Gurdwara Ramsar Sahibਗੁਰਦੁਆਰਾ ਰਾਮਸਰ ਸਾਹਿਬ

Gurdwara Ramsar Sahib in Amritsar marks one of the most consequential sites in Sikh history: the quiet spot where Guru Arjan Dev Ji dictated the Adi Granth, the first recension of the Sikh scripture, to Bhai Gurdas Ji during 1603-04. The completed volume was installed in Harmandir Sahib in 1604 and is revered today as the Guru Granth Sahib.

Why did Guru Arjan choose Ramsar?

By the early 1600s the Harmandir Sahib stood complete in the middle of the Amrit Sarovar, and Guru Arjan Dev Ji, the fifth Sikh Guru, turned to the great literary task of his guruship: gathering the authentic compositions of his predecessors into one authoritative volume. Sikh historical accounts record that the circulation of distorted versions of the Gurus' hymns made the task urgent. For work demanding months of unbroken concentration, the Guru chose a secluded site about a kilometre from the bustle of the town: a shady nook on the south-eastern edge of Amritsar, near the Chativind Gate. He pitched his tent on the south side of the spot and had a tank dug there, naming it Ramsar after his father, Guru Ram Das Ji.

The compilation of the Adi Granth

Through 1603 and 1604, Guru Arjan dictated the selected hymns to Bhai Gurdas Ji, the great Sikh scholar, who wrote them down at Ramsar. Into the volume went the authentic compositions of the first four Gurus: Guru Nanak, Guru Angad, Guru Amar Das and Guru Ram Das, the Guru's own extensive writings, and selections from Hindu bhagats and Muslim saints whose verse met the Guru's criterion, the unity of God and the brotherhood of mankind. The hymns were arranged according to the musical measures in which they were meant to be sung.

The choice of scribe mattered. Bhai Gurdas Ji was among the most learned Sikhs of his age, a theologian and poet whose Vars, or ballads, are still called the key to the Guru Granth Sahib. His clear hand gave the new scripture its first written form.

The completed Adi Granth was carried to the Harmandir Sahib in 1604 and installed there with ceremony, with Baba Budha Ji as the first granthi. A century later, Guru Gobind Singh Ji would invest this same scripture with the Guruship itself, ending the line of human Gurus.

Sukhmani Sahib, the Psalm of Peace

On these same banks the Guru composed Sukhmani Sahib, his celebrated Psalm of Peace, a long composition in the Gauri raga that remains among the most recited prayers in Sikh daily life. Ramsar's double association, with the scripture's compilation and with its most beloved composition, is why the site is held in such deep reverence: this is where the Sikh scripture took the shape in which the world knows it.

After Ramsar: the Damdami Bir

The Adi Granth prepared at Ramsar did not end its journey here. Decades later, Guru Gobind Singh Ji recollated the scripture at Talwandi Sabo (Damdama Sahib), producing the Damdami Bir recension. Every Guru Granth Sahib printed today descends from that recension, whose root is the dictation at Ramsar.

The shrine and sarovar today

The Ramsar sarovar, one of Amritsar's five holy tanks, still fills the quiet pool the Guru had dug. The present Gurdwara Ramsar is a small marble-lined hall topped by a gilded, fluted lotus dome, built in 1855 to mark the site of the Guru's labours. The wider complex houses the Guru Granth Sahib Bhawan, and the SGPC's printing press on Ramsar Road prints the Guru Granth Sahib here today: the scripture first dictated on this spot is still being produced on it.

Why does Ramsar Sahib matter?

Every copy of the Guru Granth Sahib traces its text to the dictation that took place on this spot. When Guru Gobind Singh Ji ended the line of human Gurus in 1708, he conferred the Guruship on the scripture compiled at Ramsar, making this quiet tank-side, in a real sense, the birthplace of the living Guru of the Sikhs. Pilgrims come to stand where Bhai Gurdas Ji's pen moved to the Guru's dictation, and where Sukhmani Sahib was first uttered.

Visiting Ramsar Sahib

Ramsar Sahib stands on the banks of the Ramsar sarovar in the Chativind Gate area, on the south-eastern side of the walled city. Gurdwara Bibeksar Sahib, Guru Hargobind Ji's resting place, is close by, and the two shrines make a natural pair for a single visit. Come as you would to any gurdwara: head covered, shoes removed, and keep a while by the sarovar where the Adi Granth was written.