Compilation of the Adi Granth, Sikh Scripture
- Date
- 1604 CE
- Category
- Religion & ideology
- Region
- Punjab, South Asia
- Era
- Early Modern
- Significance
In 1604, Guru Arjan, the fifth Sikh Guru, completed the compilation of the Adi Granth ("First Book"), the foundational scripture of Sikhism, at Amritsar in the Punjab.
Working with the scribe Bhai Gurdas and drawing on the earlier Goindval Pothis, Guru Arjan gathered and authenticated the hymns of the first five Gurus alongside his own compositions, rejecting verses he judged spurious. The collection notably incorporated devotional poetry by Hindu and Muslim saints (bhagats), including Kabir, Namdev, Ravidas, and Farid, reflecting an inclusive vision of divine truth. On 1 September 1604 the volume was installed in the newly built Harmandir Sahib (the Golden Temple) in Amritsar, with Baba Buddha appointed its first granthi. In 1708 the tenth Guru, Gobind Singh, declared the expanded scripture the eternal Guru of the Sikhs, ending the line of human Gurus, after which it became revered as the Guru Granth Sahib and remains the central religious authority of the faith.
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Empires active in 1604 CE
- Ottoman Empire1299 CE – 1922 CE
- Solomonic dynasty1270 CE – 1974 CE
- Mughal Empire1526 CE – 1857 CE
- Ming Dynasty1368 CE – 1644 CE
- Portuguese Empire1415 CE – 1999 CE
- Spanish Empire1492 CE – 1976 CE
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- Martin Luther's Ninety-five Theses and the start of the Reformation31 October 1517
- Edict of Nantes ends the French Wars of Religion13 April 1598
- Wahhab–Saud Pact Founds the Wahhabi Movement and First Saudi State1744
- Galileo's Dialogue and his trial by the Inquisition1632–1633
- St Bartholomew's Day Massacre24 August 1572
- The Catholic Counter-Reformation: the Jesuits and the Council of Trent27 September 1540
Further reading
The wider story
A Little History of Religion
Accessible sweep of humanity's faiths and belief systems from prehistory to the present.
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