INSTALLATION OF THE GURU GRANTH SAHIB IN THE HARMANDIR SAHIB

1st September 2025

Sikhi

Amritsar 1604 CE

In 1604 CE, in the place of worship where the Golden Temple now stands, Guru Arjan Dev, the Sikhs’ fifth Guru, installed the Adi Granth, a newly compiled volume of scripture. It consisted of the hymns of the first five Gurus plus those of other Indian and Persian ‘saint-poets’ from the Hindu and Muslim traditions. After the selections were made, the Guru dictated the hymns to Bhai Gurdas, who wrote down the words and music of the Adi Granth. Guru Arjan later suffered a martyr’s death, preferring to save his life rather than make alterations to the hymns, as required by Emperor Jahangir.

Having compiled the Granth, the Guru placed it in the newly-built Harmandir Sahib (Golden Temple) in Amritsar. He nominated Bhai Buddha as the custodian of the Granth. The Guru bowed before the collection, acknowledging the higher authority of the written words to the personal importance and significance which he possessed as Guru. After this time, he no longer sat at a level above the Granth, but below it. He also instituted daily public worship at the Harmandir Sahib, where the Granth was recited all day long to the accompaniment of stringed musical instruments.

The second version of the Granth was prepared by Guru Gobind Singh in 1706 CE. He dictated the entire Guru Granth Sahib from memory to Bhai Mani Singh, re-editing the Adi Granth to the form in which it is found today. He removed several unauthenticated writings and added four hymns for evening prayers and several from his father, Guru Tegh Bahadur. Otherwise, the Granth was left as it was before in the days of Guru Arjan. Sikhs regard the Guru Granth Sahib as their living Guru – hence the importance of this celebration. Since his day the Guru Granth Sahib consists of 1430 pages and 5864 verses. Its spiritual teachings are referred to as bani or gurbani.

In all gurdwaras and many Sikh homes, the Guru Granth Sahib is read every day. No Sikh ceremony is regarded as complete unless it is performed in the presence of the Granth. Sikhs frequently receive a hukam or divine order through one of the hymns chosen at random from the left hand pages of the Guru Granth Sahib. Similarly, at the end of a service, after the ardas prayers, the Granth is opened at random and a portion is read. On special occasions, the Guru Granth Sahib is recited non-stop from cover to cover by a string of readers. It requires nearly 48 hours to complete the continuous reading, which is known as an akhand path. This can be performed on any important occasion, and is regarded as the highest and noblest ceremony in the Sikh religion.

The Guru Granth Sahib is a remarkable storehouse of spiritual knowledge and teachings which does not prescribe any rites or rituals but stresses meditation on the Name of God. Most of the hymns are addressed to God and often describe the devotee’s condition: his aspirations and yearning, his agony in separation and his longing to be with the Lord. There are no mythological narratives, although God is described in anthropomorphic terms, and the Gurus are not afraid to use the imagery of family relationships to describe the union of God and man. Whether in Temple, Gurdwara or home, the Guru Granth Sahib has become the focal point of all Sikh worship.