AMRITSAR – Despite Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh’s warning, the manufacture and sale of idols of the Sikh Gurus continues.
The markets are flooded with idols costing between Rs 50 and Rs 1,500. Made of marble powder, metal or stone and gold plated, they are being sold in leading gift shops.
SGPC additional secretary Sukhdev Singh assured of action against this menace. “We will send our teams to check it tomorrow. If anything objectionable is found, we will approach the administration for action,” he said.
Nonetheless, a random survey revealed that a majority of these idols are imported from China, besides being sourced from Mumbai, Moradabad and Rajasthan. These idols are also available online.
The objection is that Sikhism prohibits idol worship and only paintings of the 10 Sikh Gurus could be used for display or on calendars.
The Jathedar had issued directions to stop sale and manufacturing of idols in November when reports surfaced that Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar was presented with the idol of Guru Nanak Dev at Gurdwara Manji Sahib in Ambala.
