Giani Gian Singh

Giani Gian Singh (15 April 1822 – 24 September 1921) was a 19th-century Sikh historian, literatus, hagiographer, martial artist, theologian, and scholar. Gian Singh wrote over a dozen books on history. Among his most well-known works are the Naveen Panth Prakash and Twarikh Guru Khalsa. He also wrote works dedicated to Amritsar, Lahore, and Bagrian. Gian Singh, who was a disciple of Tara Singh Narotam, was a theologian and preacher of the Nirmala sect. Gian Singh claimed to be descended from Bhai Mani Singh's brother, Nagahia Singh. Gian Singh also assisted Tara Singh Narotam with his Guru Girarath Kos, which was a lexicon of the Guru Granth Sahib, as Gian Singh travelled to Patiala to take notes of the discourses of blind-scholar Giani Chanda Singh Surama of Amritsar.

Legacy Giani Gian Singh is credited with establishing a tradition of Sikh historiographical writing in prose rather than verse. Furthermore, he initiated writing history in Punjabi, while before him most historical works were authored in English or Persian. His works are useful for understanding the political, social, caste, religious, and cultural dynamics from the 18th to early 20th century. Gian Singh was an advocate for the rights and freedom of Sikh women. His late 19th century work standardized the belief that 1699 was the year that the Khalsa was founded, despite earlier 18th century Sikh sources placing its foundation between 1689–1698.