About NanakShahi

What NanakShahi is

NanakShahi is an independent editorial website about the Sikh calendar and Sikh heritage. We publish explanatory articles on the Nanakshahi and Punjabi calendars, Gurpurabs, Sikh festivals such as Vaisakhi and Bandi Chhor Divas, Sri Harmandir Sahib in Amritsar, the Hukamnama tradition and Sikh history.

Our readers include Sikh families looking for a clear explanation to share with their children, people in the diaspora planning around Gurpurab dates, students, teachers, colleagues and friends who want to understand an observance, and visitors preparing to travel to Amritsar.

What NanakShahi is not

NanakShahi is not affiliated with the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), Sri Akal Takht Sahib, any Takht, any gurdwara management committee or any other Sikh religious institution. We do not speak on their behalf, and nothing on this site is an official religious ruling or announcement.

• We are not a source of the daily Hukamnama. We never write, retype or paraphrase the day's Hukamnama. Our Hukamnama Today page points readers to official sources.
• We do not issue religious guidance. On questions of Sikh practice, readers should consult the Sikh Rehat Maryada, their gurdwara and the relevant Sikh institutions.
• We do not stream kirtan or host broadcasts from any gurdwara.

Editorial standards

Writing about a living faith carries responsibility. These are the standards we hold ourselves to.

Accuracy and sources

• We rely on published scholarship, reference works, the publications of Sikh institutions and reputable reporting. Where an article depends on a specific source, we name it.
• We distinguish between what historians broadly accept and what Sikh tradition records. Where accounts differ, for example over a date or the details of a story, we say so rather than choosing one version and presenting it as fact.
• We do not quote Gurbani in our articles. Where the meaning of a shabad or composition is relevant, we describe it in our own words and refer readers to Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji and established translations.
• We do not invent quotations, dates, references or sources.

Dates and calendars

Sikh dates can differ depending on the calendar followed. We explain these differences instead of hiding them, and we encourage readers to confirm dates with the SGPC calendar or their own gurdwara. We avoid publishing precise dates where they are uncertain or change every year.

Respectful language

We use the honorifics customary in Sikh writing, such as Guru Nanak Dev Ji and Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, and we aim to describe the diversity of Sikh practice fairly. Where subjects are sensitive or contested, we write neutrally and avoid speculation.

Corrections and updates

We review articles when information changes, and every article shows the date it was last updated. If you spot an error, please contact us with the article and the passage concerned. We correct factual errors promptly and note significant changes.

Authorship

Articles are researched and written by the NanakShahi Editorial Team. We do not attribute articles to invented writers or claim credentials we do not have.

Images

The illustrations on NanakShahi are original, stylised illustrations created for this website, some with the help of AI image tools and all reviewed and edited by the editorial team. They are illustrative, not documentary: they are not photographs and do not depict real events, specific people or exact architectural details. Captions describe them as illustrations. We do not depict the Sikh Gurus in our images.

We do not use images copied from other websites. If we use photographs in future, we will use only images we have the right to publish and will credit them.

Advertising and independence

NanakShahi may display advertising in the future to cover the costs of running the site. Advertising will always be clearly separated from editorial content, and advertisers will have no influence over what we write. We do not accept payment for articles or for favourable coverage. See our Privacy Policy for how advertising may use cookies.

Contact

We welcome corrections, questions and suggestions for topics to explain. Please visit our contact page.