An early drawing of the Golden Temple, Amritsar

British School, dated January 1850

Footnotes

This large and impressive drawing of the Golden Temple is of relatively early date, and captures the sacred site in its historical context, with the temple's iconic dome and intricate architectural details rendered with delicate linework. The holy sarovar (water tank) surrounding the temple is shaded lightly, reflecting the structure in its calm waters. The Lost Palace of Amritsar is also depicted, which corroborates the date of the drawing reasonably precisely. It was demolished by the British by 1860 and replaced by a gothic clock tower. (See fig. 1, a contemporary photograph showing the palace still in situ).

The second Guru, Angad Dev, discovered the site in the 16th Century, when it was simply a stretch of water in the midst of forest. His successor, Amar Das, built a hut beside it for contemplation. Ram Das, the fourth Guru, bought the pool and the land around it. But it was the fifth Guru, Arjun Dev (1581-1606), who cemented its importance as a place of pilgrimage but also as a focus for the permanence of the religion. The foundation stone of the Harmandir Sahib (the Golden Temple) was laid in 1588, and the formalising of the pool had been completed in 1577. The Harmandir Sahib was destroyed three times between 1757 and 1764 when Northern India was under Mughal control, but thereafter the area was protected and during the height of Sikh power under Maharajah Ranjit Singh the Harmandir Sahib was embellished and expanded.

For a survey of the history of the Harmandir Sahib, see Patwant Singh, 'The Golden Temple', in S. Stronge (ed.), The Arts of the Sikh Kingdoms, London 1999, pp. 46-59. Singh's account ends:

To stand on the terrace outside the Shish Mahal, surrounded by the golden domes and kiosks, is to revel in the glory of this joyous tribute to the Gurus. If their vision, faith and sacrifices has inspired their disciples to feats of valour, then here was the grateful offering of the disciples to the source of their inspiration. As the golden silhouettes of these domes and kiosks emerge in the early morning light and glow throughout the day in the intensity of the Panjab sun, before changing colour in the fading light at dusk, they are an unforgettable sight for the thousands who come daily to worship at the Darbar Sahib. When they step into the waters of the holy pool, and see the Harmandir's shimmering reflection, Sikhs feel as if they have been touched by the sacred'.


The drawing is unsigned but strongly suggests the work of an accomplished professional artist. Comparable pencil drawings by William Carpenter are in the Victoria and Albert Museum. Carpenter arrived in India in June 1850, and travelled widely, including in the Punjab and Kashmir.

William Carpenter (1818-99) was born in London, and lived for a long time in India. His works were exhibited in many London galleries, including the Royal Academy, Suffolk Street, The British Institution and the Grafton Gallery between 1840 and 1853. The Victoria and Albert Museum holds a large number of his works.