Khalsa Heritage Memorial Complex
Moshe Safdie

Anadpur Sahib, Punjab, India

Photo Ram Rahman

The Khalsa Heritage Memorial is a new museum of the Sikh people located in the holy town of Anandpur. The museum celebrates 500 years of Sikh history and the 300th anniversary of the Khalsa, the scriptures written by the 10th and last Guru, Gobind Singh, founder of the modern Sikh faith.

Deeply rooted in the surrounding landscape and resonating with regional architecture, the Centre seemingly rises from nearby sand cliffs.

Photo Ram Rahman

Clad with local sandstone and evoking the fortress cities of Rajasthan, Gwalior, and Punjab, the Centre acknowledges the Sikh's history as celebrated warriors. The upwardly curving roofs of the museum's tower like galleries are covered in stainless steel, designed in counterpoint to the rich tradition of gold domes that crown sacred Sikh buildings such as the Golden Temple in Ammritsar.

Photo Ram Rahman

The museum campus is composed of two functionally sets of buildings. The western complex, forming a gateway to Anandpur Sahib, houses exhibition galleries; a two-level library centered around a grand reading room that overlooks water gardens; a facility for storing rare archival materials; and a 400 seat auditorium.

Photo Ram Rahman

A 540-foot bridge from the western complex crosses a network of reflecting pools, providing access to the eastern complex, which houses permanent exhibitions presenting Sikh history, and culture.

Photo Ram Rahman

Arranged in groups of five, the galleries reference the Five Virtues, a central tenet of the Sikh faith. The symbolic themes of earth and sky, mass and lightness, and depth and ascension are represented by the museum's sandstone towers and reflective silver roofs, and are further echoed inside the museum's galleries.