''Guru Shabad Ratnakar Mahan Kosh'' (Punjabi: ਗੁਰਸ਼ਬਦ ਰਤਨਾਕਰ ਮਹਾਨ ਕੋਸ਼), known by its more popular name of ''Mahan Kosh'' (ਮਹਾਨ ਕੋਸ਼), is a

Punjabi language Punjabi (; ; , ), sometimes spelled Panjabi, is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language of the Punjab, Punjab region of Pakistan and India. It has approximately 113 million native speakers. Punjabi is the most widely-spoken first lan ...

encyclopedia An encyclopedia (American English) or encyclopædia (British English) is a reference work or compendium providing summaries of knowledge either general or special to a particular field or discipline. Encyclopedias are divided into articles ...

which was compiled by

Bhai Kahn Singh Nabha Kahn Singh Nabha (30 August 1861 – 24 November 1938) was a Punjabi Sikh scholar, writer, anthologist, lexicographer, and encyclopedist. His most influential work, Mahan Kosh, inspired generations of scholars after him. He also played a role in ...

over fourteen years. It was the first Punjabi encyclopedia, it contains more than 70,000 words, some of them has sufficient reference from

Guru Granth Sahib The Guru Granth Sahib ( pa, ਗੁਰੂ ਗ੍ਰੰਥ ਸਾਹਿਬ, ) is the central holy religious scripture of Sikhism, regarded by Sikhs as the final, sovereign and eternal Guru following the lineage of the ten human gurus of the rel ...

Dasam Granth The ''Dasam Granth'' (Gurmukhi: ਦਸਮ ਗ੍ਰੰਥ ''dasama gratha'') is a collection of various manuscripts in Sikhism containing compositions attributed to Guru Gobind Singh.

, Gur Pratap Suraj Granth and from other Sikh books. It is considered a groundbreaking work in terms of its impact and its level of scholarship.

Dictionary

''Mahan Kosh'' has 64,263 entries arranged in the alphabetical order of the

Gurmukhi script Gurmukhī ( pa, ਗੁਰਮੁਖੀ, , Shahmukhi: ) is an abugida developed from the Laṇḍā scripts, standardized and used by the second Sikh guru, Guru Angad (1504–1552). It is used by Punjabi Sikhs to write the language, commonly re ...

covering religious and historical terms in the

Sikh canon The principal Sikh scripture is the Adi Granth (First Scripture), more commonly called the Guru Granth Sahib. The second most important scripture of the Sikhs is the Dasam Granth. Both of these consist of text which was written or authorised by th ...

. Each entry records the

etymology Etymology () The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) – p. 633 "Etymology /ˌɛtɪˈmɒlədʒi/ the study of the class in words and the way their meanings have changed throughout time". is the study of the history of the form of words ...

and different meanings of a term "according to its usage at different places in different works" alongside textual quotations. When words of

Perso-Arabic The Persian alphabet ( fa, الفبای فارسی, Alefbâye Fârsi) is a writing system that is a version of the Arabic script used for the Persian language spoken in Iran (Western Persian) and Afghanistan (Dari Persian) since the 7th cent ...

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominalization, nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cul ...

origin appear they are reproduced in their original scripts to inform readers of their correct pronunciation and connotation.

Publication

While studying two existing titles, Pandit Tara Singh Narotam's ''Granth Guru Girarth Kos'' (1895) and Hazara Singh's ''Sri Guru Granth Kos'' (1899), Kahn Singh realized there would be great value in a

lexicography Lexicography is the study of lexicons, and is divided into two separate academic disciplines. It is the art of compiling dictionaries. * Practical lexicography is the art or craft of compiling, writing and editing dictionaries. * Theoret ...

on words occurring in Sikh historical texts as well as in the ''

'' because it would promote literacy and critical studies in Punjabi. On May 12, 1912 he resigned his position in

Nabha State Nabha State, with its capital at Nabha, was one of the Phulkian princely states of Punjab during the British Raj in India. Nabha was ruled by Jat Sikhs of Sidhu clan. See also *Patiala and East Punjab States Union *Political integration of ...

and began work on the project. His original patron, Maharaja Brijindar Singh of

Faridkot State Faridkot State was a self-governing princely state outside British India during the British Raj period in the Indian sub-continent until Indian independence. It was founded by Sidhu- Brar Jats. Faridkot was one of the Cis-Sutlej states, which ...

, who had earlier sponsored scholarly work on the

died in 1918. His other patron, Maharaja

Ripudaman Singh Maharaja Ripudaman Singh (4 March 1883 – 12 December 1942), later known as Sardar Gurcharan Singh, was the Maharaja of Nabha State from 1911 to 1928, when he was deposed by the British. He later became an Indian revolutionary. Early life R ...

was forced to abdicate his throne in 1923. Maharaja Bhupinder Singh of

Patiala State Patiala State was a self-governing princely state of the British Empire in India, and one of the Phulkian States, that acceded to the Union of India upon Indian independence and partition. Patiala Kingdom/State was founded by Sidhu Jat Sikhs ...

then offered to underwrite the entire expense of printing. Kahn Singh finished the work on February 6, 1926 and printing began on October 26, 1927 at the Sudarshan Press in

Amritsar Amritsar (), historically also known as Rāmdāspur and colloquially as ''Ambarsar'', is the second largest city in the Indian state of Punjab, after Ludhiana. It is a major cultural, transportation and economic centre, located in the Maj ...

, owned by the poet Dhani Ram Chatrik. The first printing, in four volumes, was finished on April 13, 1930. The Languages Department of Punjab,

Patiala Patiala () is a city in southeastern Punjab, northwestern India. It is the fourth largest city in the state and is the administrative capital of Patiala district. Patiala is located around the '' Qila Mubarak'' (the 'Fortunate Castle') constru ...

then published Mahan Kosh in one volume and it has gone through three editions, the latest released in 1981. The

Punjabi University Punjabi University is a collegiate state public university located in Patiala, Punjab, India. It was established on 30 April 1962 and is only the second university in the world to be named after a language, after Hebrew University of Israel. ...

has translated it into

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national id ...

References

{{Reflist

External links

* Searchable Mahankosh is now available for Android
Click here to Install

Mahan Kosh and some other Punjabi dictionaries in searchable form at Sri Granth
* http://punjabicomputer.com/ex-tis_fil/5190Mahankosh.pdf 1930 non-fiction books Punjabi literature Punjabi-language encyclopedias 1930 in India 20th-century encyclopedias Indian encyclopedias 20th-century Indian books