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Shiny New Buildings: Rebuilding Historic Sikh Gurdwaras in Indian Punjab

This article examines some of the tensions inherent in conservation and reconstruction work taking place on Sikh religious monuments in northen India, particularly at those monuments that mark important events in Sikh history or in the lives of the Sikh Gurus and their families. Juxtaposing the divergent practices of enthusiastic lay worshippers with those of more professionally trained heritage conservationists, the author argues that both groups engage simultaneously with protocols of objectivist "history" and subjective notions of "heritage," albeit in differing ways. The analysis focuses on a handful of sites undergoing renovation in Anandpur Sahib, India, to explore the material, cultural, and rhetorical strategies through which different groups secure their appropriation of the sites' historical and affective qualities. Two museums located in the town—one dedicated to the life history of Guru Tegh Bahadur, and the other intended to be an internationally prominent center for Sikh heritage—add further complexity to a town landscape replete with meaningful objects.