| Sikh museum at Kapal Mochan awaits exhibits |
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| Written by Nishikant Dwivedi, Tribune News Service | |
| Friday, 20 July 2007 | |
 Yamunanagar.To procure martial art weapons related to the Sikhs, the state public relation and culture department has decided to approach the archaeology department so that Guru Gobind Singh Martial Arts Museum at Kapal Mochan, Bilaspur, here, can be opened to the public. The three-domed magnificent building of the museum was constructed at a cost of Rs 2.10 crore with central government aid to commemorate the tercentenary of the Khalsa about four years ago, but till date there are no weapons to exhibit at the museum. There are nine windows to exhibit ancient Sikh weapons in the museum. For the past four years, the state government has been making efforts to procure Sikh martial art weapons from Punjab and other places. However, talks with the Punjab government for weapons had not been fruitful in the past. “We will be continuing our talks with the Punjab government,” said Dr Kuldeep Saini, member secretary of the management committee of the museum. An official claimed that in a communication sent on May 26, 2003, to his Haryana counterpart, the then Punjab Chief Minister had promised to loan traditional weapons and other items to the museum. Earlier, the government had requested the Chief Ministers of all states to provide such weapons (if any) for the museum. The union government had provided funds for the museum during the Khalsa tercentenary celebrations. The sources said the museum committee had Rs 80 lakh at its disposal. Deputy commissioner Nitin Kumar Yadav, who is the chairman of the committee, said efforts were on to make the museum fully operational before the coming Kapal Mochan mela in which lakhs of Sikhs from the region were expected to participate. The museum could be a big attraction to Sikh pilgrims, who visit Kapal Mochan all year round. Guru Gobind Singh had stayed for 52 days here and washed his weapons in a pond adjacent to the museum. Saini said that landscaping would be done around the museum and an amusement park for children might also come up. He said war scenes (from Sikh history), using mannequins, would also be depicted. |
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