TRANSCENDENT S P L E N D O R Spanning the 19th century through the 21th century, The Golden Temple: Center of Sikh Faith features historical and contemporary works depicting the enduring splendor of Sikhism’s central monument and place of worship, the Harmandir Sahib, or the Golden Temple.
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image credit: The Singh Twins, The Golden Temple – Dukh Bhanjani Beri: Rajani and the Leper, 2020. Mixed media digital print with overworking done by hand. Loan from the Khanuja Family Collection. Photo: Mike Lundgren
his latest installation in the Khanuja Family Sikh Heritage Gallery at Phoenix Art Museum, only the second U.S. gallery space dedicated exclusively to the exhibition of Sikh art, introduces Arizona audiences to various artistic and architectural elements from the Hindu and Muslim traditions while exploring how the design of the temple reflects the tenets of Sikhism, including the belief that all creation is equal. Located in what is today the city of Amritsar, in the Punjab state of northwestern India, the Golden Temple is the centralized place of worship for all Sikhs. The idea for the spiritual monument was conceived by Guru Arjan Sahib (1563–1606), the fifth Sikh Guru. In 1577, a town and water tank were built by Guru Ram Das, the fourth Sikh Guru, on the site where the temple would be erected, and construction on the building began in 1588, when, according to Sikh history, Mian Mir, a Sufi Muslim saint, laid the cornerstone. The Guru’s design for the Golden Temple placed the monument at the center of the water tank. A causeway connected the sacred structure to a circumambulatory path, and doors on the temple’s four sides symbolized the accessibility of the Sikh faith, which makes no distinction between the four Hindu castes. Builders completed construction in 1601, but through the decades, the Golden Temple was destroyed several times by invaders. The present structure dates to 1764, and renovations over the centuries introduced various design elements. The temple’s upper floors, for example, are now covered in 750 kilos of pure gold, an addition made by Maharaja Ranjit Singh, founder of the Sikh Empire of India (1799–1849). On view now, a selection of prints, watercolors, and paintings by Indian, American, and European artists, including Italian-English photographer Felice Beato, who was one of the first photographers to capture images of Asia, offers varied views of the renowned CONTINUED ON PAGE 34
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SUMMER/FALL 2021 / PHXART MAGAZINE
T H E GO L DE N T E M P L E : CE N T E R O F S IK H FA I T H THROUGH APRIL 24, 2022 THE KHANUJA FAMILY SIKH HERITAGE GALLERY
