Pilgrims and tourists wishing to enter the Harimandir Sahib first passed through a grand gateway known as the darshan deorhi.

Placed in prominent positions either side were two copper gilt plaques containing notices written in English and Punjabi (in the Gurmukhi script). These were fixed in place in 1879 shortly after the death of the second British-nominated sarbarah, Mangal Singh Ramgarhia, the great grand nephew of the famous warrior-statesman, Jassa Singh Ramgarhia, and a prominent soldier-administrator under Ranjit Singh.

Both of the notices commemorated the same miraculous incident that is said to have occurred early one morning in April 1877: a bolt of lightning appeared to fall from the sky and move through the Harimandir Sahib before returning to the heavens. With Queen Victoria having been proclaimed Empress of India only a few months earlier, it offered the perfect opportunity for the administration to impress the power of the British Empire on the minds of superstitious masses. As they thronged each day through the gateway, they read of a miracle ascribed to both their Guru and their Queen. Although the plaques are no longer extant, the full text of the English version read as follows:

It should be generally known that a wonderful event took place lately in the Golden Temple. This building was erected by the great Guru Ram Dass King of Kings and incarnation of Ram who gives blessings and receives worship from all creatures.

The following is an account of what occurred on the 30th of April 1877 at 4.30 a.m. about 400 persons according to ancient custom were praying in this Sri Durbar Sahib and listening to psalms whose music was almost drowned by the roar of thunder. Suddenly a flash of lightning fell from heaven and entered the holy place by the northern door close to the singers and musicians a ball of fire of about two seers in weight burst in the temple shining with dazzling terrible brightness. Then immediately after shining before the holy

book it returned to the sky through the southern entrance and although it fell with such awful violence and so loud a report yet there was no injury caused to the durbar Sahib or to human life. Therefore all who were assembled joined in ascribing this miracle to Ram Dass who dedicated this temple to Hari. We think it is also a sign of the great prosperity of the British rule also we are thankful to the Empress of India we pray to the creator of all things for a daily increase in their happy influence and for the destruction of all the enemies of her Imperial Majesty. The government inspector waited on the Comr. [Commissioner of Punjab] and informed him of this remarkable event. The following gentlemen viz the Commissioner Rajah Surat Singh Sardar General Gulab Singh Bhagowalia Sardar Mangal Singh Ramgharia and all the worshippers agreed:—That

money being collected by friends of the Golden Temple half should be given towards the support of the sacred edifice and half to pay for a dinner to the poor Sufficient money was gathered to pay for seven readings of the Granth Sahib and to feed some thousands of poor people who all expressed their gratitude. This notice is also intended as a memorial of the superintendent Sardar Mangal Singh over the Sri Darbar Sahib of Hari and as a

remembrance of the miracle of Guru Ram Dass and the prosperity of our rulers which we pray may last to the end of time B.K. [1]

The eulogy to British imperialism in the final sentence was intended to serve as a potent reminder of the permanency of the Empire’s writ. Yet neither the prosperity of the British Raj in Punjab nor the plaques themselves were to last forever. Shortly after the English notice was removed in the early part of the 20th century, the sunset of the Raj soon followed.

1. Quoted in John Campbell Oman, Cults, Customs and Superstitions of India. London: T. F. Unwin (1908), 99–100.