ÿþ<HTML><HEAD><TITLE>GUR&#362 N&#256NAK PRAK&#256SH PRESS</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="GURj,NNAK,PRAKSH,PRESS"> <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">&#65279GUR&#362 N&#256NAK PRAK&#256SH PRESS, a litho printing press, started around AD 1859 in the village of Pipr&#299, near Gorakhpur in the Uttar Pradesh, by Ka&#7749var Jagjot Si&#7749gh, grandson of Mah&#257r&#257j&#257 Ra&#7751j&#299t Si&#7749gh and son of Ka&#7749var Pashaur&#257 Si&#7749gh, for printing books in Gurmukh&#299 script with a view to promoting Punjabi literature and culture. Jagjot Si&#7749gh had been exiled from the Punjab, along with several other Sikh princes and chiefs upon the annexation of the Punjab in 1849 to the British dominions. He employed three scholars, namely Kishan Si&#7749gh, Dev&#299 Datt and Bishan Datt, for writing books originally in Punjabi as well as for rendering into the language some of the old classics. Among the works published were Punjabi translations of <i>Mit&#257shr&#299 &#7788&#299k&#257</i> or <i>Manu Sm&#7771ti</i> (total number of pages 77) by Dev&#299 Datt, <i>R&#257jn&#299t&#299 Granth</i> (a book on political theory; pp. 136) by Bishan Datt and Kishan Si&#7749gh, and <i>Bhoj Prabandh S&#257r</i> (a book on prosody; pp. 37) by Bishan Datt. Published in the seventies of the nineteenth century these books dealing with Hindu ethics, political theory and prosody, respectively, were abbreviated adaptations into Punjabi of the Sanskrit classics, and were meant for free distribution.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The press ceased to exist by 1880, but was revived in 1892 at Si&#257lko&#7789 (now in Pakistan) where Jagjot Si&#7749gh had settled down in 1884 after the withdrawal of the ban on his entry into the Punjab. However, it had to close down soon after when only 284 pages of the Punjabi book of <i>P&#257ras Bh&#257g</i> (second edition) had been printed. The first edition of this work and <i>Prem S&#257gar</i>, a biography of Lord K&#7771&#7779&#7751a, had also been got printed by Jagjot Si&#7749gh, but at another press.</p> </ol><p class="CONT">Shamsher Si&#7749gh Ashok<br></p><BR> </font> <img src="counter.aspx" width="1px" height="1px" alt=""> </HTML></BODY>