He says that to mark the tercentenary celebrations of the Khalsa Panth, efforts should be made to 'repaint' the murals and frescoes with the help of the old paintings preserved by Guru Nanak Dev University.

Besides, though the Sikh masses all over the world are happy that the gilding of the Golden Temple was done by the UK-based Guru Nanak Nishkam Sewa Jatha, yet they allege that the original craftsmanship could not be preserved. However, members of the jatha claim that all efforts were made to preserve the heritage and that they have all records with them, including drawings taken before starting the gold-plating.

Mr Brij Bedi, who claims to be a descendant of Guru Nanak Dev, says that it is a matter of concern that murals of the first Sikh Guru at Baba Atal could not be preserved. He alleges that the entire painted area of Baba Atal was repainted in gaudy colours in the name of renovation in the seventies. Even though the Sikhs are celebrating the tercentenary of the birth of Khalsa, no efforts have been made to popularise the murals of Sikh shrines.

Interestingly, a resident of Pakistan who crossed the Wagah border at the time of the tercentenary celebrations, brought a letter of his grandfather, who had painted murals on the walls of Baba Atal before Partition, urging the SGPC authorities to preserve these murals. Apart from the paintings of Guru Nanak Dev, there are murals of martyrs, including Baba Atal.

Sikh scholars have also expressed concern that while renovating 'bungas' near the Golden Temple, the heritage was not preserved. These 'bungas' were constructed to give a 'better look', but the old design should have been preserved. Similarly, the murals and paintings of 'deras' near the Golden Temple are in bad shape.