Guru Arjan
Guru Arjan
20th c.
Gouache, powdered gold ink, ink
27.2 x 21.4 cm
Gift of the Sikh Art Collection, Narinder Singh and Satinder Kaur Kapany – Sikh Foundation International (U.S.A.), inv. 2022.63
Graphic Arts
Arjan (1563-1606), the son of Guru Ram Das (1574-1581), is the fifth guru in the lineage of ten masters – starting from Guru Nanak (1469-1529) and ending with Guru Gobind Singh (1675-1708). Guru Arjan is responsible for having compiled the teachings of his predecessors into what became the “First Book,” the Adi Granth. He also started the construction of the Golden Temple at Amritsar. He is depicted here seated and reading from the Adi Granth, accompanied by an ascetic. Falsely accused of rebellion against the Mughal Emperor Jahangir, Arjan was tortured to death in 1606, a tragedy that prompted the Sikhs to become more militaristic.
