Virasat-e-Khalsa (Punjabi: ਵਿਰਾਸਤ-ਏ-ਖਾਲਸਾ, formerly known as Khalsa Heritage Memorial Complex) is a museum located in Anandpur Sahib. The museum gives an insight to the events that took place in Punjab five hundred years ago that gave birth to Sikhism and finally the Khalsa Panth. The museum aims to illuminate the vision of the Gurus, their message of peace and brotherhood and the culture and heritage of Punjab. The museum is intended to commemorate 500 years of Sikh history and the 300th anniversary of the Khalsa, the scriptures written by the 10th and last living Guru of Sikhism, Guru Gobind Singh.
After thirteen years of construction it was inaugurated on November 25, 2011 and opened to the public on November 27, 2011.
There are two complexes at each side of a ravine, connected by a ceremonial bridge:
- The smaller western complex includes an entrance plaza, an auditorium with 400 seating-capacity, two-story research and reference library, and changing exhibition galleries.
- The eastern complex contains a round memorial building as well as extensive, permanent exhibition space, consisting of two clusters of galleries that try to evoke the fortress architecture of the region (most evident in a nearby Gurudwara) and form a dramatic silhouette against the surrounding cliff terrain. The gathering of the galleries in groups of five reflects the Five Virtues, a central tenet of Sikhism.
The buildings are constructed of poured-in-place concrete; some beams and columns remain exposed, though a great deal of the structures will be clad in a local honey-colored stone. The rooftops are stainless steel-clad and exhibit a double curvature: they gather and reflect the sky while a series of dams in the ravine create pools that reflect the entire complex at night.
The building was designed by Moshe Safdie and Associates.