ARCHIVED FORUM: Gurdwara Tapoban Sahib
Treasures of the Sikhs
Posted by : Indy
Date: 7/08/2004 7:25 am
Faith and Brotherhood:
Treasures of the Sikhs
As part of Britain's national Anglo-Sikh Heritage Trail, a small selection of some of the finest Sikh manuscripts and drawings held in the British Library highlighting the legacy of the first Guru of the Sikh faith, Guru Nanak and the heritage of the Khalsa will be going on display from July until October 2004.
The first case concentrates on the message of Guru Nanak and his teachings.
It includes the oldest known manuscript copy outside
India dating to the 17th century - a substantial part of the Sikh scripture, the Guru Granth Sahib. This is also one of the twenty oldest known copies in existence. Other manuscripts in this section include a Janam
Sakhi which was given to the Library of the East India House by the Sanskrit scholar, Henry Colebrooke and a manuscript prepared in 1828-30 for Maharani Jindan Kaur comprising selections of three hymns from the Adi Granth, one by Guru Nanak and two by Guru Arjun.
The second case explores the formation of the Khalsa, the community of Sikh warriors, by Guru Gobind Singh in the 17th century. All male Sikhs began to adopt the name 'Singh', meaning lion and all female Sikhs adopted the name 'Kaur' meaning princess. The Sikh state was established in 1799 under the dynamic leader, Ranjit Singh known as the Lion of Punjab and a lavishly illustrated miniature shows the man that created the flourishing cultural life of Punjab.
Exhibition curator, Jasleen Kandhari said, "The Anglo-Sikh Heritage Trail is an important initiative to celebrate and promote the heritage of Sikhs through art. This is a wonderful opportunity for the British Library to highlight the fine Sikh treasures the Library contains. I shall be delivering gallery talks highlighting the Legacy of Guru Nanak and the Heritage of the Khalsa through these exquisite Sikh manuscripts and drawings."
The Policy Advisor for Asian Affairs to the Mayor of London's Offfice, Atma Singh said, "The British Library exhibition on some of the great treasures of Sikh manuscripts and drawings enhances its world class reputation. I would urge all Londoners and visitors to come and see
it. This sort of exhibition is the soul of a living multi-faith and multi-cultural capital city."
For further information please contact Catriona Finlayson, British Library Press Office on 0207 412 7115 or email catriona.finlayson@bl.uk mailto:catriona.finlayson@bl.uk
Notes for editors
1. Following the launch of the Anglo-Sikh Heritage Trail on July 2nd, the Curator of this display, Jasleen Kandhari will be delivering gallery talks in the Treasures Gallery, British Library on:
Saturday July 3rd, 2-3pm 'Faith and Brotherhood : Treasures of the Sikhs'
Tuesday July 27th, 6.15-6.45pm 'The Legacy of Guru Nanak'
Tuesday August 24th, 6.15-6.45pm 'The Heritage of the Khalsa'
1. Jasleen Kandhari, 29, combines her job as Specialist of the Asian Collections in the British Library's Education department with previewing Chinese, Japanese, Indian and Islamic art weeks in London and writing articles on Indian art collections in Museums worldwide for the Asian Art Newspaper. She is the Assistant Secretary of the Indian Art Circle, London which is dedicated to the promotion of scholarship and appreciation of Indian art and is currently studying for a Diploma in Asian Manuscripts at the University of London having attained an MA in Asian Art from Sotheby's Institute of Art and BA in Asian Art History and Music from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. In her role at the British Library, Jasleen is currently curating an exhibition of Sikh manuscripts and giving a series of gallery talks from July 2004. Before joining the British Library she assisted with research on the Victoria and Albert Museum's Indian Jewellery collecti ons and has
worked at both Sotheby's and Christie's in the client services
section for Asian Art sales.
3. The British Library houses the world's knowledge, and with over 150 million separate items it is one of the top three libraries in the world.
It is the UK's national library and the world's leading resource for scholarship, research and innovation. Its collection covers every age of written civilisation, every written language and every aspect of human thought. Material held by the Library ranges from ancient Chinese oracle bones to technical reports about the latest scientific discoveries and today's newspapers. Users including industrial companies and academic scholars, have access to the Library's collection in its Reading Rooms and via its global document supply services, which supply over 15,000 documents per day to 20,000 customers in 111 countries. Information on the Library's collection and services is available on the British Library website at
www.bl.uk
