Century-old water well at Miri Sikh temple to get new lease on life

Ting (squatting) having a better look at the underground well at Gurdwara Sahib Sikh Temple in Miri.

MIRI: A study will be conducted on an underground water well, which is believed to be more than 100 years old, at Gurdwara Sahib Sikh Temple here with a view to gazette it as a historical site, said Tourism, Arts and Culture Assistant Minister Datuk Sebastian Ting.

He said during a visit to the temple which is now undergoing renovation that once the well’s history is properly documented, arrangement would be made to have it gazetted.

The well, Ting said, was believed to be historically significant in Miri’s history as it had served the local community as well as the Japanese army during the occupation from 1941 to 1945 before it was finally sealed up.

“According to the members of the temple, this place was given to their ancestors who came here as soldiers. The Brooke government gave them the piece of land as a gesture of gratitude for their service and hence, it became a place of worship,

“It was only in 1919, where a land title was officially issued. Thus, calculating from the year of issuance, the temple is now 101 years old,” said the Piasau assemblyman.

With him during the visit was the temple’s president, Gurmokh Singh, treasurer and project director Gurvir Singh Sandhu, and Councillor Karambir Singh.

Gurvir said the well was sealed up for safety reasons and since there were now modern conveniences in the temple.

“In the early days, the well had served the community for many purposes, and was also used for holy water by the temple’s worshippers. As the utility services have improved, the well was sealed up to prevent any unwanted incident.

“With the rediscovery of several historical sites in Miri that were highlighted recently, it is high time for us to make a proper use of this well, by beautifying the area before reintroducing it to the public as a historical site,” said Gurvir.

Ting also checked on the progress of the new kitchen and classroom under construction at the temple with funds from the Unit for Other Religions (Unifor).

It was revealed that in the past three years, Gurdwara Sahib Sikh Temple had received RM360,000 from Unifor to be used for upgrading works.

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