Virasat-e-Khalsa

Virasat-e-Khalsa is a museum dedicated to Sikh heritage located in Anandpur Sahib, Rupnagar District, Punjab. Designed by architect Moshe Safdie and inaugurated in 2011, it commemorates 300 years of the Khalsa. The museum uses immersive galleries, murals and multimedia to narrate 500 years of Sikh history and culture. Set near the Sutlej River, its striking sandstone architecture and lotus-shaped roofs make it a prominent cultural landmark in Punjab.

Visitors can expect a large modern museum complex with two main clusters of galleries connected by a ceremonial bridge over a water body. The western complex presents immersive exhibits on Sikh history, spirituality and culture through murals, paintings, artifacts and audio-visual installations, while the eastern complex houses auditoriums and temporary exhibition spaces. The architecture features hand-crafted sandstone, crescent and lotus-shaped roofs, and landscaped surroundings with views of Anandpur Sahib town and nearby hills. Visitors walk through chronological galleries with guided narration.

Virasat-e-Khalsa was conceived to commemorate 300 years of the Khalsa Panth founded by Guru Gobind Singh in 1699 at Anandpur Sahib. The foundation stone was laid in 1999 and the museum was inaugurated on 25 November 2011. It documents Sikh history from the 15th century onwards, including the teachings of the Sikh Gurus and the cultural heritage of Punjab, through curated galleries and exhibits.

The museum is a major centre for Sikh heritage and Punjabi culture, presenting the spiritual, artistic and social traditions of Sikhism to visitors. Located in Anandpur Sahib, one of the five Takhts of Sikhism, it serves as an educational and cultural landmark that preserves and interprets Sikh history, architecture, music and community values for domestic and international visitors.