Kar Seva 'wipes out' Treasure of Frescoes
July 26
Tarn Taran, India
from www.indiatribune.com
by Varinder Walia and Gurbax Puri
The majestic fort in which Baba Bir Singh Gurdwara is located at Naurangabad village, 5 km from here, has a number of beautiful frescoes of freedom fighters, Sikh Gurus and Hindu deities which are a feast for the eyes. The Gurdwara is situated on the old GT road which used to connect New Delhi with Lahore.
Unmindful of the significance of art, many murals in the name of kar seva are
damaged. Beautiful buildings built with 'Nanakshahi bricks' have been plastered
with cement. Haphazard electrical wiring also has damaged some of the significant
frescoes.
Similar treatment has been meted out to invaluable frescoes in the adjoining
Gurdwara built in the memory of Baba Khuda Singh. Most of the art work was done
in the "Mughal-Pahari" school of frescoes.
The art of frescoes which flourished during the regime of Maharaja Ranjit Singh,
has been "forgotten" due to the callous attitude of all concerned.
Some of the wall paintings in the Gurdwara - those in good condition - will
be finished in the coming days. Mr. Brij Bedi and Dr. Sheharyar, both art lovers,
with whose efforts most of the frescoes of Baba Atal were saved, have urged
the state government and the SGPC to take immediate steps to save these (the
frescoes) from decay. They found many similarities in the frescoes of Bir Singh
Gurdwara and Baba Atal Gurdwara. They said the entire project of preserving
the frescoes could be handed over to INTACH, which could provide expertise in
this regard.
The qilla in which the Gurdwara is situated was constructed in the second half
of 19th century in the memory of Saint-Sepoy, Baba Bir Singh, who served in
the army of Maharaja Ranjit Singh for some time.
The frescoes which adorn the walls of Baba Bir Singh Gurdwara and Baba Khuda
Singh Gurdwara include that of 10 Sikh Gurus, Dhanna Bhagat, Sukhdev, Krishanji,
Bhai Saloji, Baba Bir Singh, Baba Khuda Singh and their followers.
Dr. Sheharyar and Mr. Brij Bedi said that a study of the exquisite frescoes of Gurdwaras in Naurangabad had established that the artists of this school of frescoes enjoyed royal patronage at that time. It has also proved that Sikh history was replete with not only valor but also with art.