TOURISTS WOULD GET TO SEE THE MILITARISATION OF THE SIKHS, THE SIKH EMPIRE: ITS AFTERMATH, SINOINDIAN & INDOPAK WAR’S IN THE FIRST PHASE OF OPENING
A ray of hope has emerged for the partiallycompleted Punjab State War Heroes’ Memorial and Museum as tourists will soon get an access to four galleries of the venue.
GURPREET SINGH/HTConstruction of one of the galleries in full swing at Punjab State War Heroes’ Memorial and Museum in Amritsar.
The galleries (number 2, 3, 6 and 8) are around 85% complete and aiming opening on January 15.
On Thursday, cosmetic touches and landscaping was being done at the premises.
General manager of the museum Lt Col H P Singh who was gearing up the team and supervising the work in the galleries confirmed to Hindustan Times that on January 15, the first phase would be opened for tourists with four galleries and 7D theatre.
The memorial is built at a cost of ₹130 crore and is spread in eight acres of land. It unfolds the era of sixth Sikh Guru Hargobind Singh till the Kargil War.
Built at Naraingarh area, the venue has a 45-metre high sword in the middle of nine galleries. Outside, three tanks have been housed out of which, two are from Pakistan captured by Indian troops. There is also a fighter aircraft on display for the tourists and despite just a few features of the memorial on display, the museum is already attracting around 1,000 tourists a day and on weekends, the number ranges from 6,000 to 7,000 visitors.
Singh said, “It is the first of its kind war memorial and museum in the country. The Army has a partial role in it but now, it is a property of the defence service welfare (DSW) Punjab which would be supervised by director of DSW Brig JS Arora and a team of 50 people.”
On December 24, special principal secretary to CM and secretary of DSW KJS Cheema would visit the museum premises to meet the team working there and review the development work.
Features of the galleries to be opened in mid January
The gallery number 2 would highlight ‘Miri Piri’ concept of sixth Guru Hargobind and then how the ninth Guru, Teg Bhadur sacrificed his life for the Kashmiri Pandits leading to a rise in the Sikh empire.
In gallery number 3, the Sikh empire under Maharaja Ranjit Singh would be unfolded. People would also see Anglo-Sikh wars with the British and heroism of General Hari Singh Nalwa.
In gallery number 6, SinoIndian war 1962 along with Indo-Pak war 1965 will be narrated through texts and audio-visual systems.
The language and texts would be in English and Punjabi while the guides would communicate the same in Hindi. Gallery number 7 would take the people to the third Indo-Pak War 1971.
“If we are opening the galleries in phases it is because we do not believe in defective and incorrect displays of history and its artefacts. We have to be accurate and exact and that takes time,” Singh said.
The memorial-cum-museum was inaugurated by Punjab chief minister (CM) Parkash Singh Badal on October 23 this year.