Authenticity of Kartarpuri Bir - Global Sikh Studies

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were recorded or obtained in relation to the Banno Bir or to
authenticate the same, especially when the Nishan of the 5th
Guru does not even find mention in the Tatkara. In fact, the
absence of the mention of the Nishan of the fifth Guru clearly
demolishes the Banno story which asserts that the 5th Guru
put his Nishan on the Banno Bir. The Nishan of the 6th Guru
does find mention in the Tatkara, but folios on both sides of
this Nishan are missing, suggesting its subsequent introduction
in the Bir. This Nishan can at best only suggest the period of
the Banno Bir to be 1699, since the absence of the mention of
the Nishan of the 5th Guru in the Tatkara clearly show’s that
the Bir could never have been written near 1604 or even in the
period of the 5th Guru. As such, the year of writing of the
Banno Bir is 1699 and the mention of the Nishan of only the
6th Guru in the Tatkara also confirms that. Rather, 1699 as
the year of preparation of the Banno Bir is alone congruous
with the mention of the Nishan of the 6th Guru in the Tatkara,
Samat 1701 being the year of the demise of the sixth Guru.
Giani Mahan Singh has given many reasons for believing that
the year of production of the Banno Bir is Sam at 1699 and not
1661. He finds that the Bir is not written in any hurry. His
examination also shows that the various totals of Sabads which
in the Kartarpuri Bir are either not given, or are many times
given above or between the lines, are correctly given in the
Banno Bir and stand recorded in the lines themselves. Besides,
the story of many copyists having copied out the Granth is
not correct, because the Banno Bir has been written by only 2/
3 persons according to Giani Mahan Singh, 66 one person
according to the University scholars and not more than 5
persons according to Prof. Pritam Singh. 67
It is, thus, clear that the Banno Bir was written in Samat
1699 and the story of many or twelve scribes having written it
in Samat 1661 is incorrect and untenable. The theory of Banno
Bir being original, or even the first copy of the