Sikh Reference Library

Sikh Reference Library
The entrance of the library
31°37′09″N 74°52′35″E / 31.619268432138938°N 74.87647883793478°E / 31.619268432138938; 74.87647883793478
Location	Amritsar, Punjab, India
Scope	Mainly Sikhism and Punjab, but also contained works on various other topics
Established	27 October 1946
Dissolved	7 June 1984, Operation Blue Star Later revived and continues in operation to present-day
Branch of	Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC)
Collection
Size	Estimated 20,000 total literary works just prior to its destruction in June 1984 Revived library estimated to contain 24,540 books in 2017
Other information
Affiliation	Golden Temple complex Sikh History Research Board of the SGPC

The Sikh Reference Library was a repository of an estimated 20,000 literary works located in the Darbar Sahib (Golden Temple) at Amritsar, Punjab which was destroyed during Operation Blue Star.^[1][2][3] In 1984, the library's contents were confiscated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the empty building allegedly burned to the ground by the Indian Army on 7 June. In recent years the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) has attempted to recover the looted material but has not yet recovered substantial materials. To date, the status of library manuscripts and artifacts is unclear; the vast majority remain in the hands of the government, a few office files and passports were returned, and as many as 117 items were destroyed for being "seditious" materials.^[1] After the events of Operation Blue Star, the library was revived and its current collection has surpassed the total contents of the original library.