Every minute of every day divine scriptures are being read out loud from the Siri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, the holy book of the Sikhs, at the Golden Temple in Amritsar, India.
This ceremonial, nonstop recitation of Sikh Scriptures, from beginning to end—all 1,430 pages—is known as an Akhand Path and continues, unbroken, to be completed in a period of 48 or 72 hours.
Akhand Paths are performed in Gurdwaras throughout the world. At the Golden Temple, upon the completion of one Paath a new one commences.
At the end of the Akhand Paath, a Bhog Ceremony is held to honor and celebrate the sublime pleasure enjoyed upon the successful completion.
The origin of the Akhand Path can be traced back to the 1700’s, a turbulent time for Sikhs, when the practice of reading the Holy Scriptures continuously during unpredictable times was considered a victory.
Today, Akhand Paths commence routinely in Gurdwaras. Sikh families mark important days, celebrations and bereavements with an Akhand Path in their home or community Gurdwara.
Kyle Brock says:
Enjoyed catching an AkandPaath at Euless TX gurudwara last night. Didn’t know it was occurring.
I stopped by after work, round midnight. Didn’t expect anyone there. I popped in for my evening nitNem kirtan sohila. Such a nice experience. Shanti.. Darshan of satguru
OngKar Kaur Khalsa says:
Thanks for sharing your experience, Kyle. Many Blessings