Reviving the Forgotten, Diminishing Glory of Sikh Heritage: A Case Study of Haveli Ranjit Singh Gujranwala, Pakistan
Abstract
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Heritage is the legacy of the past, a memoir of history, pride, and inspiration cherished by one generation and passed to the next generations. It elucidates the glory and value, architectural significance, continuity, and identity; which define who we are. Despite the importance of heritage, it’s never guaranteed to survive and be passed on to the next generations at its best. Many of the glories of past got buried under the layers of time, forgotten and abandoned. These heritage structures are severely dilapidated with structural distress and vandalized due to encroachments. This research paper emphasizes the elapsed and neglected heritage building of the Sikh clan; the founders of the city, located in Gujranwala, to document the significance of the structure, its causes of decay and neglect, and the importance of its conservation and revival. To give it life to be explored and appreciated by the public. The qualitative research methodology was adopted for this paper to document the heritage structure, using both primary and secondary resources including photographic surveys, interviews, detailed site inspection, and literature review. The objective of the paper is to document this haveli, explore causes of neglect and deterioration and how to address it, in the later stage, how to enhance its value to open it for both national and international tourism.
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References
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