The Guru Granth Inauguration Celebrations
The Guru Granth is the present and eternal Guru of the Sikhs in scripture form. The Guru Granth is a collection of poetic verse written in the Gurmukhi script, and bound in a single volume. Arjan Dev, The fifth guru, compiled the writings of the first four gurus. He added his own poetry and included the inspirational verses of 17 holy men of other faiths, such as Islamic Sufis and Hindu minstrels. Gobind Singh, the 10th guru, included hymns by Guru Tegh Bahadur.
Just before he died in 1708, Gobind Singh bestowed the title of Guru to the Granth. He named the scripture his successor and specified that Guru Granth should occupy the Gadee, or guru's throne, and reign forever after as the eternal, supreme enlightener of the Sikhs.Guru Gadee is an annual holiday celebrated by Sikhs throughout the world in October or early November. Guru Gadee commemorates the formal inauguration of the Granth as Guru. Sikhs parade the scripture of the Guru Granth through the streets. The scripture is carried on a platform upon the shoulders of devotees, or atop a float accompanied by attendants.
The float shown here is carrying the Guru Granth in a Guru Gadee peace march celebration. It is the first of several floats parading through the streets of downtown Sacramento, California. The uppermost part of the float is covered by a canopy. Sikh attendants and all necessary trimmings accompany the Guru Granth. A second group sits in the lower part of the float with musical instruments. They sing hymns from the scripture of Guru Granth for the duration of the parade. Devout Sikhs walk beside the float to show their adoration and respect.
