Whereas the British Raj heralded the decline of Khalsa political regime, it also heralded decline in the Khalsa spiritual institutions. As the Akali Guru Hargobind-ordained Akalis were displaced from Akal Takht, the British instituted their own 'Sarbrah' (manager) to act as the chief administrator of the Golden Temple complex.

In times of British Raj, major Sikh shrines became the propaganda tools of British Empire.