Inauguration slated to be on Nov 5 Badal to inaugurate Guru Granth Sahib Bhawan at Punjabi University

Patiala, November 4: Punjab Chief Minister, Parkash Singh Badal, will inaugurate the newly constructed Sri Guru Granth Sahib Bhawan on the Punjabi University Campus here tomorrow. The new structure will house the Department of Guru Granth Sahib Religious Studies and will carry out both research and teaching activities, focusing mainly on Sikh studies in addition to scholarly works related to other religions.
According to the Vice-Chancellor, Dr Jaspal Singh, the Centre, as a School of Sikh Theology, would be transformed into a Mecca of Sikh Academics by making available all kinds of material relating to Sikh Studies. The Centre shall house 450 digitized versions of Guru Granth Sahib in addition to 67 hard copies, donated by noted scholars and Sikh religious enthusiasts, some of which are gold plated weighing more than two kilograms, he said.
According to Dr Sarabjinder Singh, HoD, the department is already running three PG diploma courses in Sikh Theology; Sikh Hermeneutics, and Sri Guru Granth Sahib Studies, while two more courses in Symbol and Signs and Religious Studies will be started from the next year. The building bearing the Sikh heritage look covers a total area of around 14,000 square feet, he said.