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Of all elements, the most significant is the element of knowledge. (SGGS 152)

ਵਿਦਿਆ ਵੀਚਾਰੀ ਤਾਂ ਪਰਉਪਕਾਰੀ ॥ vidhiaa veechaaree taa(n) paraupakaaree || "Vidiaa veechaaree tan parupkaaree”. That education is good, which is used for the welfare of people. (Guru Nanak Dev Ji, 356)

Contemplate and reflect upon knowledge, and you will become a benefactor to others. (SGGS, 356)

"There is no good in science that won't help people, and there's no good in scholars isolated from people" (Al-Khawarizmi)

I've observed over time that the Sangat, generally-speaking, shows very little interest in books on Sikhi. On the other hand, many Sikhs (academics and ordinary folk) have written and published thousands of books on many aspects of Sikhi, and in Punjabi and in English.

click to watch video

Karamveer Singh appeals to Sikhs to have a library in their home to stimulate a passion for reading books to change their lives (click on the image to see and listen). Karamveer Singh says:
"There is a weakness in our community, we are not used to reading. We can have a bar [alcoholic drinks] in our homes, but we don't have libraries in our homes. If we had libraries and books, we would have a passion for reading.
But we don't have a passion for reading. Today we have a passion to buy big cars and build a bank balance. But I would like to request the community through this channel [Satluj TV], that where you have big houses, where you have expensive houses, build a room in one of those big houses, in the form of a library, where there are thoughts of precious scholars. And by reading those thoughts, we can make a change in our lives." Transcribed from Punjabi to English by TurboScribe.ai. Click on this link to view the full video interview by Satluj TV of Karamveer Singh.

Read books on Sikhi and Sikhism

Browse through the list below, of more than 480 items of literature on Sikhi. Click on "previous" or "forward" (in the bottom left and right corners of a page) to move between pages. Filter your selection using the Categories listed in the box below. Each book entry provides details of the book, such as its title, author, and the gurdwara library where it's located. Check the list regularly for new books added to it.
The list was started on 31 Jan 2025. Currently, only items held at the library at Sri Guru Singh Sabha Southall (category: SGSSS) are listed, and only those written primarily in English. In time, I hope to add books held at other local gurdwara libraries, and then books written in Punjabi. I hope other sewadars will compile similar lists so that, ultimately, anyone in any region of any country, will be able to see online what books on Sikhi are available to read at their local gurdwara libraries. To increase the likelihood and ease of the Sangat seeing what books are available locally, local gurdwaras need to cooperate and form a "hub and spoke" network in which the central gurdwara (the "hub") publishes an online list of books held at local gurdwaras (each a "spoke").
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Abbreviations: AG = Adi Granth; GGS = Guru Granth Sahib; DG = Dasam Granth; NS = not stated

Categories (press Ctrl + or - to zoom in or out if fonts are too small)

27/4/2025

Life of sri Guru Gobind Singh ji

Title: Life of sri Guru Gobind Singh ji
Author surname(s): Singh
Author forename(s): Dalip
Publisher: B Chattar Singh Jiwan Singh
Pages: 375
ISBN: 817601480x
Publn date: 2005 (original publication date: 2002)
Location: shelf 4.3 SGSSS library
Language: English
Preface: yes
Overview: The book is an attempt to "clarify all possible misconceptions [about the guru]." It also dismisses the myth of gurdwara Hem Kunt.

5/3/2025

Hemkunt Sahib

Title: Hemkunt Sahib
Author surname(s): Singh Berar
Author forename(s): Avtar
Publisher: Srishti Publishers
Pages: 168
ISBN: 8188575151
Publn date: 2003 (original publication date: 2003)
Location: shelf 1.4 SGSSS library
Language: English
Preface: yes
Overview: A book based on research by the author, on Hemkunt Sahib. It includes a map of the pilgramage from Haridwar to Hemkunt and the stops along the way (and those places are described). It also includes a transliteration and translation of a verse in Bachitar Natak. The book describes the controversy surrounding the DG and related books by or about guru Gobind Singh. The book describes the search for Hemkunt, including the search by Narotam, and later by Sohan Singh. There are also short biographies of people associated with Hemkunt. There are also plan drawings and a description of the construction (which began in 1968) of Hemkunt that replaced the original 10x10 sq foot Hemkunt. There is a chapter on the natural beauty of the region, a chronology of events about Hemkunt, and a bibliography.

3/3/2025

Sri Hemkunt Sahib: parbat di yatra

Title: Sri Hemkunt Sahib: parbat di yatra
Author surname(s): Singh Aulakh
Author forename(s): Ajit
Publisher: B Chattar Singh Jiwan Singh, Amritsar
Pages: 32
ISBN: 8176010936
Publn date: 1998 (original publication date: 1997)
Location: shelf 15.6 SGSSS library
Language: English
Preface: no
Overview: The booklet describes the important sites (including gurdwaras) and the landscape on the journey taken by pilgrims starting from Amritsar to Hemkunt. A map tracing the route is included. Stories from the life of guru Gobind Singh are described, including his existence before he was born.

1/3/2025

Miracle of faith part II

Title: Miracle of faith part II
Author surname(s): Singh
Author forename(s): Shiv Charan
Publisher: Akal Purkh Parkashan
Pages: 112
ISBN: none
Publn date: not stated (original publication date: not stated)
Location: shelf 14.7 SGSSS library
Language: English
Preface: no
Overview: The book is part II and is a travelogue and a partial autobiography about the author's illness. It also describes the history of Hemkunt Sahib and the author's yatra (pilgrimage?) to it. I think the title reflects the physical demands the author had to overcome in completing the yatra and also the logistics of the yatra, and that to overcome these successfully could be considered a "miracle" made possible by his faith in god (Sikhi), hence the title.

17/2/2025

Gurdwara in the Himalayas

Title: Gurdwara in the Himalayas
Author surname(s): Singh Siali and Rajguru
Author forename(s): M; Suparna
Publisher: Hemkunt
Pages: 73
ISBN: '8170102928
Publn date: 2001 (original publication date: 2001)
Location: shelf 10.4 SGSSS library
Language: English
Preface: yes
Overview: The book draws upon text and photos of a thesis on Hemkunt (the gurdwara). The authors say the book is "an outcome of our inspiration to collect material which has been lying at various places including a compilation of the historical knowledge on Hemkunt." The book includes a short overview of Sikhi and the gurdwara. Much of the book is on the history of the establishment of the gurdwara and the people who made it possible.

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