Moshe Safdie-Designed Khalsa Heritage Centre is Inaugurated in India Today

The <a href="http://www.msafdie.com/#/projects/khalsaheritagecentre" target="_blank">Khalsa Heritage Centre</a> is a gorgeous new museum celebrating the Sikh people that was inaugurated today in the holy town of Anandpur Sahib, India. Designed by renowned architect <a href="http://www.msafdie.com/" target="_blank">Moshe Safdie</a>, the sandstone cultural center and museum is deeply rooted in the surrounding landscape and takes inspiration from regional architecture and the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sikhism" target="_blank">Sikh religion</a>. Local sandstone was used in the construction of the center, which includes exhibition space, a library, an auditorium, and archives. The grand structure celebrates 500 years of Sikh history and the 300th anniversary of the Khalsa, the scriptures written by the tenth and last Sikh guru, Gobind Singh, founder of the modern Sikh faith.

The new <a href="http://inhabitat.com/tag/cultural-centre">cultural centre</a> is located in the capital city of the Punjab state and situated on a 75-acre site overlooking the town.

Divided into two sections that straddle a ravine, the memorial is joined by a 540-ft long pedestrian bridge over a network of reflecting pools.

The western side, which is connected directly to the town, features exhibition galleries, a two-level library centered around a grand reading room that overlooks the water gardens, a facility for storing rare archival materials, and a 400-seat auditorium.

The eastern side houses permanent exhibitions presenting Sikh history, religion, and culture.

Rising from the cliffs below, the building is clad with locally-sourced sandstone and evokes the fortress cities of Rajasthan, Gwalior, and Punjab.

The galleries are arranged in groups of five and reference the Five Virtues of Sikh religion.

Themes such as the earth and sky, mass and lightness, and depth and ascension are represented in the museum's sandstone towers and reflective, sweeping roofs.

These dramatic peaked roofs, which are clad in stainless steel, reflect the sky and direct light towards the town and are inspired by the nearby Himalayan mountains.

The roofs were also designed in counterpoint to the rich tradition of gold domes that crown sacred Sikh buildings such as the <a href="http://www.sacred-destinations.com/india/golden-temple-of-amritsar" target="_blank">Golden Temple in Amritsar</a>.

Safdie began designing the museum back in 1997 and finally sees his efforts come to fruition on November 25, 2011 for the inauguration, when it will be dedicated to the nation by Sardar Parkash Singh Badal, the Honorable Chief Minister of Punjab.

Early drawings for the museum and cultural centre.