics of Ramgarhia and the misl founded by him are also in dilapidated condition in the town. For example, a sizable portion of the historic water tank has been illegally encroached. The relics should be preserved as per norms”, Harpura added.
Khushvinder Singh Sandhu, the chairman executive trustee of the organization, denied any damage to the heritage structure. “This was a private building owned by the Kalsi family. My father purchased it to build a memorial of Ramgarhia”. However, he could not give a clear answer why the plaque at the site mentions it as the ‘mahal’ (mansion) of Ramgarhia.
