ÿþ<HTML><HEAD><TITLE>GURPRA&#7750&#256L&#298</TITLE> <style type="text/css"> .BODY { background-color: #EAF1F7; background-image: url('images/gtbh.jpg'); background-repeat: no-repeat; background-attachment: fixed; background-position: center; color: #0066CC;} .C1{text-align: justify;color: #0066CC;FONT-size: SMALL;FONT-family: Tahoma;} .BIB{text-align: center;color: #000099;FONT-size: SMALL;FONT-family: Tahoma;} .CONT{text-align: right;color: #FF0000;FONT-size: SMALL;FONT-family: Tahoma;} </style><META NAME="keywords" CONTENT="GURPRAFL*"> <META http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8"></HEAD> <BODY class="BODY" oncontextmenu="return false" ondragstart="return false" onselectstart="return false"> <FONT ALIGN="JUSTIFY" FACE="Tahoma"> <p class="C1">&#65279GURPRA&#7750&#256L&#298, a distinct <i>genre</i> in Punjabi historical writing, providing in prose or in verse chronological information about the lives of the Gur&#363s and of the members of their families. The <i>genre</i> records in the main dates of their birth, marriage and death. Occasionally, the dates of some major events are also mentioned. The <i>genre</i> gained vogue in Sikh times in the first half of the nineteenth century and has continued to claim adherents in the twentieth. For the history of early Sikhism, the <i>gurpra&#7751&#257l&#299s</i> along with <i>janam s&#257kh&#299s</i> constitute serviceable source material. Most of the earlier <i>gurpra&#7751&#257l&#299s</i> remained unpublished during the lifetime of their authors. It was only recently that Bh&#257&#299 Ra&#7751dh&#299r Si&#7749gh compiled an anthology of <i>gurpra&#7751&#257l&#299s</i> published by the Shiroma&#7751&#299 Gurdw&#257r&#257 Parbandhak Committee in 1951 under the title <i>Gurpra&#7751&#257l&#299&#257&#7749</i>. With the discovery of some more manuscripts, a new edition comprising fourteen <i>gurpra&#7751&#257l&#299s</i> was brought out in 1964. Among the nineteenth century <i>gurpra&#7751&#257l&#299s</i> which are included in <i>Gurpra&#7751&#257l&#299&#257&#7749</i> (1964) are those of Saundha's <i>Gur Ba&#7749s&#257val&#299</i>, Kesar Si&#7749gh Chhibbar's <i>Gurpra&#7751&#257l&#299</i> and <i>Gurpra&#7751&#257l&#299</i> attributed to Sev&#257 D&#257s Ud&#257s&#299, besides a few anonymous ones. Among the <i>gurpra&#7751&#257l&#299s</i> of the late nineteenth and twentieth century are those by Gul&#257b Si&#7749gh, Sant Narai&#7751 Si&#7749gh Gi&#257n&#299 Gi&#257n Si&#7749gh and Gi&#257n&#299 Sard&#363l Si&#7749gh.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The editor, Bh&#257&#299 Randh&#299r Si&#7749gh, also worked out his own <i>gurpra&#7751&#257l&#299</i> which he appended to the volume. The Chief <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257 D&#299w&#257n published in 1934 a <i>gurpra&#7751&#257l&#299</i> of its own under the title <i>Gurva&#7749s Darpa&#7751 Pattar</i>. Unpublished manuscripts turn up now and again. To mention two instances: <i>Gurpra&#7751&#257l&#299</i> (anonymous) in the Pañj&#257b University Library, Cha&#7751&#7693&#299ga&#7771h, and <i>Gurpra&#7751&#257l&#299</i> (anonymous) in the Mot&#299b&#257<u>gh</u> Palace, Pa&#7789i&#257l&#257. Dates given in the different <i>gurpra&#7751&#257l&#299s</i> are more often than not contradictory, yet this source will continue to be of interest to historiographers.</p> </font> <p class="BIB"> BIBLIOGRAPHY<p class="C1"><ol class="C1">Ra&#7751dh&#299r Si&#7749gh, Bh&#257&#299, <i>Gurpra&#7751&#257l&#299&#257&#7749</i>. Amritsar, 1951<BR> </ol><p class="CONT">Dharam Si&#7749gh<br></p><BR> </font> <img src="counter.aspx" width="1px" height="1px" alt=""> </HTML></BODY>