Giani Gian Singh | |
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 Photograph of Giani Gian Singh | |
| Born | 15 April 1822 |
| Died | 24 September 1921 |
| Known for | Sikh literati |
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| Part of a series on |
| Sikh literature |
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| Sikh scriptures • Punjabi literature |
Giani Gian Singh (15 April 1822 – 24 September 1921) was a 19th-century Sikh historian, literati, hagiographer, martial artist, theologian, and scholar. [1] [2] He wrote the works NaveenPanth Prakash [note 1] and Twarikh Guru Khalsa . [3]
He was born into a Jat family. [1] He was sponsored by Maharaja Narinder Singh and assisted Pundit Tara Singh Narotam for his work in writing the Sri Guru Tirath Sangreh. [4] His work, Twarikh Guru Khalsa, was meant to be a simplification of the Suraj Parkash by Kavi Santokh Singh, which had been written in Braj verse that was difficult to decode. [4] He reintroduced novel understandings about the compilation of the primary Sikh scriptural canon, the Guru Granth Sahib, by suggesting it was compiled through the collecting of various works by the previous gurus held by various, distant Sikh congregations, a process that took years. [5]
Panj Pyare refers to a gathered ad hoc quintet of five baptised (Amritdhari) Khalsa Sikhs who act as institutionalized leaders for the wider Sikh community.
Mohkam Singh, born Mohkam Chand, was one of the inaugural group of Panj Pyare, or the first Five Beloved of honoured memory in the Sikh tradition.
A Granthi is a person, female or male, of the Sikh religion who is a ceremonial reader of the Guru Granth Sahib, which is the holy book in Sikhism, often read to worshipers at Sikh temples called a Gurdwara.
Namdhari Guru Balak Singh, was an Indian Sikh religious leader who taught the principles of Sikhi in Attock area and whose successor, Satguru Ram Singh founded the Namdhari (Kuka) sect. He is sometimes described as more of a forerunner rather than as a founder of the sect.
Vir Singh was an Indian poet, scholar and theologist of the Sikh revival movement, playing an important part in the renewal of Punjabi literary tradition. Singh's contributions were so important and influential that he became canonized as Bhai, an honorific often given to those who could be considered a saint of the Sikh faith.
Chandi Di Var also known as Vaar Durga Ki is a composition written by Guru Gobind Singh, included in the 5th chapter of Dasam Granth.
Suraj Prakash, also called Gurpartāp Sūraj Granth, is a popular and monumental hagiographic text about Sikh Gurus written by Kavi Santokh Singh (1787–1843) and published in 1843 CE. It consists of life legends performed by Sikh Gurus and historic Sikhs such as Baba Banda Bahadur in 51,820 verses. Most modern writing on the Sikh Gurus finds its basis from this text.
Guru Shabad Ratnakar Mahan Kosh, known by its more popular name of Mahan Kosh and by the English title Encyclopædia of the Sikh Literature, is a Punjabi language encyclopedia and dictionary which was compiled by Bhai Kahn Singh Nabha over fourteen years. It was the first Punjabi encyclopedia, it contains more than 70,000 words, some of them has sufficient reference from Guru Granth Sahib, Dasam Granth, Gur Pratap Suraj Granth and from other Sikh books. It is considered a groundbreaking work in terms of its impact and its level of scholarship.
Ratan Singh Bhangu was a Sikh historian and Nihang who wrote about the Sikhs' struggles and rise to power in North India, in his book Prachin Panth Prakash. This work describes how the Sikh people came to dominate Punjab in the 1700s and remains one of the few historical accounts of the era.
Martyrdom is a fundamental institution of Sikhism. Sikh festivals are largely focused on the lives of the Sikh gurus and Sikh martyrs. Their martyrdoms are regarded as instructional ideals for Sikhs, and have greatly influenced Sikh culture and practices.
The Singh Sabhā Movement, also known as the Singh Sabhā Lehar, was a Sikh movement that began in Punjab in the 1870s in reaction to the proselytising activities of Christians, Hindu reform movements and Muslims. The movement was founded in an era when the Sikh Empire had been dissolved and annexed by the British, the Khalsa had lost its prestige, and mainstream Sikhs were rapidly converting to other religions. The movement's aims were to "propagate the true Sikh religion and restore Sikhism to its pristine glory; to write and distribute historical and religious books of Sikhs; and to propagate Gurmukhi Punjabi through magazines and media." The movement sought to reform Sikhism and bring back into the Sikh fold the apostates who had converted to other religions; as well as to interest the influential British officials in furthering the Sikh community. At the time of its founding, the Singh Sabha policy was to avoid criticism of other religions and political matters.
Bhai Tara Singh Wan was an eighteenth-century Sikh martyr. He was from the village of Wan, also known as Wan Tara Singh and Dall-Wan now in Tarn Taran district tehsil Bhikhiwind of the Eastern Punjab.
Baba Darbara Singh, also known as Diwan Darbara Singh, was second Jathedar of Budha Dal and third leader of the Akal Takht. He should not be confused with other Darbara Singh of Sirhind who fought in the Battle of Anandpur.
Pandit Tara Singh Narotam (1822–1891) or also Pundit Tara Singh Nawtam, was a famous Punjabi scholar who belonged to the Sikh Nirmala Sect.
Twarikh Guru Khalsa is a historical book of the Sikhs from their origin to the time when they lost the Punjab to the British. The author of the book is Giani Gian Singh.
Nirmala also known as Nirmala Saṁpardā or Nirmal Paṅth, is a Sikh sect of ascetics. According to the traditional beliefs, the Sanatan Nirmala Sikh tradition was founded by Guru Gobind Singh in late 17th century when he sent five Sikhs to Varanasi to learn Sanskrit and Vedanta texts.
Bhai Sangat Singh Bangeshwar was a Sikh warrior, general and martyr in the Battle of Chamkaur.
Kavi Santokh Singh was a Sikh historian, poet and writer. He was such a prolific writer that the Sikh Reference Library at Darbar Sahib Amritsar was named after him, located within the Mahakavi Santokh Singh Hall. In addition to "Great Poet" (Mahākavī) Santokh Singh was also referred to as the Ferdowsi of Punjabi literature, Ferdowsi wrote ~50,000 verses while Santokh Singh's Suraj Prakash totals ~52,000. Other scholars have thought of Santokh Singh as akin to Vyasa. Gottlieb Wilhelm Leitner in 1883 wrote that, "Santokh Singh of Kantal in the Karnal District, has rendered his name immortal" through the production of his works.
Panth Prakash, also called Pracīn Panth Prakash ["Old' Panth Prakash, not to be confused with "Naveen" Panth Prakash by Giani Gian Singh], is a historical text about Sikh history in the 1700s by Rattan Singh Bhangu and was completed in the early 1810s. The text's opening foundation briefly covers the lives of the ten Sikh Gurus, then traces the accomplishments of the Sikh community from 1708 to the establishment of Sikh rule in Punjab. The text provides the most comprehensive compilation of stories related to the feats of Sikh warriors in the 18th century, the evolving Sikh martial formations, and the internal power dynamics between Sikh Misl groups.
A steek or teeka [other spellings may exist such as stik or tika] is an exegesis or commentary on a Sikh Religious Text, usually Gurbani, but can also include other writings like the Ghazals of Bhai Nand Lal. An author of a steek or teeka is known as a teekakar. A steek always includes an explanation, or viakhya of the specific religious text, but depending on the complexity of the steek, it can also include footnotes, commentary, and contexts to the specific verses and where they were first written/revealed.
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