VIRASAT-E-KHALSA

Virasat E Khalsa, built by Safdie architects in collaboration with Design Habitat, is a Khalsa
heritage structure constructed to celebrate 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.
A contextual design has been adopted to ensure that the landscape stays as untouched as
possible, this has in turn lead to an embracement of regional architecture, due to which the
Centre seems to rise from the nearby sand cliffs. The 23. 225square meter museum
complex, which rises 20 meters on either side of the ravine, is organized into two main
buildings that are connected via a pedestrian bridge.
The western half contains an entry piazza, auditorium, extensive library and interchangeable
exhibition spaces, while the eastern half of the site, houses galleries, with permanent
displays are housed within a series of five concave peaked roofs prefacing the dramatic
Himalayan mountains. Each gallery within the cluster represents one of the five virtues
symbolic of the Sikh faith.
The pedestrian bridge is carefully designed by the architect by placing the canopy on the
opposing direction of the southern sunlight, this allows the people walking on the bridge to
view 70% of the complex, while 30% of the complex is obstructed by the canopy.
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 Amritsar.