Travel Guide to Golden Temple Amritsar
Toshakhana is a Persian word used for food or provisions for journey or food articles in general or storage room means, in Punjabi, a treasury or secured storehouse for valuables. It is now generally used for the storehouse in the Darbar Sahib complex at Amritsar where costly items presented as offerings to the Harmandir Sahib, the Akal Takhat and the shrine of Baba Atal Rai, and it is guarded by employees of the Darbar Sahib. These articles often displayed at Harmandir Sahib are nearly 50 ,10 at Akal Takhat Sahib and 6 at Baba Atal Rai Gurdwara.
The Toshakhana was damaged during "Operation Blue Star" on the night of 5/6 June 1984 when it was hit by cannon fire from the Indian army tanks that had been driven onto the parikarma. The treasury, however, remained intact except that the famous Hyderabad canopy was scorched by heat generated by the explosion/s.
The Morcha Chabian, a campaign for the recovery of the keys of the Sri Harmandir Sahib treasury, marked a dramatic episode in the Sikh agitations in the early 1920s, to reform the management of their places of worship.
For instance, Sri Harmandir Sahib had been managed by a government nominated sarbrdh (controller) since 1849. The Golden Temple came under Akali control in October 1920, but the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee nominated the old sarbrdh, Sundar Singh Ramgarhia, as a member of the new committee and appointed him to continue to administer the affairs of the Golden Temple. Even though the sarbrdh now functioned under the directions of the Committee, but, since he still retained possession of the keys of the Toshakhana (treasury) of the Golden Temple, some of the Akali reformers felt that governmental control, however nominal, still remained.
In response to their complaints, on 20 October 1921, the Shiromani Committee resolved to ask Sundar Singh to hand over the keys to its president, but before they could implement the decision, news of the decision reached the deputy commissioner of Amritsar who forestalled the Akalis. On 7 November 1921, the extra assistant commissioner Amar Nath, raided the house of Sundar Singh Ramgarhia with a police party and took away the keys.
On 11 November, the government attempted to replace Sundar Singh with their own appointee Captain Bahadur Singh, in effect overriding the choice of the SGPC. The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee refused to recognize the new sarbrdh. On 12 November 1921 a protest meeting was convened in Bagh Akaliari at Amritsar which was addressed by Baba Kharak Singh and other Akali leaders. Akali meetings took place at Gujrariwala, Gujjar Khan and other places. Captain Bahadur Singh resigned, but the government remained adamant. Dan Singh of Vachhoa and Jaswant Singh of Jhabal, two prominent Akalis, were arrested at a divan at Ajnala on 26 November 1921.
