1.
Punjabi language
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Punjabi /pʌnˈdʒɑːbi/ is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by over 100 million native speakers worldwide, making it the 10th most widely spoken language in the world. It is the language of the Punjabi people who inhabit the historical Punjab region of India. Among the Indo-European languages it is unusual in being a tonal language, Punjabi is the most widely spoken language in Pakistan, the 11th most widely spoken in India and the third-most spoken native language in the Indian Subcontinent. Punjabi is the fourth-most spoken language in the United Kingdom and third-most spoken native language in Canada, the language also has a significant presence in the United Arab Emirates, United States, Saudi Arabia, and Australia. The Punjabi language is written in the Shahmukhi and Gurmukhi scripts, the word Punjabi is derived from the word Panj-āb, Persian for Five Waters, referring to the five major eastern tributaries of the Indus River. Panj is cognate with Sanskrit pañca and Greek πέντε five, the historical Punjab region, now divided between India and Pakistan, is defined physiographically by the Indus River and these five tributaries. One of the five, the Beas River, is a tributary of another, Punjabi developed from Sanskrit through Prakrit language and later Apabhraṃśa From 600 BC Sanskrit gave birth to many regional languages in different parts of India. These all languages are called Prakrit language collectively, Shauraseni Prakrit was one of these Prakrit languages, which was spoken in north and north-western India and Punjabi and western dialects of Hindi developed from this Prakrit. Later in northern India Shauraseni Prakrit gave rise to Shauraseni Aparbhsha, Punjabi emerged as an Apabhramsha, a degenerated form of Prakrit, in the 7th century A. D. and became stable by the 10th century. By the 10th century, many Nath poets were associated with earlier Punjabi works, Arabic and Persian influence in the historical Punjab region began with the late first millennium Muslim conquests on the Indian subcontinent. The Persian language was introduced in the subcontinent a few centuries later by various Persianized Central Asian Turkic, many Persian and Arabic words were incorporated in Punjabi. Punjabi has more Persian and Arabic vocabulary than Bengali, Marathi, later, it was influenced by Portuguese and English, though these influences have been minor in comparison to Persian and Arabic. However, in India English words in the language are more widespread than Hindi. Punjabi is the most widely spoken language in Pakistan, the seventh-most widely spoken in India, Punjabi is the most widely spoken language in Pakistan. Punjabi is the language in the Punjab Province of Pakistan. Punjabi is spoken as a language by over 44. 15% of Pakistanis. About 70. 0% of the people of Pakistan speak Punjabi as either their first or second language, Lahore, the capital of the Punjab Province of Pakistan, is the largest Punjabi-speaking city in the world. 86% of the population of Lahore is native Punjabi and Islamabad
2.
Sikhism
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Sikhism, or Sikhi, is a panentheistic religion that originated in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent during the 15th century. It is one of the youngest of the world religions. Sikhism has 25-28 million adherents worldwide and is the ninth-largest religion in the world, Sikhism is based on the spiritual teachings of Guru Nanak, the first Guru, and the ten successive Sikh gurus. Guru Nanak established Kartarpur around 1520 and gathered the original core of the Sikh Panth there, an Indian religion, Sikhism rejects claims that any particular religious tradition has a monopoly on Absolute Truth. Sikhism emphasizes simran, that can be expressed musically through kirtan or internally through Nam Japo as a means to feel Gods presence, hand in hand, secular life is considered to be intertwined with the spiritual life. He also established the system of the langar, or communal kitchen, Guru Hargobind, the sixth Sikh Guru, established the political/temporal and spiritual realms to be mutually coexistent. The development of Sikhism was influenced by the Bhakti movement, however, Sikhism developed while the region was being ruled by the Mughal Empire. Two of the Sikh gurus – Guru Arjan and Guru Tegh Bahadur, the Islamic era persecution of Sikhs triggered the founding of the Khalsa, as an order for freedom of conscience and religion. A Sikh is expected to embody the qualities of a Sant-Sipāhī – a saint-soldier, the majority of Sikh scriptures were originally written in Gurmukhī alphabet, a script standardised by Guru Angad out of Laṇḍā scripts used in North India. Adherents of Sikhism are known as Sikhs, which means students or disciples of the Guru, the anglicized word Sikhism is derived from the Punjabi verb Sikhi, with roots in Sikhana, and Sikhi connotes the temporal path of learning. Sikhism is a religion and states that there is one supreme entity holding control of the entire universe. This entity is referred to as Ik Onkar, the basis of Sikhism lies in the teachings of Guru Nanak and his successors. The essence of Sikh teaching is summated by Guru Nanaks words, Sikh teaching emphasizes the principle of equality of all humans and rejects discrimination on the basis of caste, creed, and gender. Sikh principles encourage living life as a householder, Sikhism is a monistic form of monotheistic religion. In Sikhism, the concept of God is Vāhigurū—is shapeless, timeless, and invisible, niraṅkār, akaal, the beginning of the first composition of Sikh scripture is the figure 1—signifying the universality of God. It states that God is omnipresent and infinite with power over everything, Sikhs believe that before creation, all that existed was God and Gods hukam. God in Sikhism is known as Ik Onkar, the One Supreme Reality or the all-pervading spirit and this spirit has no gender in Sikhism, though translations may present it as masculine. It is also Akaal Purkh and Nirankar, in addition, Nanak wrote that there are many worlds on which it has created life
3.
Guru Nanak
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Guru Nanak was the founder of Sikhism and the first of the ten Sikh Gurus. His birth is celebrated world-wide as Guru Nanak Gurpurab on Kartik Pooranmashi, Guru Nanak has been called one of the greatest religious innovators of all time. He travelled far and wide teaching people the message of one God who dwells in one of His creations. He set up a spiritual, social, and political platform based on equality, fraternal love, goodness. Nanak was born on 15 April 1469 at Rāi Bhoi Kī Talvaṇḍī near Lahore and his parents were Kalyan Chand Das Bedi, popularly shortened to Mehta Kalu, and Mata Tripta. His father was the local patwari for crop revenue in the village of Talwandi and his parents were both Hindus and belonged to the merchant caste. He had one sister, Bebe Nanaki, who was five years older than he was, in 1475 she married and moved to Sultanpur. Nanak was attached to his sister and followed her to Sultanpur to live with her and her husband, at the age of around 16 years, Nanak started working under Daulat Khan Lodi, employer of Nanakis husband. This was a time for Nanak, as the Puratan Janam Sakhi suggests. According to Sikh traditions, the birth and early years of Guru Nanaks life were marked with events that demonstrated that Nanak had been marked by divine grace. Commentaries on his life details of his blossoming awareness from a young age. At the age of five, Nanak is said to have voiced interest in divine subjects, at age seven, his father enrolled him at the village school as was the custom. On 24 September 1487 Nanak married Mata Sulakkhani, daughter of Mūl Chand and Chando Rāṇī, the couple had two sons, Sri Chand and Lakhmi Chand. Sri Chand received enlightenment from Guru Nanaks teachings and went on to become the founder of the Udasi sect, the earliest biographical sources on Nanaks life recognised today are the Janamsākhīs. Bhai Gurdas, a scribe of the Gurū Granth Sahib, also wrote about Nanaks life in his vārs, although these too were compiled some time after Nanaks time, they are less detailed than the Janamsākhīs. The Janamsākhīs recount in minute detail the circumstances of the birth of the guru, gyan-ratanavali is attributed to Bhai Mani Singh who wrote it with the express intention of correcting heretical accounts of Guru Nanak. Bhai Mani Singh was a Sikh of Guru Gobind Singh who was approached by some Sikhs with a request that he should prepare an account of Guru Nanak’s life. At the end of the Janam-sakhi there is an epilogue in which it is stated that the work was taken to Guru Gobind Singh for his seal of approval
4.
Vaisakhi
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Vaisakhi, also known as Baisakhi, Vaishakhi, or Vasakhi is a historical and religious festival in Sikhism. It is usually celebrated on April 13 or 14 every year, Vaisakhi marks the Sikh new year and commemorates the formation of Khalsa panth of warriors under Guru Gobind Singh in 1699. It is additionally a spring harvest festival for the Sikhs, Vaisakhi is an ancient festival of Hindus, marking the Solar New Year and also celebrating the spring harvest. It marks the sacredness of rivers in Hindu culture, it is known by many names. Vaisakhi observes major events in the history of Sikhism and the Indian subcontinent that happened in the Punjab region and this triggered the coronation of the tenth Guru of Sikhism and the historic formation of Khalsa, both on the Vaisakhi day. Vaisakhi was also the day when colonial British empire officials committed the Jallianwala Bagh massacre on a gathering and this festival in Hinduism is known by various regional names. Vaisakhi is traditionally observed on 13 or 14 April, every year, the festival is important to both Sikhs and Hindus. Vaisakhi is one of the three Hindu festivals chosen by Guru Amar Das to be celebrated by Sikhs, the Gurus martyrdom triggered the coronation of the tenth and last Guru of Sikhism, and the formation of the sant-sipahi group of Khalsa, both on the Vaisakhi day. This gave rise to the Vaisakhi or Baisakhi festival being observed as a celebration of Khalsa panth formation and is known as Khalsa Sirjana Divas. The festival is celebrated on Vaisakhi day, since 1699, the Birth of the Khalsa Panth was either on 13 April 1699 or 30 March 1699. Since 2003, the Sikh Gurdwara Prabhandak Committee named it Baisakh, a special celebration takes place at Talwandi Sabo, in the Gurudwara at Anandpur Sahib the birthplace of the Khalsa, and at the Golden Temple in Amritsar. Vaisakhi has been the traditional Sikh New Year, according to the Khalsa sambat, the Khalsa calendar starts from the day of the creation of the Khalsa-1 Vaisakh 1756 Bikrami. It is observed throughout the Punjab region, Sikhs communities organise processions called nagar kirtan. These are led by five khalsa who are dressed up as Panj Pyaras, the people who march sing, make music, chant hymns from the Sikh texts. Major processions also carry a copy of the Guru Granth Sahib in reverence, Vaisakhi is a harvest festival for people of the Punjab region. In the Punjab, Vaisakhi marks the ripening of the rabi harvest, Vaisakhi also marks the Punjabi new year. This day is observed as a day by farmers whereby farmers pay their tribute, thanking God for the abundant harvest. The harvest festival is celebrated by Sikhs and Punjabi Hindus, historically, during the early 20th century, Vaisakhi was a sacred day for Sikhs and Hindus and a secular festival for all Muslims and non-Muslims including Punjabi Christians
5.
Sikh gurus
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The Sikh gurus the strong and powerful established Sikhism, which started as a minor religion, but developed into a prominent religion over the centuries. No guru comes to start a religion, but religions are formed around the teachings, as is the case since the Sikh gurus appeared, Guru Nanak was the first of the recognized Sikh gurus. There were ten recognized living gurus in the Nanak line, modern Sikhism believes the Adi Granth or Granth Sahib, the writings of the gurus, to now be the guru. This belief has been integrated alongside the writings of Sikh gurus, modern Sikhism says that the Tenth Guru Guru Gobind Singh bestowed the guruship forever to the Guru Granth Sahib. Akhara History of Sikhism Khalsa Panth Udasi sikhs. org sikh-history. com srigurugranthsahib. org
6.
New Year
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New Year is the time at which a new calendar year begins and the calendars year count increments by one. Many cultures celebrate the event in some manner and the 1st day of January is often marked as a national holiday, in the Gregorian calendar, the most widely used calendar system today, New Year occurs on 1 January. This was also the case both in the old Roman calendar and in the Julian calendar that succeeded it, other calendars have been used historically in different parts of the world, some calendars count years numerically, while others do not. Beginning in 1582, the adoptions of the Gregorian calendar and changes to the Old Style and New Style dates meant the local dates for New Years Day changed to using one fixed date. The widespread official adoption of the Gregorian calendar and marking January 1 as the beginning of a new year is almost global now, regional or local use of other calendars continue, along with the cultural and religious practices that accompany them. In Latin America, various native cultures continue the observation of traditions according to their own calendars, israel, China, India and other countries, continue to celebrate New Year on different dates. The most common dates of modern New Years celebrations are listed below,1 January, The first day of the civil year in the Gregorian calendar used by most countries. Contrary to common belief in the west, the civil New Year of January 1 is not an Orthodox Christian religious holiday, the Eastern Orthodox liturgical calendar makes no provision for the observance of a New Year. January 1 is itself a religious holiday, but that is because it is the feast of the circumcision of Christ, while the liturgical calendar begins September 1, there is also no particular religious observance attached to the start of the new cycle. Orthodox nations may, however, make civil celebrations for the New Year and those that adhere to the revised Julian calendar, including Bulgaria, Cyprus, Egypt, Greece, Romania, Syria, and Turkey, observe both the religious and civil holidays on January 1. The Chinese New Year, also known as the Lunar New Year, occurs every year on the new moon of the first lunar month, the exact date can fall any time between 21 January and 21 February of the Gregorian Calendar. Traditionally, years were marked by one of twelve Earthly Branches, represented by an animal, and one of ten Heavenly Stems and this combination cycles every 60 years. It is the most important Chinese celebration of the year, the Korean New Year is a Seollal, or Lunar New Year’s Day. Although January 1 is, in fact, the first day of the year, Seollal, celebration of the Lunar New Year is believed to have started to let in good luck and ward off bad spirits all throughout the year. With the old year out and a new one in, people gather at home and sit around with their families and relatives, catching up on what they have been doing. The Vietnamese New Year is the Tết Nguyên Đán which most times is the day as the Chinese New Year due to the Vietnamese using the Lunar Calendar. The Tibetan New Year is Losar and falls from January through March, the Mizo in northeast India celebrate their Pawl kut. 29-30 sep Babylonian New Year began with the first New Moon after the Northward equinox. Ancient celebrations lasted for eleven days, nava Varsha is celebrated in India in various regions in March–April
7.
Gregorian calendar
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The Gregorian calendar is internationally the most widely used civil calendar. It is named after Pope Gregory XIII, who introduced it in October 1582, the calendar was a refinement to the Julian calendar involving a 0. 002% correction in the length of the year. The motivation for the reform was to stop the drift of the calendar with respect to the equinoxes and solstices—particularly the northern vernal equinox, transition to the Gregorian calendar would restore the holiday to the time of the year in which it was celebrated when introduced by the early Church. The reform was adopted initially by the Catholic countries of Europe, the last European country to adopt the reform was Greece, in 1923. Many countries that have used the Islamic and other religious calendars have come to adopt this calendar for civil purposes. The reform was a modification of a made by Aloysius Lilius. His proposal included reducing the number of years in four centuries from 100 to 97. Lilius also produced an original and practical scheme for adjusting the epacts of the moon when calculating the date of Easter. For example, the years 1700,1800, and 1900 are not leap years, but the years 1600 and 2000 are. The canonical Easter tables were devised at the end of the third century, when the vernal equinox fell either on 20 March or 21 March depending on the years position in the leap year cycle. As the rule was that the full moon preceding Easter was not to precede the equinox, the date was fixed at 21 March for computational purposes, the Gregorian calendar reproduced these conditions by removing ten days. To unambiguously specify a date, dual dating or Old Style, dual dating gives two consecutive years for a given date, because of differences in the starting date of the year, and/or to give both the Julian and the Gregorian dates. The Gregorian calendar continued to use the calendar era, which counts years from the traditional date of the nativity. This year-numbering system, also known as Dionysian era or Common Era, is the predominant international standard today, the Gregorian calendar is a solar calendar. A regular Gregorian year consists of 365 days, but as in the Julian calendar, in a leap year, in the Julian calendar a leap year occurs every 4 years, but the Gregorian calendar omits 3 leap days every 400 years. In the Julian calendar, this day was inserted by doubling 24 February. In the modern period, it has become customary to number the days from the beginning of the month, some churches, notably the Roman Catholic Church, delay February festivals after the 23rd by one day in leap years. Gregorian years are identified by consecutive year numbers, the cycles repeat completely every 146,097 days, which equals 400 years
8.
Tropical year
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Because of the precession of the equinoxes, the seasonal cycle does not remain exactly synchronized with the position of the Earth in its orbit around the Sun. As a consequence, the year is about 20 minutes shorter than the time it takes Earth to complete one full orbit around the Sun as measured with respect to the fixed stars. Since antiquity, astronomers have progressively refined the definition of the tropical year, the entry for year, tropical in the Astronomical Almanac Online Glossary 2015 states, the period of time for the ecliptic longitude of the Sun to increase 360 degrees. The mean tropical year is approximately 365 days,5 hours,48 minutes,45 seconds, an equivalent, more descriptive, definition is The natural basis for computing passing tropical years is the mean longitude of the Sun reckoned from the precessionally moving equinox. Whenever the longitude reaches a multiple of 360 degrees the mean Sun crosses the vernal equinox, the mean tropical year in 2000 was 365.24219 ephemeris days, each ephemeris day lasting 86,400 SI seconds. This is 365.24217 mean solar days, the word tropical comes from the Greek tropikos meaning turn. Thus, the tropics of Cancer and Capricorn mark the north and south latitudes where the Sun can appear directly overhead. Because of this connection between the tropics and the cycle of the apparent position of the Sun, the word tropical also lent its name to the tropical year. The early Chinese, Hindus, Greeks, and others made approximate measures of the tropical year, in the 2nd century BC Hipparchus measured the time required for the Sun to travel from an equinox to the same equinox again. He reckoned the length of the year to be 1/300 of a day less than 365.25 days, Hipparchus used this method because he was better able to detect the time of the equinoxes, compared to that of the solstices. He reckoned the value as 1° per century, a value that was not improved upon until about 1000 years later, since this discovery a distinction has been made between the tropical year and the sidereal year. During the Middle Ages and Renaissance a number of progressively better tables were published that allowed computation of the positions of the Sun, Moon, an important application of these tables was the reform of the calendar. The length of the year was given as 365 solar days 5 hours 49 minutes 16 seconds. This length was used in devising the Gregorian calendar of 1582, in the 16th century Copernicus put forward a heliocentric cosmology. This was actually less accurate than the value of the Alfonsine Tables. Major advances in the 17th century were made by Johannes Kepler, in 1609 and 1619 Kepler published his three laws of planetary motion. In 1627, Kepler used the observations of Tycho Brahe and Waltherus to produce the most accurate tables up to that time and he evaluated the mean tropical year as 365 solar days,5 hours,48 minutes,45 seconds. Newtons three laws of dynamics and theory of gravity were published in his Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica in 1687 and these effects did not begin to be understood until Newtons time
9.
Sidereal year
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A sidereal year is the time taken by the Earth to orbit the Sun once with respect to the fixed stars. Hence it is also the time taken for the Sun to return to the position with respect to the fixed stars after apparently travelling once around the ecliptic. It equals 365.25636 SI days for the J2000.0 epoch, the sidereal year differs from the tropical year, the period of time required for the ecliptic longitude of the sun to increase 360 degrees, due to the precession of the equinoxes. The sidereal year is 20 min 24.5 s longer than the tropical year at J2000.0. Before the discovery of the precession of the equinoxes by Hipparchus in the Hellenistic period, anomalistic year Gaussian year Orbital period Julian year Precession Sidereal time Tropical year
10.
Gurbani
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Gurbani is a Sikh term, very commonly used by Sikhs to refer to various compositions by the Sikh Gurus and other writers of Guru Granth Sahib. In general, hymns in the text of the Sikhs. Among Amritdhari Sikhs, a few texts from Dasam Granth which are read as Nitnem, like Tav-Prasad Savaiye, in Adi Granth, Gurbani is a sound which comes directly from the Supreme and the text is a written form of the same in worldly language and scripts. It is also called Gun Bani, Gurbani are explanations of qualities of the Primal Lord and Soul which a Sikh should comprehend and with which he can attain the supreme state. Gurbani is composed of two words, Gur and Bani, Gur has multiple meanings depending on context. In Guru Granth Sahib, Gur is used for multiple meanings, the common use of Gur is either for wisdom and internal conscious mind. Thereby Gurbani either means the speech of wisdom or the speech of conscious mind, Gurbani is directly received from inside after attaining a Supreme state, whereas the Granth or textual form is worldly language of the same. Gurbani is also referred to as Dhur Ki Bani, in Adi Granth, it is considered a source of spiritual knowledge which illuminates the mind and gives internal bliss. The one who comprehends Gurbani is also described as an Amritdhari, Gurbani is a source of truth with which the internal filth and sins get eradicated and one who find Gurbani sweet is in supreme state. Extracts from Guru Granth Sahib are called Gutkas containing sections of Gurbani and these Gutkas can vary from just a few pages to hundreds of pages and are used by the Sikhs to read these Banis on a daily basis. The hymns of the Japji Sahib, Jaap Sahib, Tav-Prasad Savaiye, Chaupai Sahib and these are recited by initiated Sikhs at Amritvela. Rehras is read in the evening around sunset or after a days work, doing Nitnem is also commonly referred as doing paath. Japji Sahib, Anand Sahib, and Kirtan Sohila are a part of Guru Granth Sahib, Jaap Sahib, Tav-Prasad Savaiye, and Chaupai Sahib were all compiled by Guru Gobind Singh and found in the Dasam Granth. Rehras is a mix with hymns from both Guru Granth Sahib and Dasam Granth, a Sikh may add more Gurbani to their Nitnem and if done frequently that Gurbani becomes a part of their Nitnem
11.
Guru Granth Sahib
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Guru Granth Sahib is the central religious scripture of Sikhism, regarded by Sikhs as the final, sovereign and eternal living Guru following the lineage of the ten human Gurus of the religion. The Adi Granth, the first rendition, was compiled by the fifth Sikh Guru, Guru Arjan and this second rendition became known as Guru Granth Sahib. After Guru Gobind Singh died, Baba Deep Singh and Bhai Mani Singh prepared many copies of the work for distribution, the text consists of 1430 Angs and 6,000 śabads, which are poetically rendered and set to a rhythmic ancient north Indian classical form of music. The bulk of the scripture is classified into thirty-one rāgas, with each Granth rāga subdivided according to length, the hymns in the scripture are arranged primarily by the rāgas in which they are read. Guru Granth Sahib is predominantly composed by six Sikh Gurus, Guru Nanak, Guru Angad, Guru Amar Das, Guru Ram Das, Guru Arjan, and Guru Teg Bahadur. It also contains the traditions and teachings of fourteen Hindu Bhakti movement sants, such as Ramananda, Kabir and Namdev among others, the vision in the Guru Granth Sahib, states Torkel Brekke, is a society based on divine justice without oppression of any kind. While the Granth acknowledges and respects the scriptures of Hinduism and Islam and it is installed in a Sikh gurdwara, many Sikhs bow or prostrate before it on entering the temple. The Granth is revered as eternal gurbānī and the authority in Sikhism. During the guruship of Guru Nanak, collections of his hymns were compiled and his successor, Guru Angad, began collecting his predecessors writings. This tradition was continued by the third and fifth gurus as well, in order to prevent spurious scriptures from gaining legitimacy, Guru Arjan began compiling a sacred book for the Sikh community. In addition, he sent disciples to go across the country to find and he also invited members of other religions and contemporary religious writers to submit writings for possible inclusion. Guru Arjan selected hymns for inclusion into the book, and Bhai Gurdas acted as his scribe, while the manuscript was being put together, Akbar, the Mughal Emperor, received a report that the manuscript contained passages vilifying Islam. Therefore, while travelling north, he stopped en route and asked to inspect it, Baba Buddha and Bhai Gurdas brought him a copy of the manuscript as it then existed. After choosing three random passages to be read, Akbar decided that this report had been false, in 1604 Guru Arjans manuscript was completed and installed at the Harmandir Sahib with Baba Buddha as the first granthi, or reader. Since communities of Sikh disciples were scattered all over northern India, the sixth, seventh, and eighth gurus did not write religious verses, however, the ninth guru, Guru Tegh Bahadur, did. The tenth guru, Guru Gobind Singh, included Guru Tegh Bahadurs writings into the Guru Granth Sahibbut did not include any of his own verses in the Guru Granth Sahib. The religious verses of Guru Gobind Singh were not included in Guru Granth Sahib, but some of his religious verses are included in the daily prayers of Sikhs. During this period, Bhai Mani Singh also collected Guru Gobind Singhs writings, as well as his court poets, and included them in a secondary religious volume, today known as the Dasam Granth Sahib
12.
Akal Takht
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The Akal Takht, meaning throne of the timeless one, is one of five takhts of the Sikh religion. It is located in the Harmandir Sahib complex in Amritsar, Panjab, the current Jathedar of Akal Takht is Giani Gurbachan Singh. Along with Baba Buddha and Bhai Gurdas, the sixth Sikh Guru built a 9 foot high concrete slab, when Guru Hargobind revealed the platform on 15 June 1606, he put on two swords, one indicated his spiritual authority and the other, his temporal authority. In the 18th century, Ahmed Shah Abdali and Massa Rangar led a series of attacks on the Akal Takht, hari Singh Nalwa, a general of Ranjit Singh, the maharaja, decorated the Akhal Takht with gold. On 4 June 1984, the Akal Takht was damaged when the Indian Army stormed Harmandir Sahib during Operation Blue Star, the Akal Takht was built on a site where there existed only a high mound of earth across a wide open space. It was a place where Hargobind played as a child, the original Takht was a simple platform,3.5 metres high, on which Guru Hargobind would sit in court to receive petitions and administer justice. He was surrounded by insignia of royalty such as the parasol, later, there was an open-air semi-circular structure built on marble pillars and a gilded interior section. There were also painted wall panels depicting Europeans, the modern building is a five story structure with marble inlay and a gold-leafed dome. Three of the stories were added by Ranjit Singh in the 1700s, contemporary restoration work found a layer of paint decorated lime plaster that might have been part of the original structure but later than the time of Harminder. In the process, many other Sikh Gurdwaras were destroyed, the Indian government began to rebuild the Akal Takht. Sikhs called the new structure the Sarkari Takht to indicate it had built by the government and was not Akal. The Sikh home minister, Buta Singh, was excommunicated for his role in building the new Takht and he was accepted back into the community after a period of penitence. In 1986, the Sikhs called the Sarbat Khalsa in which it declared Khalistan as the homeland of the Sikhs, in 1986, Sikhs at Amritsar decided to demolish the sarkari takht and build a new Akal Takht through the Sikh tradition of Kar Seva and self-service. In 1995, a new, larger Takht was completed, Jathedar of Akal Takht Harjinder Singh Dilgeer The Akal Takht, Sikh University Press,1980. Harjinder Singh Dilgeer Sikh Twareekh Vich Akal Takht Sahib Da Role, Harjinder Singh Dilgeer Akal Takht Sahib, concept and role, Sikh University Press 2005. Harjinder Singh Dilgeer Sikh Twareekh, Sikh University Press 2008, mohinder Singh Josh Akal Takht Tay is da Jathedar 2005. Nomination of Sri Harimandir Sahib for inclusion on the UNESCO World Heritage List Vol.1 Nomination Dossier, the Sikh religion, Its gurus sacred writings and authors Low Price Publications,1903. WorldGurudwara. com Akal Takht, Amritsar established in 1606 Takht Sri Darbar Sahib Akal Takht Shri Akaal Takhat images
13.
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh
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The RSS is one of the principal organizations of the Sangh Parivar group. Founded on 27 September 1925, the organisation is the worlds largest voluntary missionary organization, the initial impetus was to provide character training through Hindu discipline and to unite the Hindu community to form a Hindu Rashtra. The organisation carries the ideal of upholding Indian culture and civilizational values and it drew initial inspiration from European right-wing groups during World War II. RSS was founded in 1925 by Keshav Baliram Hedgewar, a doctor in the city of Nagpur and he had been charged with sedition in 1921 by the British Administration and was imprisoned for one year. Hedgewar was educated by his elder brother and he then decided to study medicine in Calcutta, West Bengal. He was sent there by B. S. Moonje in 1910 to pursue his medical studies, there he lived with Shyam Sundar Chakravarthy and learned the techniques of fighting from secret revolutionary organisations like the Anushilan Samiti and Jugantar in Bengal. He is said to have joined Anushilan Samiti and he had contacts with revolutionaries like Ram Prasad Bismil. Previously he was involved in type of revolutionary activities, a fact disclosed by writers such as viz. C. P. Bhishikar, M. S. Golwalkar, K. S. Sudarshan. After completing his studies and graduating, he returned to Nagpur, in his memoirs, the third chief of RSS, Balasahab Deoras narrates an incident when Hedgewar saved him and others from following the path of Bhagat Singh and his comrades. Later he left the organisations in the year 1925 and formed the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. The RSS first met in 1925 just after two months of Kakori train robbery in a ground of Nagpur with 5-6 persons on Vijaya Dashami. After the formation of the RSS, Hedgewar kept the organisation away from having any direct affiliation to any of the political organisations then fighting British rule, but Hedgewar and his team of volunteers, took part in the Indian National Congress, led movements against the British rule. Hedgewar was arrested in the Jungle Satyagraha agitation in 1931 and served a term in prison. During World War II RSS leaders openly admired Adolf Hitler, Madhav Sadashiv Golwalkar, who became the supreme leader of the RSS after Hedgewar, drew inspiration from Adolf Hitlers ideology of race purity. RSS leaders were supportive of the Jewish State of Israel, including Savarkar himself, Golwalkar admired Jews for maintaining their religion, culture and language. The RSS, which portrays itself as a movement, stayed away from the Indian independence movement. It also rejected Gandhis willingness to cooperate with the Muslims, after founding the organisation, K. B. Hedgewar started the tradition of keeping the RSS away from the Indian Independence movement. Any political activity that could be construed as being anti-British was carefully avoided, according to the RSS biographer C. P. Bhishikar, Hedgewar only talked about Hindu organisation avoiding any direct comment on the Government
14.
Shiromani Akali Dal
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The Shiromani Akali Dal, Punjabi, ਸ਼੍ਰੋਮਣੀ ਅਕਾਲੀ ਦਲ translation, Supreme Akali Party) is a Sikhism-centric political party in India. There are a number of parties with the name Shiromani Akali Dal. The party recognised as Shiromani Akali Dal by the Election Commission of India is the one led by Sukhbir Singh Badal and it controls Sikh religious bodies Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee, Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee and is the largest and most influential Sikh political party worldwide. The basic philosophy of Akali Dal is to give voice to Sikh issues and it believes that religion. Akali Dal was formed on 14 Dec 1920 as a force of the Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee. The Akali Dal considers itself the representative of Sikhs. Sardar Sarmukh Singh Chubbal was the first president of a unified proper Akali Dal, the party launched the Punjabi Suba movement, demanding a state with majority of Punjabi speaking people, out of undivided East Punjab under the leadership of Sant Fateh Singh. In 1966, the present Punjab was formed, Akali Dal came to power in the new Punjab, but early governments didnt live long due to internal conflicts and power struggles within the party. Later, party strengthened and party governments completed full term, the current Punjab government is formed by Akali Dal in partnership with its regional and national ally Bharatiya Janata Party. It has 59 members in Punjab Legislative Assembly and combined with 12 of BJP, Akali Dal has absolute majority since 2015. Party patron and ex-president Parkash Singh Badal is the Chief Minister of Punjab, the party has 4 members in the Lok Sabha. Partys main political opponent is Indian National Congress, in the recent Delhi Assembly elections it did not retain the one seat it held in 2013 elections. Following is the list of presidents of the party as given on party website
15.
Guru Har Rai
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Guru Har Rai was the seventh of ten Gurus of Sikhism. He became the Sikh leader at age 14, on 8 March 1644, after the death of his grandfather and he guided the Sikhs for about seventeen years, till his death at age 31. Guru Har Rai is notable for maintaining the army of Sikh soldiers that the sixth Sikh Guru had amassed. He supported the moderate Sufi influenced Dara Shikoh instead of conservative Sunni influenced Aurangzeb as the two entered into a war of succession to the Mughal Empire throne. After Aurangzeb won the war in 1658, he summoned Guru Har Rai in 1660 to explain his support for the executed Dara Shikoh. Har Rai sent his elder son Ram Rai to represent him, Aurangzeb kept Ram Rai as hostage, questioned Ram Rai about a verse in the Adi Granth – the holy text of Sikhs at that time. Aurangzeb claimed that it disparaged the Muslims, Har Krishan became the eighth Guru at age 5 after Guru Har Rais death in 1661. Some Sikh literature spell his name as Hari Rai, Har Rai was born to Nihal Kaur and Baba Gurditta. His father died while he was 8 years old, at age 10, in 1640, Guru Har Rai was married to Mata Kishan Kaur the daughter of Daya Ram. They had two children, Ram Rai and Har Krishan, the latter of whom became the eighth Guru and his elder brother Dhir Mal had gained encouragement and support from Shah Jahan, with free land grants and Mughal sponsorship. Dhir Mal attempted to form a parallel Sikh tradition and criticized his grand father, the sixth Guru disagreed with Dhir Mal, and designated the younger Har Rai as the successor. Authentic literature about Guru Har Rai life and times are scarce, he left no texts of his own, some of the biographies of Guru Har Rai written in the 18th century such as by Kesar Singh Chhibber, and the 19th century Sikh literature are highly inconsistent. Guru Har Rai provided medical care to Dara Shikoh, possibly when he had been poisoned by Mughal operatives, according to Mughal records, Har Rai provided other forms of support to Dara Shikoh as he and his brother Aurangzeb battled for rights to succession. Ultimately, Aurangzeb won, arrested Dara Shikoh and executed him on charges of apostasy from Islam, in 1660, Aurangzeb summoned Har Rai to appear before him to explain his relationship with Dara Shikoh. In the Sikh tradition, Guru Har Rai was asked why he was helping the Mughal prince Dara Shikoh whose forefathers had persecuted Sikhs and Sikh Gurus. Har Rai is believed to have replied that if a man plucks flowers with one hand and gives it away using his other hand, Guru Har Rai died of natural causes. He appointed his 5 year old younger son Har Krishan as the guru before his death. Guru Har Rai traveled to Malwa region of the Indian subcontinent and he started several public singing and scripture recital traditions in Sikhism
16.
Guru Hargobind
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Guru Hargobind was the sixth of the Sikh gurus. He was barely eleven years old when he became Guru on 11 June 1606, after the execution of his father, Guru Arjan and he initiated a military tradition within Sikhism to resist Islamic persecution and protect the freedom of religion. He had the longest tenure as Guru, lasting 37 years,9 months and 3 days, Hargobind was born in 1595 in Vadali Guru, a village 7 km west of Amritsar, the only son of Guru Arjan, the fifth Sikh Guru. He suffered from smallpox as a child and survived an attempt by an uncle, as well as another attempt on his life. He studied religious texts with Bhai Gurdas and trained in swordsmanship, shortly afterwards, Guru Arjan was arrested, tortured and killed by order of the Mughal Emperor Jahangir, Guru Hargobinds succession ceremony took place on 24 June 1606. He put on two swords, one indicated his spiritual authority and the other, his temporal authority and he followed his martyred fathers advice and always kept himself surrounded by armed Sikhs for protection. The number fifty two was special in his life, and his retinue consisted of fifty two armed men and he thus founded the military tradition in the Sikh faith. Guru Hargobind had three wives, Mata Damodari, Mata Nanaki and Mata Maha Devi and he had children from all three wives. Two of his eldest sons from the first wife died during his lifetime and his youngest son by his third wife was Tegh Bahadur, who became the influential ninth Sikh Guru. The Guru was a martial artist, a hunter and, according to Persian records, unlike earlier Gurus, he. Guru Hargobind encouraged people to physical fitness and keep their bodies ready for physical combat. The arming and training of some of his followers began. The Guru came to possess seven hundred horses and his Risaldari grew to three hundred horsemen and sixty musketeers and he nominated his grandson to succeed him as the seventh Guru Har Rai. He died in 1644, and was cremated on the banks of River Sutlej, because of the execution of Guru Arjan by Mughal Emperor Jahangir, Guru Hargobind from the very start was a dedicated enemy of the Mughal rule. He advised Sikhs to arm and fight the mughals, the death of his father at the hands of Jahangir prompted him to emphasise the military dimension of the Sikh community. He symbolically wore two swords, which represented miri and piri and he built a fort to defend Ramdaspur and created a formal court, Akal Takht. Jahangir responded by jailing the 14 year old Guru Hargobind at Gwalior Fort in 1609, on the pretext that the fine imposed on Guru Arjan had not been paid by the Sikhs and it is not clear as to how much time he spent as a prisoner. The year of his release appears to have been either 1611 or 1612 and it is unclear why he was released
17.
Khalsa
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The word Khalsa translates to Sovereign/Free. Another interpretation is that of being Pure/Genuine, the Khalsa was inaugurated on 30 March 1699, by Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Sikh Guru. The Khalsa is also called the nation of the Sikhs, the Sikhs of the Khalsa can be identified with the given Five Ks and titles of Singh and Kaur, granted after the disciple has been baptized into the order of the Khalsa. The tenth Sikh Guru, Guru Gobind Singh at an event that coincided with the Vaisakhi day created the Khalsa in the year 1699 A, a Sikh male at being initiated into the Khalsa is titled Singh meaning Lion and a female is entitled Kaur meaning Princess. From then on they are referred to as Amritdhari. The Khalsa is considered the pinnacle of Sikhism, the Khalsa is expected to perform no ritual and to believe in no superstition of any kind but only believe in one God who is the Master and the Protector of all, the only Creator and Destroyer. The usual interpretation of the Ḳhālsā is made as Pure as in the statement, word ḳhāliṣa is the recognition of every Sikh that follows the discipline. There is also another word from Arabic خالسا which is pronounced as Khalsa and is adapted in Punjabi/English/Hindi, so, there are two different words in Arabic, خالسا and خالصة. Furthermore, there is a word in Persian خالص meaning pure, a reader of Urdu can testify the Ḫalis in the Persian script and language as described below. Khalsa is also used for a property which belongs to the emperor directly, the official language in the Mughal era was Persian and Persian language contains a word Khalis which directly translates to Pure in English. This may give a new meaning to the word Khalsa, in Sikh tradition, the word Khalsa first appears in a hukmanama by Guru Hargobind which refers to a sangat as Guru ka khalsa. It also appears in a letter by Guru Tegh Bahadur, in the same sense, although the early Mughal emperors had peaceful relations with the Sikh Gurus, the Sikhs started facing religious persecution during the reign of Jahangir. Persecution against the Sikhs continued until the creation of the Sikh Kingdom in 1799, Guru Arjan Dev, the fifth Guru, was arrested and executed by Emperor Jahangir in 1606. The following Guru, Guru Hargobind formally militarized the Sikhs and emphasized the nature of the temporal power. In 1675, Guru Tegh Bahadur, the ninth Guru of the Sikhs was executed by the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb for saving the religious rights of Hindus. In 1699, his son and the tenth Guru, Gobind Singh sent hukmanamas to his followers throughout the Indian sub-continent, asking them to gather at Anandpur Sahib on 30 March 1699, Guru Gobind Singh addressed the congregation from the entryway of a tent pitched on a hill. He drew his sword and asked for a volunteer who was willing to sacrifice his head, no one answered his first call, nor the second call, but on the third invitation, a person called Daya Ram came forward and offered his head to the Guru. Guru Gobind Singh took the volunteer inside the tent, and emerged shortly, one more volunteer came forward, and entered the tent with him
18.
Guru Angad
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Guru Angad was the second of the ten Sikh Gurus. He was born in a Hindu family, with the name as Lehna. Bhai Lehna grew up in a Khatri family, his father was a small scale trader, he worked as a pujari. He met Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism, and became a Sikh and he served and worked with Guru Nanak for many years. Guru Nanak gave Bhai Lehna the name Angad, chose Angad as the second Sikh Guru instead of his own sons, after the death of Guru Nanak in 1539, Guru Angad led the Sikh tradition. He is remembered in Sikhism for adopting and formalizing the Gurmukhi alphabet from pre-existing Indo-European scripts such as the Tankre of the Himalayan region and he began the process of collecting the hymns of Nanak, contributed 62 or 63 hymns of his own. Instead of his own son, he chose a Vaishnava Hindu Amar Das as his successor, Guru Angad was born in a village, with birth name of Lehna, to Hindu parents living in northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent called the Punjab region. He was the son of a small but successful trader named Pheru Mal and his mothers name was Mata Ramo. Like all the Sikh Gurus, Lehna came from Khatri caste, at age 16, Angad married a Khatri girl named Mata Khivi in January 1520. They had two sons and one or two daughters, depending on the primary sources, the entire family of his father had left their ancestral village in fear of the invasion of Babars armies. After this the family settled at Khadur Sahib, a village by the River Beas near what is now Tarn Taran, before becoming a Sikh and his renaming as Angad, Lehna was a religious teacher and priest who performed services focussed on Durga. Bhai Lehna in his late 20s sought out Guru Nanak, became his disciple, several stories in the Sikh tradition describe reasons why Bhai Lehna was chosen by Guru Nanak over his own sons as his successor. One of these stories is about a jug which fell into mud, Guru Nanaks sons would not pick it up because it was dirty or menial a task. Then he asked Bhai Lehna, who picked it out of the mud, washed it clean. Guru Nanak touched him and renamed him Angad and named him as his successor, after the death of Guru Nanak on 22 September 1539, Guru Angad left Kartarpur for the village of Khadur Sahib. This move may have suggested by Guru Nanak, as the succession to gurgaddi by Guru Angad was disputed and claimed by the two sons of Guru Nanak, Sri Chand and Lakhmi Das. Post succession, at one point, very few Sikhs accepted Guru Angad as their leader, Guru Angad focussed on the teachings of Nanak, and building the community through charitable works such as langar. The second Mughal Emperor of India Humayun visited Guru Angad around 1540 after Humayun lost the Battle of Khanua, according to Sikh hagiographies, when Humayun arrived in Khadur Sahib Guru Angad was sitting and listening to hymns of the sangat
19.
Guru Amar Das
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Guru Amar Das was the third of the Ten Gurus of Sikhism and became Sikh Guru on 26 March 1552 at age 73. Amar Das adhered to the Vaishnavism tradition of Hinduism for much of his life, One day he heard his nephews wife, Bibi Amro, reciting a hymn by Guru Nanak, and was deeply moved by it. He persuaded her to him to her father, Guru Angad, and in 1539. In 1552, after the death of Guru Angad, he became Guru Amar Das and he wrote and compiled hymns into a Pothi that ultimately helped create the Adi Granth. He founded centres of Sikh pilgrimage, and picked the site for the Golden Temple, Guru Amar Das remained the leader of the Sikhs till age 95, and named his son-in-law Bhai Jetha later remembered by the name Guru Ram Das as his successor. Amar Das was born to mother Bakht Kaur and father Tej Bhan Bhalla on May 51479 in Basarke village in what is now called Amritsar district of Punjab and he married Mansa Devi and they had four children which they named as Mohri, Mohan, Dani and Bhani. Amar Das was a religious Hindu, reputed to have gone on some twenty pilgrimages into the Himalayas, about 1539, on one such Hindu pilgrimage, he met a Hindu monk who asked him why he did not have a guru and Amar Das decided to get one. On his return, he heard Bibi Amro, the daughter of the Sikh Guru Angad and he learnt from her about Guru Angad, and with her help met the second Guru of Sikhism and adopted him as his spiritual Guru who was much younger than his own age. Guru Angad named Amar Das his successor in 1552, instead of naming of his surviving son Shri Chand. After Amar Das became the third Guru, he continued his pilgrimages to religious sites and he died in 1574, and like other Sikh Gurus he was cremated, with the flowers immersed into harisar. The use of fire being most appropriate way was explained by Guru Nanak in religious terms of god Agni burning the trap of death, Guru Amar Das emphasised both spiritual pursuits as well an ethical daily life. He encouraged his followers to wake up before dawn, do their ablutions and he recommended holy devotion with Guru image in his followers heart. He was also a reformer, and discouraged veiling of womens faces as well as sati and he encouraged the Kshatriya people to fight in order to protect people and for the sake of justice, stating this is Dharma. He met the Mughal Emperor Akbar, Akbar, who sought to encourage tolerance and acceptance across religious lines, readily accepted the suggestion. The Sikh hagiographies called janam-sakhis mention that Guru Amar Das persuaded Akbar to repeal the tax on Hindu pilgrims going to Haridwar. Guru Amar Das composed the hymn called Anand and made it a part of the ritual of Sikh marriage called Anand Karaj. The Anand hymn is sung, in times, not only during Sikh weddings. Parts of the Anand hymn are recited in Sikh temples every evening, at the naming of a Sikh baby and it is a section of the Anand Sahib composition of Guru Amar Das, printed on pages 917 to 922 of the Adi Granth and set to the Ramkali raga
20.
Guru Har Krishan
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Template, Sikhi sidebar Guru Har Krishan was the eighth of the ten Sikh Gurus. At the age of 5, he became the youngest Guru in Sikhi on 7 October 1661, succeeding his father and he contracted smallpox and died of the disease in 1664 before reaching his 8th birthday. He is also known as Bal Guru, and sometimes spelled in Sikh literature as Hari Krishan and he is remembered in the Sikh tradition for saying Baba Bakale before he died, which Sikhs interpreted to identify his granduncle Guru Tegh Bahadur as the next successor. Guru Har Krishan had the shortest tenure as Guru, lasting only 2 years,5 months and 24 days, Guru Har Krishan ji was born in Kiratpur in northwest Indian subcontinent to Krishen Devi and Guru Har Rai ji. After Aurangzeb won the war in 1658, he summoned Guru Har Rai in 1660 to explain his support for the executed Dara Shikoh. Guru Har Rai sent his elder son Ram Rai to represent him, Aurangzeb kept the 13 year old Ram Rai as hostage, questioned Ram Rai about a verse in the Adi Granth – the holy text of Sikhs. Aurangzeb claimed that it disparaged the Muslims, Aurangzeb meanwhile rewarded Ram Rai, patronizing him with land grants in Dehra Dun region of the Himalayas. However, Guru Harkrishan Rai contracted smallpox when he arrived in Delhi, on his deathbed, Guru Har Krishan said, Baba Bakale, and died in 1664. The devout Sikhs interpreted those words to mean that the next Guru is to be found in Bakala village, which identified as Guru Tegh Bahadur. Authentic literature with more details about Guru Har Krishans life and times are scarce, when they reached Delhi, Guru Har Krishan and his party were the guests of Raja Jai Singh II. Every day, large numbers of Sikh devotees flocked to see the Guru, one of the historic gurdwaras in India, the Bangla Sahib in Delhi, was built on the site where Guru Har Krishan helped the sick. Guru Har Krishan died at Gurudwara Bala Sahib, Delhi
21.
Guru Tegh Bahadur
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Guru Tegh Bahadur, revered as the ninth Nanak, was the ninth of ten Gurus of the Sikh religion. Tegh Bahadur continued in the spirit of the first guru, Nanak, gurudwara Sis Ganj Sahib and Gurdwara Rakab Ganj Sahib in Delhi mark the places of execution and cremation of the Gurus body. Guru Tegh Bahadur was born in a Sodhi Family, the Sixth guru, Guru Hargobind had one daughter Bibi Viro and five sons, Baba Gurditta, Suraj Mal, Ani Rai, Atal Rai and Tyaga Mal. Amritsar at that time was the centre of Sikh faith, Guru Tegh Bahadur was brought up in Sikh culture and trained in archery and horsemanship. He was also taught the old classics and he underwent prolonged spells of seclusion and contemplation. Tegh Bahadur was married on 3 February 1633, to Mata Gujri, in the 1640s, nearing his death, Guru Hargobind and his wife Nanaki moved to his ancestral village of Bakala in Amritsar district, together with Tegh Bahadur and Mata Gujri. Bakala, as described in Gurbilas Dasvin Patishahi, was then a town with many beautiful pools, wells. After Guru Hargobinds death, Tegh Bahadur continued to live in Bakala with his wife and he spent most of his time in meditation, but was not a recluse, and attended to family responsibilities. He made visits outside Bakala, and visited the eighth Sikh guru Guru Har Krishan, in March 1664 Guru Har Krishan contracted smallpox. When asked by his followers who would lead them after him, he replied Baba Bakala, taking the advantage of the ambiguity in the words of the dying Guru, many installed themselves in Bakala, claiming themselves as the new Guru. Sikhs were puzzled to see so many claimants, the Sikh tradition has a legend on how Tegh Bahadur was selected the ninth guru. A wealthy trader, Baba Makhan Shah Labana, had prayed for his life and had promised to gift 500 gold coins to the Sikh guru if he survived. He arrived in search of the ninth Guru, every guru he met accepted the 2 gold coins and bid him farewell. Then he discovered that Tegh Bahadur also lived at Bakala, Labana gifted Tegh Bahadur the usual offering of two gold coins. Tegh Bahadur gave him his blessings and remarked that his offering was considerably short of the five hundred. Makhan Shah Labana forthwith made good the difference and ran upstairs and he began shouting from the rooftop, Guru ladho re, Guru ladho re meaning I have found the Guru, I have found the Guru. In August 1664 a Sikh Sangat arrived in Bakala and anointed Tegh Bahadur as the guru of Sikhs. The Sangat was led by Diwan Durga Mal, and a formal Tikka ceremony was performed by Bhai Gurditta on Tegh Bahadur conferring Guruship on him
22.
Guru Arjan
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Guru Arjan was the first martyr of the Sikh faith and the fifth of the ten Sikh Gurus, who compiled writings to create the eleventh, the living Guru, Guru Granth Sahib. He was born in Goindval, Punjab the youngest son of Guru Ram Das and Mata Bhani and he was the first Guru in Sikhism who was born in a Sikh family. Guru Arjan led Sikhism for a quarter of a century and he completed the construction of Harimandir Sahib at Amritsar, after the fourth Sikh Guru founded the town and built a pool. Guru Arjan compiled the hymns of previous Gurus and of saints into Adi Granth, the first edition of the Sikh scripture. Guru Arjan reorganized the Masands system initiated by Guru Ram Das, by suggesting that the Sikhs donate, if possible, one tenth of their income, the Masand not only collected these funds but also taught tenets of Sikhism and settled civil disputes in their region. The dasvand financed the building of gurdwaras and langars, Guru Arjan was arrested under the orders of the Mughal Emperor Jahangir and asked to convert to Islam. He refused, was tortured and executed in 1606 CE, historical records and the Sikh tradition are unclear whether Guru Arjan was executed by drowning or died during torture. His martyrdom is considered an event in the history of Sikhism. It is remembered as Shaheedi Divas of Guru Arjan every year on 16 June, Arjan was the son of Guru Ram Das, the fourth Guru in Sikhism. Arjan had two brothers, Prithi Chand and Mahadev. Guru Ram Das chose Arjan, the youngest, to succeed him as the fifth Sikh Guru, Mahadev, the middle brother chose the life of an ascetic. His choice of Arjan as successor, as throughout most of the history of Sikh Guru successions, led to disputes, the stories in the Sikh tradition about the succession dispute around Guru Arjan are inconsistent. In one version, Prithi Chand is remembered in the Sikh tradition as vehemently opposing Guru Arjan, the Sikhs following Guru Arjan called the Prithi Chand faction as Minas, who are alleged to have attempted to assassinate young Hargobind, and befriended Mughal agents. However, the version, found in alternate competing texts written by the Prithi Chand led Sikh faction contradict this version. They offer a different explanation for the attempt on Hargobinds life, the mainstream Sikh tradition recognised Guru Arjan as the fifth Guru, and Hargobind as the sixth Guru. Arjan, at age 18, became the fifth Guru in 1581 inheriting the title from his father, Guru Arjans martyrdom in Mughal custody has been a controversial issue in Sikh history, and has been variously interpreted. A similar theory floated in early 20th-century, asserts that this was just a single execution. Jahangir was jealous and outraged, and therefore he ordered the Gurus execution, in 1606 CE, the Guru was imprisoned in Lahore Fort, where by some accounts he was tortured and executed, and by other accounts the method of his death remains unresolved
23.
Harmandir Sahib
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Sri Harmandir Sahib, also Sri Darbar Sahib and informally referred to as the Golden Temple, is the holiest Gurdwara of Sikhism, located in the city of Amritsar, Punjab, India. Amritsar was founded in 1577 by the fourth Sikh guru, Guru Ram Das, the Harmandir Sahib complex is also home to the Akal Takht. While the Harmandir Sahib is regarded as the abode of Gods spiritual attribute, the construction of Harmandir Sahib was intended to build a place of worship for men and women from all walks of life and all religions to come and worship God equally. Accordingly, as a gesture of this non-sectarian universalness of Sikhism, Guru Arjan had specially invited Muslim Sufi saint, the four entrances to get into the Harmandir Sahib also symbolise the openness of the Sikhs towards all people and religions. The present-day gurdwara was renovated in 1764 by Jassa Singh Ahluwalia with the help of other Sikh Misls, the Harmandir Sahib literally means the Temple of God. Guru Amar Das had ordered Guru Ram Das to create a tank as a place for worship for the Sikh religion. Guru Ram Das instructed all his Sikhs to join in the work, under Bhai Budhas superintendence and he said that the tank of nectar should be Gods home, and whoever bathed in it shall obtain all spiritual and temporal advantages. During the progress of the work, the hut in which the Guru first sheltered himself was expanded for his residence, it is now known as the Gurus Mahal, or palace. In 1578 CE Guru Ram Das excavated a tank, which became known as Amritsar. In due course, the Harmandir Sahib, was built in the middle of this tank and its sanctum came to house the Adi Granth comprising compositions of Sikh Gurus and other saints considered to have Sikh values and philosophies, e. g. Baba Farid, and Kabir. The compilation of the Adi Granth was started by the guru of Sikhism. Guru Arjan conceived the idea of creating a place of worship for the Sikhs. Earlier the planning to excavate the holy tank was chalked out by Guru Amar Das, the Third Sikh Guru, the land for the site was acquired by the earlier Guru Sahibs on payment or free of cost from the Zamindars of native villages. The plan to establish a settlement was also made and the construction work on the Sarovar. The work on both projects was completed in 1577, in December 1588, Guru Arjan initiated the construction of the gurdwara and the foundation stone was laid by Hazrat Mian Mir on 28 December 1588. The gurdwara was completed in 1604, Guru Arjan installed the Guru Granth Sahib in it and appointed Baba Buddha as the first Granthi of it in August 1604. In the mid-18th century it was attacked by the Afghans, by one of Ahmed Shah Abdalis generals, Jahan Khan, however, in response a Sikh Army was sent to hunt down the Afghan force. The forces met five miles outside Amritsar and Jahan Khans army was destroyed, blue Star was a military operation undertaken between 3 and 6 June 1984
