Anandpur Sahib, the City of Bliss, is one of the important centres of Sikh religion. Founded by the ninth Guru, Tegh Bahadur, in AD 1664, the city came into prominence during the period of his son and succes-sor, Guru Gobind Singh. Situated in the picturesque lower spurs of the Shivalik mountain ranges on the left bank of river Sutlej, the holy city is dotted by a number of historical gurdwaras. It was here that of Sikh temporal authority. the Nihangs, described as knight-errants of Guru Gobind Singh.
Guru Gobind Singh created the Order of the Khalsa at Takhat Kesgarh, which is one of the five centres Guru Gobind Singh protected the city by constructing a number of forts sat ats strategic points, the most important of them being Kesgarh, Anandgarh, Lohgarh, Holgarh and Taragarh. It was at Anandpur that Guru Gobind Singh provided training to his followers in warfare and created special squads called
Though famous as the birthplace of the Khalsa, Anandpur is also know for its festivals, the most important of them being Hola Mahalla when the Nihangs take out huge processions and display their martial arts amidst the sprinkling of colours and beating of drums. The festival attracts thousands of visitors from different parts of the country and abroad. During the terecentenary of the creation of the Khalsa in 1999 over five millions pilgrims from all over world visited the holy city. An impressive Sikh Heritage Complex is being built at Anandpur which promises to be one of the wonders of the world.
The text by Dr. Mohinder Singh, an eminent Sikh historian and Director, National Institute of Panjab Studies, New Delhi, provides a fascinating account of Anandpur Sahib. Pictures taken by Sondeep Shankar, India's leading photographer, provide rare glimpses of the holy city, its gurdwaras, forts, havelis, gates and, above all, Nihangs with their weapons, colourful costumes and martial arts.
The National Institute of Panjab Studies was established in 1990 to promote research on different aspects of Panjabi life and letters. It was subsequently recognised by the Panjab University, Chandigarh, as an advanced centre of learning. Apart from promoting research, the Institute has also been organising lectures, seminars and conferences. Some conferences were also organised in collaboration with other institutions such as the Department of Multicultural Education, University of London, Department of South Asian Studies, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor and the Centre for Global Studies, University of California, Santa Barbara. To mark fifty years of India's independence, the Institute organised an international seminar on Partition in Retrospect in collaboration with the India International Centre, New Delhi.
In connection with the tercentenary of the Khalsa in 1999, the Institute took up a major research project of locating and cataloguing relics which are popularly associated with the Sikh gurus and other historical personalities. Our research team led by the Director of the Institute, visited various parts of India and Pakistan, and located and listed a number of valuable relics. During their field work our team located some very precious relics such as the chola of Guru Nanak, the chola of Guru Hargobind, chola, dastar and other relics of Guru Gobind Singh and Mata Sahib Kaur, sword-belt, godri and flag of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. Our team was able to take pictures of these and other precious relics and record popular evidence connected with these objects. The team also discovered some rare Guru Granth Birs, hukamnamas and other historical documents and coins issued by Banda Singh Bahadur, Sikh chiefs, Maharaja Ranjit Singh and his generals.
With a view to sharing the results of our research with the larger audience and creating awareness for proper preservation of the endangered heritage of Panjab and conservation of the valuable relics, the Institute has decided to bring out a series of pictorial books under the 'Panjab Heritage Series'
The Institute would like to record its gratitude to the Department of Culture, Government of India, for its initial grant for preparing a 'Catalogue of the Sikh Relics', to the Government of the National Capital of Delhi and the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee for their financial support for publication of these books and to various institutions and individuals for allowing the Institute's team access to their rich collections. I would also like to thank my colleagues on the Governing Council and staff of the Institute without whose active cooperation it would not have been possible to bring out these volumes.
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