Guru Nanak Dev Ji
The birth of Guru Nanak — and an important distinction: Sikh practice does not worship the Guru as a deity or use murti puja. Reverence is offered to the Guru Granth Sahib as the living Guru, and the observance is reading, singing and service.
What the puja consists of
- Akhand Path — a continuous unbroken reading of the Guru Granth Sahib over roughly forty-eight hours, ending on the morning of the Gurpurab.
- Nagar Kirtan the day before — a procession led by the Panj Pyare with the Guru Granth Sahib.
- Prabhat pheri — early morning hymn-singing processions through the neighbourhood.
- Kirtan and katha in the gurdwara through the day, ending with Ardas.
- Langar — the free community kitchen, open to everyone without distinction. Seva is the observance, not an addition to it.
Core chants
Named, not printed — each links to a recording where the catalogue has one.
- Paath
Japji Sahibਜਪੁਜੀ ਸਾਹਿਬ
Guru Nanak's composition that opens the Guru Granth Sahib, recited at dawn.
Not in the catalogue yet — ask at your local temple or gurdwara, or learn it from a teacher in your tradition.
- Kirtan
Asa Di Varਆਸਾ ਦੀ ਵਾਰ
Sung in the early morning gurdwara service.
Not in the catalogue yet — ask at your local temple or gurdwara, or learn it from a teacher in your tradition.
- Kirtan
Shabad kirtan from the Guru Granth Sahib
Hymns sung in their prescribed raags through the day.
- Paath
Ardasਅਰਦਾਸ
The concluding standing prayer of every service.
Not in the catalogue yet — ask at your local temple or gurdwara, or learn it from a teacher in your tradition.
It differs where you are. Nankana Sahib in Pakistan, Guru Nanak's birthplace, receives jathas from India each year. Sindhi Hindu communities and Nanakpanthi traditions also keep the day. Kartik Purnima is the observed date; some historical sources place the birth in Vaisakh.
This page is editorial context, not religious instruction. Where your family, region or lineage does it differently, that is the version to follow — ask an elder or a teacher in your tradition rather than a website.