September 1, 1604

Adi Granth

First installation of the Adi Granth at Harmandir Sahib

The famous 1,430 pages do not describe the manuscript carried into the shrine in 1604; that figure belongs to standardized later editions.

The volume goes into the shrine

In 1604 Guru Arjan, the fifth Sikh Guru, installed the newly compiled Adi Granth in Harmandir Sahib at Amritsar. The manuscript had been compiled under his direction and written by Bhai Gurdas.

Guru Arjan appointed Baba Buddha as the scripture's first granthi, its officiant and reader. Tradition credits him with establishing the shrine's associated daily routine and liturgy after the installation.

16 August, or 1 September

The traditional Punjabi date is Bhadon sudi 1, 1661 Bikrami. The Sikh Encyclopedia and Sahib Singh's study convert it to 16 August 1604; the Government of India's 2004 commemoration and several modern calendars use 1 September.

Sources also distinguish completion of the text, completion of its table of contents, binding, and ceremonial installation — producing competing completion dates including 2, 16, 29, and 30 August.

What was installed, and what was not

The 1604 compilation carried the compositions of the first five Gurus. The 1,430 pages and 5,894 hymns usually quoted describe ordinary present editions, not the physical foliation of the manuscript installed that day.

Nor did installation end the line of living Gurus. Guru Arjan remained the living Guru, and the scripture was not affirmed as the continuing Guru of the Sikhs until the time of Guru Gobind Singh.

Sources

Researched 24 Aug 2026 6 sources not yet audited Date disputed

How this was checked

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Date disputed. Sources disagree; the research places it at 1604-08-16.

What the sources leave uncertain

The event’s traditional Punjabi date is Bhadon sudi 1, 1661 Bikrami. The Sikh Encyclopedia and Sahib Singh’s study convert it to 16 August 1604; the Government of India’s 2004 commemoration and several modern calendars use 1 September 1604. The listed September date therefore should not be presented as an undisputed Gregorian anniversary.
Sources also distinguish between completion of the text, completion of its table of contents, binding, and ceremonial installation. This produces competing completion dates including 2, 16, 29, and 30 August.
Because the underlying date is lunisolar and later Sikh calendars have fixed observances differently, a modern annual First Prakash date is not automatically the exact Gregorian anniversary in 1604.