Nepal set: 400 years of Guru Granth Sahab

Nepal 250 rupees: 400 years of guru granth sahab obverse

Reverse

Nepal 250 rupees : 400 years of guru granth sahab

This coin was released in Nepal on the completion of 400 years of Guru Granth Sahab, the holy book of the Sikhs. Sri Guru Granth Sahib, or Adi Granth, is the religious text of Sikhism. It is the final and eternal guru of the Sikhs.It is a voluminous text of 1430 angs, compiled and composed during the period of Sikh gurus, from 1469 to 1708. Guru Granth Sahab was completed and installed in Harmandir Sahib in 1604, and this coin was released in 2004, after 400 years of the inauguration of Guru Granth Sahib ji. The date on the coin is VS 2061=2004 AD

The Adi Granth was first compiled by Guru Arjan Dev (1563–1606),the fifth Guru of the Sikhs from hymns of the first five Sikh gurus and other great saints, or bhagats, including those of the Hindu and Muslim faith. After the demise of the tenth Sikh guru many edited copies were prepared for distribution by Baba Deep Singh.

It is written in the Gurmukhī script, predominantly in archaic Punjabi, with occasional use of other languages including Braj Bhasha, Khariboli, Sanskrit and Persian, often coalesced under the generic title of Sant Bhasha.

The numerous holy men other than the Sikh Gurus whose writing were included in the Adi Granth are collectively referred to as Bhagats "devotees" and their writings are referred to as Bhagat bani"Word of Devotees". These saints belonged to different social and religious backgrounds, including Hindus and Muslims, cobblers and untouchables. Though Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji contains the compositions of both Sikh Gurus as well the other great saints (Bhagats)—including those of the Hindu and Muslim faith—no distinction whatsoever is made between the works of Sikh Gurus and the works of the Bhagats contained within the Siri Guru Granth Sahib; the titles "Guru" and "Bhagat" should not be misleading. Guru Granth Sahib is said to be the sole and final successor of the line of gurus.

Apart from the Bani of the gurus, guru Granth Sahib ji also contains verses by the Bhagats Kabir(Muslim weaver), Namdev(Calico printer from Maharashtra), Ravi Das(Shoe maker from Uttar Pradesh), Dhanna(cultivator from Rajasthan), Sain(barber from Uttar Pradesh), Jaidev(poet from Bengal), Pipa(king from Uttar Pradesh), Sur Das(blind poet), Baba Farid(Muslim saint from Punjab), Parmanand(Maharashtra), Sadhna(butcher from Sindh), Beni, Ramanand(Uttar Pradesh) and Bhikhan(Sufi saint from Uttar Pradesh).