Rapid Fire
Return of Guru Granth Sahib Copies to India
- 30 Aug 2024
- 2 min read
Recently, two saroops (copies) of the Guru Granth Sahib were returned to the Indian embassy in Doha, Qatar.
- In December 2023, Qatari authorities confiscated two Sikh holy books from individuals accused of operating a religious establishment without approval.
- About Saroop: Saroop is a physical copy of Sri Guru Granth Sahib, also called Bir in Punjabi.
- Every Bir has 1,430 pages, which are referred to as Ang.
- The Sikhs consider the saroop of Guru Granth Sahib a living guru and treat it with utmost respect.
- Guru Arjan Dev (5th Sikh guru) compiled the first Bir of the Guru Granth Sahib in 1604, and installed it at the Golden Temple in Amritsar.
- Later, Guru Gobind Singh (10th Sikh guru) added verses penned by Guru Tegh Bahadur (9th Sikh guru) and compiled the Bir for the second and last time.
- About Guru Granth Sahib: It is a compendium of hymns written by six Sikh gurus, 15 saints, including Bhagat Kabir, Bhagat Ravidas, Sheikh Farid and Bhagat Namdev, 11 Bhatts (balladeers) and four Sikhs.
- The verses are composed in 31 ragas.
- In 1708, Guru Gobind Singh declared the Guru Granth Sahib the living Guru of the Sikhs.
