Panth Prakash or Sri Guru Panth Prakash, usually titled Naveen Panth Prakash to distinguish it from an earlier work with the same title, is a Sikh text by Giani Gian Singh written in 1880. The language of the work is Braj. The text is written in verse form rather than prose and covers the history of Sikhism, with a focus on the Guru Panth or the Khalsa.
The text formed as Giani Gian Singh's re-working on the Panth Prakash that had been written by Rattan Singh Bhangu earlier. Gian Singh felt that Bhangu had excluded the history of the Malwai Sikhs from his work, thus he felt the need to write his own Panth Prakash that told their stories. Gian Singh also felt that the poetry in Bhangu's work was lacking, thus he aimed to write a work with better poetics. Giani Gian Singh had originally been instructed to write the work upon the advice of his teacher, Tara Singh Narotam. The work was first published in Delhi in 1880. An enlarged 2nd edition was published in Lahore by Diwan Buta Singh. However, Giani Gian Singh and Diwan Buta Singh had a rift form between them, so Gian Singh decided to have his 3rd and 4th editions printed by Kaka Singh Sadhu at Amritsar.
The work covers the period of the Sikh gurus, starting with Nanak, and ends its account at the death of Duleep Singh. Gian Singh also provided his account on the contemporary period he wrote in in-regards to the social situation and wrote some information about himself. Its final section covers Sikh sects, such as the Udasis, Nirmalas, Akali-Nihangs, Namdharis, Gulabdasias, Satkartarias, Hindalis, Hiradasias, and Gangushahis.
The editions of the text are as follows:
The text has not been fully translated into English yet. However, translations of select passages of the text can be found at manglacharan.com.
Giani Gian Singh lists twenty-three sources in the text that he utilized to author the work, with some sources namely being:
The work is taught in Sikh gurdwaras and plays an important role in the Sikh understanding of their history. According to Sant Singh Sekhon, the work was not written by a critical historian but rather a traditionalist religious scholar who attempted to aggrandize Sikh history and the community in-general. He casts doubt on some of the events, information, and dates recorded in the work despite them finding wide-spread acceptance and use by the community.