ABSTRACT
This chapter analyses the challenges of preserving the diversity of Amritsar’s heritage. Amritsar is the spiritual home of Sikhism. However, it has also been the home to diverse communities who have left their own mark on the city, not to mention an important site for the history of Partition, British India (the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre in 1919), and Sikh nationalism (Operation Blue Star, 1984). This chapter considers the material and social issues encountered during a large Government of India funded project (HRIDAY) to conserve some of the most endangered elements of Amritsar’s heritage. We focus on the case study of the Rambagh Gate to consider how a derelict site which has been ‘forgotten’ by the city and its residents can be habilitated into public memory through inclusive heritage design.
