This paper discusses the shared heritage belonging to the traditions of Hinduism and Sikhism in the state of the Punjab, India. The coexistence or the intermingling of cultures has been preserved through the beautiful murals which adorn the walls of a shrine which is called the Gurudwara of Baba Bir Singh. The Gurudwara is located in the Naurangabad village on the Tarn Taran Goindval road in Punjab.
This shrine was established by Baba Bir Singh (1764-1844). He was a pious saint and hundreds of devotees flocked his shrine on a daily basis to hear him preach the teachings of the Bhagats and the Gurus and the teachings from the Guru Granth Sahib. Enrolled in the army of the Maharaja Ranjit Singh, he took his dismissal and started to preach the religious tenets.
The existence of murals makes this shrine very unique. The murals in the shrine fall in the category of Fresco since the paintings have been executed upon freshly laid wet lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaster, the painting becomes an integral part of the wall. The frescoes are divided into the categories of Hinduism which is represented through the themes of the Purans and the Ramayana and Sikhism which finds a visual representation through the Sikh Gurus. They are a medium to bring together the shared cultures which are also propagated through texts, oral cultures and visual flux.

Authors:
Srishti Pandey Sharma, Jamia Millia Islamia, India

About the Presenter(s)
Srishti Pandey Sharma is a Ph.D student in the department of History, JMI,New Delhi.
She is working on "Intermingling of Religious Streams and Cultures in the Contemporary Society of Punjab in the Shared Space Explained Mainly Through Visual Flux".

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https://www.linkedin.com/in/srishti-pandey-sharma-46085667

See this presentation on the full schedule – Monday Schedule

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