In this episode I get to talk to Gurinder Singh Mann about the history and dissemination of Sri Dasam Granth, amongst a whole host of other topics.

Gurinder Singh Mann, is a Sikh historian and has published three books

1. The British and the Sikhs: Discovery, warfare and friendship c1700-1900. Military and social interaction in Imperial India (From Musket to Maxim 1815-1914)
2. Sri Dasam Granth Sahib: Questions and Answers
3. The Granth Of Guru Gobind Singh: Essays, Lectures, and Translations, which was published by Oxford University Press

He is also the director of the Sikh Museum Initiative, a curator of the Anglo Sikh Virtual Museum and an advisor for the upcoming movie The Sikh Soldier.

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As always here is a breakdown of the podcast:

00:00 – Introduction
01:24 – Upbringing and family background
04:29 - How were you introduced to Sri Dasam Granth?
08:07 - What were you planning on studying in respect to Sri Dasam Granth?
12:12 - What were some of the conclusions of your MA study?
17:17 - What was the reaction to your MA & what is your opinion of past Dasam?
19:47 - Why do you think certain scholars are hesitant to attribute Dasam Granth?
25:13 - What is your view of the work of Jaggi and Reinhart?
41:41 - Introduction to the physical historical dissemination of Sri Dasam Granth?
47:59 - What methods were used to physically construct a Dasam Granth manuscript?
53:02 - Anything of particular interest come up in your research?
55:15 – Kavis (poets) of Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib Ji.
59:04 - Why 52?
01:01:30 - What was the religious landscape like at the time of Guru Gobind Singh ji?
01:06:49 - Where does the tradition of having Kavis come from?
01:08:51 - Paonta Sahib Sri Dasam Granth manuscripts
01:11:39 - The Bhai Daya Singh recension of Sri Dasam Granth Sahib
01:15:26 - Any other Sri Dasam Granth manuscripts worth mentioning?
01:17:27 - How did Sri Dasam Granth Sahib evolve historically?
01:19:36 - How do the themes of Sri Dasam Granth and Sri Guru Granth Sahib relate?
01:25:31 – What other ways was Sri Dasam Granth propagated?
01:31:50 - What evidence is there to show the body armour once belonged to Guru Gobind Singh Ji?
01:33:42 - How was Sri Dasam Granth propagated during the misl period and M. Ranjit Singh period?
01:48:03 - Wilkins, Malcolm, Leyden, Anglo-Sikh Wars and the Singh Sabha movement
01:54:30 - What is your opinion of the idea that the British purposefully removed Sri Dasam Granth sahib?
01:55:53 - Did the changing relationship between Britain and the Punjab impact British accounts of the Sikhs?
01:57:05 - Annexation and perception of Sri Dasam Granth sahib
02:09:22 - The Sodhak Committee?
02:14:32 – National armies, the Sikhs and Sovereignty
02:26:55 – How did copies of Sri Dasam Granth end up in institutions across the world?
02:23:20 - What is the most accurate translation of Sri Dasam Granth currently available?