India GOGuru Nanak Jayanti (Gurpurab): where to see it and gurdwara etiquette
Light, service, and the song of the Guru
Guru Nanak Jayanti, or Gurpurab, is the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism, and the most important day of the Sikh calendar. It is kept on the full moon of Kartik: in 2026 on Tuesday 24 November, in 2027 on Sunday 14 November, a national public holiday both years. For a visitor it means three days of rising intensity, a 48-hour reading of the scripture, a street procession on the eve, then kirtan from before dawn, langar for everyone and, at the Golden Temple in Amritsar, lamps and fireworks over the sacred pool.
Gurpurab, the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak, founder of Sikhism
Kartik Purnima, the full moon of Kartik. The SGPC's Nanakshahi calendar and the central government's holiday list, issued around July of the year before, fix the day.
The legend
Tradition says Nanak was born in 1469 in Talwandi, today's Nankana Sahib.
His father gives him 22 rupees for a good bargain, and the youth spends it feeding hungry sadhus: the sacha sauda, the true bargain.
One dawn he goes to bathe in the Bein river and vanishes. People search, but he cannot be found.
On the third day Nanak returns, saying only: "There is no Hindu, there is no Muslim." His teaching begins there.
So on his day hymns ring out, and the langar feeds everyone alike, as the Guru taught.
Meaning
Amritsar
That night the Golden Temple blazes with lights and lamps that shimmer in the sacred pool, and hymns flow until morning.
Everyone
Anyone who covers their head and removes their shoes is welcome in the gurdwara and at the langar: Guru Nanak's lesson in equality.
Customs
🌅 Prabhat pheri
The celebration opens with dawn processions: from the gurdwara people walk the neighbourhood singing hymns.
📖 Akhand Path
Two days before, the Guru Granth Sahib is read without a break: forty-eight hours straight.
🥁 Nagar Kirtan
On the eve the procession is led by the Panj Pyare, the five beloved ones, with brass bands and gatka teams showing their swordplay.
Langar
Volunteers feed everyone who sits down in the rows on the floor: langar food is always vegetarian.
What people eat
🍯 Karah prasad
flour, ghee and sugar in equal parts, given to everyone
Words of the festival
ੴ
Ik Onkar
"One God": the opening words of the Guru Granth Sahib
ਗੁਰਪੁਰਬ
gurpurab
a festival honouring a Guru
ਲੰਗਰ
langar
the free shared meal at a gurdwara
ਕੀਰਤਨ
kirtan
the singing of hymns to music
ਵਾਹਿਗੁਰੂ
Waheguru
"Wondrous Teacher", the Sikh name for God
How to greet
ਸਤਿ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਅਕਾਲ
Sat Sri Akal!
"Truth is the Timeless Lord": the Sikh hello, and a fitting greeting in any gurdwara.
True or myth
✅ True. Around 1500 he made the langar a sign of equality: people of every caste and faith eat side by side.
❌ Myth. The festival falls on the Kartik full moon, but some historians and Sikh bodies place his birth in spring, at Vaisakhi.
✅ True. Mardana, a rabab player and his childhood friend, sang the hymns with him.
Where to celebrate
Delhi
Delhi runs the full three-day arc of the gurpurab: a forty-eight-hour Akhand Path, a Nagar Kirtan that crosses the old city the day before, and langar served without a break.
Chandigarh
Chandigarh keeps the gurpurab in its sector gurdwaras and in the shrines just outside the city; the scale is neighbourhood, not city-wide.
What you see over three days
Two days before the gurpurab, gurdwaras begin the Akhand Path, an unbroken reading of the whole Guru Granth Sahib, the Sikh scripture, that lasts about 48 hours. You can sit in and listen at any hour. In the mornings, prabhat pheris (dawn processions) leave the gurdwaras and walk the neighbourhood singing hymns.
The day before is the Nagar Kirtan, the big street procession. The palanquin carrying the Guru Granth Sahib is led by the Panj Pyare, the five beloved ones, with brass bands and gatka teams showing their swordplay. Residents set up langar stalls along the route and hand out food and tea to everyone who passes; roads close for hours.
On the day itself gurdwaras open before dawn (the Delhi divan starts at about 4:00–5:00) for kirtan, the singing of hymns, which runs all day. The langar halls feed thousands, always vegetarian, everyone sitting side by side on the floor, the practice Guru Nanak made a sign of equality. Karah prasad, a warm sweet of flour, ghee and sugar, is given into cupped hands. After dark the gurdwaras are lit up, and in Amritsar the lights of the Golden Temple shimmer on the pool under fireworks.
Where to experience Gurpurab
Gurdwaras everywhere celebrate, and all of them welcome visitors. These are the places with the most to see.
Amritsar
The centre of the day. On the eve the SGPC's main nagar kirtan leaves the Akal Takht behind the Panj Pyare, and processions from across the city converge on the Darbar Sahib. On the gurpurab the sarovar (sacred pool) is crowded from before dawn, kirtan runs without a break, precious articles are displayed in the sanctum, and after dark the complex is illuminated with fireworks overhead. Walk the parikrama around the pool in the evening for the lights in the water.
Delhi
The full three-day arc. The Nagar Kirtan starts at Gurudwara Sis Ganj Sahib on Chandni Chowk, crosses the old city through Fatehpuri, Khari Baoli and Shakti Nagar, and ends late at night at Nanak Piao Sahib, associated with Guru Nanak's own visit to the city; the 2022 procession expected 25,000–30,000 people. On the day, Bangla Sahib near Connaught Place has the biggest langar hall in the city and the fullest crowds. Stay around Connaught Place and use the Yellow Line to reach Chandni Chowk.
Chandigarh
A neighbourhood-scale gurpurab: nagar kirtans and prabhat pheris through the sectors, with residents' langar stalls, and Gurdwara Nada Sahib in Panchkula, the largest historic gurdwara in the Tricity, illuminated after dark.
✅ Gurdwara etiquette
Anyone who covers their head and removes their shoes is welcome in a gurdwara and at the langar, whatever their faith. That openness is Guru Nanak's own lesson.
- Cover your head — Men and women alike. Scarves are provided at the entrance if you do not have one.
- Shoes and feet — Leave shoes at the joda ghar (shoe store, free) and wash your hands and feet at the entrance.
- At the langar — Sit on the floor in a row, accept what is served with both hands, and take only what you will eat. No tobacco or alcohol anywhere on the premises.
- Greeting — "Sat Sri Akal" ("Truth is the Timeless Lord") is the Sikh hello and a fitting greeting in any gurdwara.
- Crowds — The Golden Temple and Bangla Sahib are packed on the day. Agree a meeting point outside, and keep phones away inside the sanctum.
👣 Booking ahead
Guru Nanak's birthday is a gazetted holiday across India, so trains and flights load in the days around it.
- Amritsar: a month ahead
The walled city fills for the gurpurab. Stay within walking distance of the Golden Temple; the SGPC's sarais (pilgrim rest houses) beside the complex are simple and cheap; they can be booked online through the SGPC sarai website, first come, first served. Book trains from Delhi about six weeks out and arrive the day before for the nagar kirtan.
- Delhi: three weeks
Delhi's hotels are not moved by the festival; three weeks ahead is enough. Arrive two days before, when the Akhand Path begins, to catch all three days.
- Chandigarh: ten days
Hotels in Chandigarh, Mohali and Panchkula do not fill for it; road and rail into Punjab are busy, though.
❓ FAQ
When is Guru Nanak Jayanti in 2026 and 2027?
On Kartik Purnima: Tuesday 24 November 2026 and Sunday 14 November 2027. In 2028 it is expected on 2 November.
Is Guru Nanak Jayanti a national holiday?
Yes. Guru Nanak's Birthday is on the central government's list of gazetted holidays, observed across India.
When was Guru Nanak born?
Tradition places his birth in 1469 at Talwandi, today Nankana Sahib in Pakistan. The festival falls on the Kartik full moon, though some historians and Sikh bodies place his birth in spring, at Vaisakhi.
Can non-Sikhs visit a gurdwara on Gurpurab?
Yes. Anyone of any faith is welcome to enter with a covered head and bare feet, listen to the kirtan and eat at the langar.
What food is served on Guru Nanak Jayanti?
The langar, a free vegetarian meal served to everyone in rows on the floor, and karah prasad, a sweet of flour, ghee and sugar in equal parts.
Sources (8)
- DoPT: central government holidays 2026
- Central government holiday list 2027 (DoPT, via CSIR)
- DSGMC: Gurpurbs
- Nagar kirtans taken out in Amritsar on gurpurb eve, The Tribune
- Fireworks light up Amritsar's Golden Temple, ANI (2025)
- Nagar Kirtan to celebrate Guru Nanak Jayanti, The Federal
- Panchkula district: Nada Sahib
- SGPC: sarai information