Gurpurabs & Holy Days
The sacred days of the Sikh year. Each card opens its significance, history, what is done, why it is kept, why it still matters, related videos and the message at its heart.
Most dates follow the Nanakshahi calendar; a few follow the lunar Bikramī reckoning and shift each year (noted on the card). Confirm the exact date locally each year.
Gurpurabs — days of the Gurus
The birth (Prakāsh) and martyrdom (Shahīdī) anniversaries of the Gurus.
The birth of Guru Nānak Dev Ji (1469), founder of the Sikh path.
The birth of the tenth Guru (1666), founder of the Khālsā.
The martyrdom of the fifth Guru (1606), the first Sikh martyr.
The martyrdom of the ninth Guru (1675), 'Hind dī Chādar' — the shield of conscience.
The martyrdom of the two younger sons of Guru Gobind Siṅgh, aged nine and seven.
Great days of the Panth
The festivals and observances of the community — the Khālsā, liberation, valour and the eternal Guruship of the Granth.
The founding of the Khālsā by Guru Gobind Siṅgh at Anandpur in 1699.
The release of Guru Hargobind from imprisonment at Gwalior Fort.
A festival of martial spirit and unity established by Guru Gobind Siṅgh.
Remembers the Chālī Mukte, the Forty Liberated Ones.
The day the Gurū Granth Sāhib became the eternal Guru of the Sikhs (1708).