'Happiness and tears' as Sikhs see rare outing of ancient holy book

The priest, Giyani Himit Singh, read prayers from five pages of the Guru Granth Sahib to the congregation at Edinburgh Gurdwara in Leith

Sikhs from across Scotland have flocked to see a handwritten copy of a holy scripture after it was found in a university archive.

Academics found the Guru Granth Sahib, thought to date to the 1700s, when they were looking through the University of Edinburgh's digital files in 2020.

The book was allowed to leave the university for the first time in 175 years so the Sikh community could hold a special ceremony in their temple in Leith on Sunday.

The huge tome, and the oldest of its kind in the UK, is so fragile it was taken to Edinburgh Gurdwara in a special convoy by curators for just a few hours with a no-flash photograph rule.

The holy book arrived in a box covered in a special cloth and covered in rose petals

The scripture was formerly in the possession of the Maharaja Kharak Singh, ruler of the Punjab, and taken from the fort at Dullewalla in India during its capture in 1848.

It was presented to the university by Sir John Spencer Login, who also brought the Koh-I-Noor to Queen Victoria, through the Rev W H Meiklejohn of Calcutta.

Edinburgh University said further research was being carried out but letters from 1851 from the Royal Asiatic Society, found with the book, had provided some information.

The book on loan at Sunday's special ceremony is understood to be the largest and possibly oldest from a volume of three discovered in the archive.

In the back of the Guru Granth Sahib, it says gold was used in the ink it is written in.

A ceremonial whisk called a chaur sahib was waved continuously by a volunteer over the Guru Granth Sahib as a sign of reverence and respect

The holy book arrived in a box covered in a special cloth scattered with rose petals at the Sheriff Brae gurdwara.

It was carried through the crowd, who were waving Sikh and Scottish flags, while a bagpiper played outside on the street.

Inside it was carried above head height, as is tradition, through the temple to the beat of a huge drum.

A ceremonial whisk called a chaur sahib was waved continuously by a volunteer over the Guru Granth Sahib as a sign of reverence and respect.

The priest, Giyani Himit Singh, read prayers from five pages of the Guru Granth Sahib to the congregation.

Sikh and Scottish flags were waved by the crowds lining the entrance to the gurdwara as the Guru Granth Sahib arrived

Galab Singh Gold, one of the Edinburgh Gurdwara members who arranged the special event, told BBC Scotland News it had been a "momentous occasion".

"This has been a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see something that was lost in history and has been revived," the 48-year-old said.

"It is the first time it has come into the light and into the congregation after so many years and it will probably be the last time we'll ever see it."

He said the Guru Granth Sahib is considered a person in the Sikh faith.

Galab Singh Gold, one of the Edinburgh Gurdwara members who arranged the special event

Mr Gold said what made this copy of the Guru Granth Sahib so special was that it was handwritten.

"We are super happy and delighted that it's been found and that it's been looked after and in such good condition," he said.

"And to actually have the grace of it in our company is a really big thing for us.

"It's been an emotional and joyous event, which has been spiritually connected. There has been a lot of happiness and tears because the scriptures mean so much to us."

Trishna Kaur-Singh said she wanted the book to remain in Scotland

Trishna Kaur-Singh, Edinburgh University's honorary Sikh chaplain and director of Sikh Sanjog who was at the event, said she wanted the book to remain in Scotland.

She said: "I know people talk about repatriation and that's fine and it's needed in many instances but you have to take into context the fact that the people are here because of that colonial past and have lived their whole lives here.

"They have been parted from their history and their links and it was found here so it should be here for our communities for generations.

"This is the most valuable find, I think, for the whole of the Scottish Sikh community. It gives me goosebumps. It is actually mind blowing."

Harmanpreet Kaur travelled from Glasgow to see the book with her mother Kulvir Kaur

Harmanpreet Kaur, 22, who travelled from Glasgow to see the book, with her mother Kulvir Kaur, 47, and her brother, said she was "very excited".

"It is a privilege to get the opportunity to bow down to a Guru Granth Sahib that is 300 years old," she said.

"This is a once in a lifetime opportunity."

Jaddish Hor Singh, 73, said she was "very happy" and had been singing hymns all morning.

She added: "It is very special for us and we have never had anything like this in my lifetime."

This copy of the Guru Granth Sahib is handwritten with ink containing gold

Rachel Hosker, Edinburgh University archivist, said she contacted the university's Sikh chaplain when the manuscripts were found.

She said: "We had nobody who really had a knowledge and understanding of Guru Granth Sahib and the significance of them and why they were here hadn't really been laid out in any catalogue.

"So I felt we needed to explore this further and we needed the help of the Sikh community and that's where Trishna came in.

"She was able to explain to us that these weren't just manuscripts but they are living embodiments.

"So we really wanted to be mindful of how the community felt about them."

The book was in the gurdwara for just a few hours