Kavi Santokh Singh

Kavi Bhai
Santokh Singh
Ji Churamani[1]
Miniature painting of Kavi Santokh Singh seated on a terrace that was held by his descendants, circa 19th century
Born8 October 1787
Sarai Nurdin, Punjab (modern-day Kila Kavi Santokh Singh, Tarn Taran district, Punjab, India)
Died19 October 1843/1844
Known forSikh historian, literati and poet
SpouseRam Kaur
Parents
  • Deva Singh (father)
  • Mai Rajadi (mother)
AwardsVillage of Morthali (land grant gifted by the ruler of Kaithal state)

Kavi Santokh Singh (8 October 1787 – 19 October 1843/1844) was a Sikh historian, poet and writer.[2][3] He was such a prolific writer that the Sikh Reference Library at Darbar Sahib Amritsar was named after him, located within the Mahakavi Santokh Singh Hall.[4] In addition to "Great Poet" (Mahākavī) Santokh Singh was also referred to as the Ferdowsi of Punjabi literature, Ferdowsi wrote ~50,000 verses while Santokh Singh's Suraj Prakash totals ~52,000. [5] Other scholars have thought of Santokh Singh as akin to Vyasa.[6] Gottlieb Wilhelm Leitner in 1883 wrote that, "Santokh Singh of Kantal in the Karnal District, has rendered his name immortal" through the production of his works.[7]

  1. ^ Gupta, Hari Ram (1973). History of Sikh Gurus. U. C. Kapur. p. 185.
  2. ^ Singh, Harbans (1992–1998). The Encyclopaedia of Sikhism. Vol. 4, S–Z. Patiala: Punjabi University, Patiala. pp. 51–52. ISBN 0-8364-2883-8. OCLC 29703420.
  3. ^ Objects of Worship in South Asian Religions: Forms, Practices and Meanings. Volume 13 of Routledge studies in Asian religion and philosophy. Knut A. Jacobsen, Mikael Aktor, Kristina Myrvold. Oxfordshire, England: Routledge. 2014. ISBN 978-1-315-77162-5. OCLC 891384284. In his Japji Sahib commentary, the nineteenth-century hagiographer Kavi Santokh Singh invokes the sword of Guru Gobind Singh alongside the one god and ten gurus.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  4. ^ ":::Welcome to Special Public Libraries | Amritsar:::".
  5. ^ Gursevak Amritsar Magazine, 1935 May, 15th Edition.
  6. ^ Maha Kavi Bhai Santokh Singh (A Collection of Seminar Papers), Professor Harmeet Singh, 1991, page 94.
  7. ^ G. W. Leitner, History of Indigenous Education in Punjab. (Patiala: Languages Department Punjab, 1971). Page 30