New Delhi:
Tourists have one more place to visit during the upcoming Commonwealth Games -- the newly constructed Guru Tegh Bahadur Memorial. The soon-to-be inaugurated memorial, a tribute to the ninth Sikh guru Tegh Bahadur and spread out on more than 10 acres on GT road of the Delhi-Haryana border is illuminated with special lighting effects.
The Guru's holy teachings have been inscribed on ten rock stands with lighting where colours of the lights change every minute. The main attraction is the tallest central pylon in steel fabrication with changing lights which is visible even from a distance.
The base of the monument is shaped like the petals of a flower. The four arch monoliths in the landscaped garden with the preachings of the guru uses coloured lights that are of religious, cultural and historical significance.
"The very tip of the structure is illuminated in brilliant white light representing the brilliant thinking of the guru. The body of the central structure has a mix of blue and amber while the petals on the base are lit from below creating a warm white glow," says Indraneel Goswami, General Manager, Lighting Application Services Philips, which is creative advisor to the DTTDC.
The two layered lighting with a soft wash topped with scallops of light makes the green grass come alive at night and the special soft impact lighting is designed to add to the longevity of the monument, says Goswami.
The memorial whose foundation stone was laid by Congress President Sonia Gandhi and been constructed by the Delhi Tourism and Transport Development Corporation, is scheduled to be inaugurated in September, a month before the Commonwealth Games.
"The monument is a fitting tribute to Guru Tegh Bahadur Singh. It is especially beautiful during the night when it is lit up and I haven't seen any such memorial from Kolkata to the Wagah border," Paramjit Singh, Delhi Sikh Gurudwara Managing Committee told PTI.
Originally called Tyag Mal the guru was renamed Tegh Bahadur after his gallant displays of sword fighting in the wars against the Mughal forces. He built the city of Anandpur Sahib, and was responsible for saving the Kashmiri Pandits, who were being persecuted by the Mughals. The guru was martyred in Delhi by Emperor Aurangzeb.