Golden Temple Called 'Sunehri Mandir' Instead of Sri Harmandir Sahib On Signboard in Amritsar, NHAI Move Sparks Row

Amritsar, May 2: The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) sparked a huge row after a signboard on the Amritsar bypass in Punjab translated Golden Temple as 'Sunehri Mandir' in Gurmukhi. A picture of the signboard went viral on Wednesday with people pointing out that the Golden Temple is written as Sri Harmandir Sahib or Sri Darbar Sahib in Gurmukhi. There were angry reactions by members of the Sikh community on the social media with people calling out the NHAI for literal Hindi translation of Sri Harmandir Sahib. Amazon Slammed for Selling Doormats With Golden Temple Image; Removes After Backlash.

The SGPC stepped into the matter and raised an objection with the NHAI. "The Punjabi translation of the Golden Temple totally negates the spirit of the place," said SGPC member Kiranjot Kaur as quoted by India Today. "In the state of Punjab, when there's a sign talking about Sri Darbar Sahib, it should either be written as the Golden Temple in English or Sri Darbar Sahib in Gurmukhi," Kaur added.

Following the complaint, the NHAI wrote to its engineers and asked them to change the signboard. "This matter has been viewed very seriously by this office and you are directed to make corrections in the signboards with the consultation of the Golden Temple management committee on (an) urgent basis," the NHAI wrote.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 02, 2019 11:28 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).