News-Patiala News Service
Chandigarh, December 7
The rare treasure of the Sikh Reference Library of Amritsar has echoed in the winter session of the Parliament. After a long time, a discussion on this issue has started in the House. Remember that during the attack on Sri Harmandir Sahib in 1984, the Sikh Reference Library was also damaged. Apart from manuscripts and rare works of Guru Granth Sahib, the library also contained other religious and literary collections, which were damaged.
Rajya Sabha member Satnam Singh Sandhu while raising this issue in the Rajya Sabha, apart from the intellectual importance of this treasure, also talked about its religious and literary context. Rajya Sabha member Sandhu said in the House that 40 years ago the Congress government attacked Sri Harminder Sahib and in this attack the Sikh reference library was damaged. He said that apart from Gurus and Saints in the library, the rare works of devotees including the manuscripts of Guru Granth Sahib were also damaged or confiscated by the agencies. Mr. Sandhu also demanded an explanation on this matter. He also demanded that all the important manuscripts missing from the Sikh Reference Library should be restored in the same form.
Discussing the issue, MP Sandhu quoted the 13th century Persian historian Minhas al-Siraj about Nalanda University as saying that Khilji destroyed Nalanda to destroy the entire system of knowledge because books were the guide for humanity. are Presenting the details of a report of SGPC to the media, he said that the Sikh Reference Library had 12,613 rare books and 512 handwritten Birs, about 2500 handwritten Sikh religious scriptures and 20-25 edicts. Since 1984, major religious organizations of Sikhs, including SGPC, have been raising this issue, but it has not yet been resolved.
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