Faculty Publications

Persian Sikh Literature

Document Type

Book Chapter

Journal/Book/Conference Title

The Sikh World

First Page

73

Last Page

82

Abstract

The predominant language and language community associated with the Sikh tradition is today Punjabi in the Gurmukhi script. Languages that predate modern standard Punjabi too are included in this roster, the Sacred Language of the Sikhs in which the Sikh scripture is composed and too Brajbhasha, a common North Indian language in which the majority of the Dasam Granth is composed (this too in Gurmukhi script). Yet in this list one language that is often excluded is Persian. Such omission today likely relates to the fact that Persian was intimately associated with the Mughal darbar, which is understood to have actively persecuted the Sikhs in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. This article addresses that exclusion by providing a brief description and account of Persian as an equally important language of Sikh literature and tradition.

Department

Department of History

Original Publication Date

1-1-2023

DOI of published version

10.4324/9780429455322-8

Link to Full Text

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