Photo by Fabio Pellegrini; Photo by sandeep gill

Explore more free images on Sikhi here

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.
Other websites with lists of books on Sikhi
Link (Sacha Sauda Gurmat Parchar Society, Canada)
Link Sikh pdf library
Link Books about the Panjab or Punjab
Link Manglacharan "dedicated to shedding light on the treasure trove of knowledge passed down by our ancestors, which has not yet been translated into English."
Link Courses by Sikhi University on Punjabi literature

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 550 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. 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").
To send a message, please click here .
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)

29/7/2026

Punjabi Suba

Title: Punjabi Suba
Author surname(s): ns
Author forename(s): ns
Publisher: UC Kapur & Sons, Delhi
Pages: 528
ISBN: none
Publn 1970 (original publication date: 1970)
Location: shelf 22.1 SGSSS library
Language: English
Preface: y
Overview: The author has not been stated (odd and just signs as 'author'). The book sets out to refute claims by a muslim that Sikhs organised the massacres during the 1947 partition and they were politically motivated. It also seeks to refute the claim by Khushwant Singh that Sikhs were conspiring to establish a Sikh state.

21/7/2026

Sundri

Title: Sundri
Author surname(s): Singh
Author forename(s): Vir
Publisher: Bhai Vir Singh Sahitya Sadan
Pages: 113
ISBN: none
Publn 1999 (original publication date: 1999)
Location: shelf 20.7 SGSSS library
Language: English
Preface: y
Overview: An English translation of Vir Singh's first novel. It had the aim of reviving Sikhs' pride in their heritage and to bring them back into the fold. The story is based on a folk song set at the time when Sikhs were massacred.

13/7/2026

The Turning Point India's future direction?

Title: The Turning Point India's future direction?
Author surname(s): Singh and Joshi and Singh
Author forename(s): Ralph, Barbara, and Surjit
Publisher: Committee on Human Rights
Pages: 54
ISBN: none
Publn 1985 (original publication date: 1985)
Location: shelf 20.4 SGSSS library
Language: English
Preface: y
Overview: An account of the massacre of Sikhs following Ghandi's assassination in 1984 and the plight of the Sikhs. There is a bibliography.

30/6/2026

Sikhs in the eighteenth century

Title: Sikhs in the eighteenth century
Author surname(s): Singh Ghandi
Author forename(s): Surjit
Publisher: Singh Brothers
Pages: 741
ISBN: 8172052170
Publn 1999 (original publication date: 1999)
Location: shelf 17.6 SGSSS library
Language: English
Preface: y
Overview: The book is wide-ranging and begins from the revenge of Banda Singh Bahadur, to the efforts by mughals, afghans and marathas to eliminate or oppress the Sikhs; Sikhs' response by forming Sikh organisations and concepts to counter such forces. There is also a section about Sikh Misls; Sikhs and the Marathas; Sikhs' incursions towards Delhi. There is a section on Sikhi developing into an offshoot of Hinduisim as a consequence of control of gurdwaras, and a section on the emergence of casteism among Sikhs. The book also highlights failures and successes of Sikhi in the 18th C. There is a bibliography.

29/6/2026

The only option for Sikhs

Title: The only option for Sikhs
Author surname(s): Singh Dharam
Author forename(s): Santokh
Publisher: ns
Pages: 255
ISBN: none
Publn 1986 (original publication date: 1984)
Location: shelf 17.4 SGSSS library
Language: English
Preface: y
Overview: The book is an account of the political and religious events leading to 1984 Operation Bluestar, including a section on Bhindranwale. It is "an attempt to present…a factual unbiased account of horrifying happenings in Punjab." It does not include the massacres outside Punjab in late 1984 and beyond.

25/3/2025

The Sikh martyrs

Title: The Sikh martyrs
Author surname(s): Singh
Author forename(s): Sawan
Publisher: International institute of gurmat studies, USA
Pages: 82
ISBN: none
Publn date: 1997 (original publication date: NS)
Location: shelf 2.7 SGSSS library
Language: English
Preface: yes
Overview: "This booklet contains brief life stories [15] of the Sikh martyrs uptill 1762. Each story is followed by a set of questions pertaining to it. The answers to all the questions are given at the end." There are around 200 Q&As. "[This booklet] is an effort to draw the attention of our coming generations to the foot-prints of our great ancestors" "I have deliberately avoided details, city names and dates to keep it simple and interesting to the young readers." The list includes the gurus, women martyrs, Sikh holocausts, and other Sikhs.

YOUR CART