A landmark anthology of hitherto unseen Sikh manuscripts was unveiled today, offering scholars and enthusiasts unprecedented access to original “hukumnamas” and related documents penned by the Sikh Gurus and their closest associates. The 480-page volume, titled Hukumnamae: Sikh Itihaas De Samkaali Dastavez, has been compiled by Professor Balwant Singh Dhillon (retd), founder director of the Centre for Sri Guru Granth Sahib Studies at Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU).
The book brings together 144 high-resolution reproductions, including 56 authenticated orders of Guru Gobind Singh—either signed by the tenth Guru himself or issued in his name—and 31 other significant decrees issued by figures such as Banda Singh Bahadur, Mata Sundri, Mata Sahib Devan, and the custodians of the Sikh Takhts. Many of these pages have never before been accessible to researchers or the general public.
“These writings are direct voices from the heart of the Sikh Panth, offering living testimony to its expansion within and beyond Punjab,” Professor Dhillon remarked at the release ceremony.
Professor Dhillon’s journey to assemble this collection began in 1978, when, as a young research student at GNDU, he embarked on a pilot investigation into Sikh history. Over the ensuing decades, he scoured museums, private collections, and family archives—often negotiating with descendants whose forebears had served the Gurus—and uncovered documents long hidden from academia.
Among the highlights are two rare “invitations” to the inaugural Amrit Sanchar (baptism) ceremony of the Khalsa, held on Baisakhi in 1699. Dated 28 February and 12 March of that year, these notices, drafted by Guru Gobind Singh’s close aide Saina Singh, formally summoned the faithful to receive the “pahul” (nectar of immortality) and pledge allegiance to the Khalsa brotherhood.
Deciphering these manuscripts posed formidable challenges. Written in medieval Gurmukhi without spaces or punctuation—and peppered with a blend of Persian and vernacular terms—the edicts demanded painstaking analysis to segment sentences and unravel their meaning. “Translating these pre-modern texts is like solving a linguistic jigsaw,” Professor Dhillon explained. “One misread phrase can alter the historical narrative.”
Tragically, some original hukumnamas have vanished over time. Prior to June 1984, many were safeguarded in the Sikh Reference Library at the Golden Temple in Amritsar, but the fate of these priceless documents remains shrouded in mystery following Operation Blue Star. “We still do not know whether they were destroyed in the conflagration or are being held by the Indian Army,” Dhillon lamented.
Hukumnamae: Sikh Itihaas De Samkaali Dastavez is now available through academic and specialist booksellers. With its wealth of newly surfaced primary sources, the volume promises to reshape our understanding of Sikh polity, ritual practice, and community dynamics during a critical period of consolidation and outreach.
