Guru Granth Sahib

At a glance

History, context & interpretation

The text and its story

1,430 pages of hymns arranged by musical raga, by six Sikh Gurus and by Hindu and Muslim saints such as Kabir and Baba Farid. It is housed in the Golden Temple at Amritsar.

Traditional attribution

The eternal living Guru of the Sikhs.

Historical scholarship

Compiled by Guru Arjan in 1604; completed by Guru Gobind Singh, who declared it Guru in 1708.

Context and curiosity

Each night it is carried to a resting chamber and 'awakened' each morning.

Chronology and transmission

This text belongs to Jainism & Sikhism (Punjab). The catalogue gives its approximate dating as 1604 CE (Adi Granth); final form 1708 CE and original language or script as Gurmukhi (Punjabi, Braj, Sanskrit, Persian). The dated manuscript witnesses and traditional claims may not refer to the same historical event.

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Sources and further reading

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guru_Granth_Sahib

Historical descriptions are educational summaries. Religious traditions, scholarly interpretations and unverified claims are distinguished where possible; imagery may be illustrative rather than an artifact photograph.