Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC)

The SGPC is the statutory body (formed 1920) that manages Punjab’s historic Sikh gurdwaras — the custodian of the Harmandir Sahib (Golden Temple), the Akal Takht’s administrative counterpart, and one of the world’s largest religious trusts.

Overview

Created during the Gurdwara Reform Movement (1920–25) that freed the historical gurdwaras from hereditary mahants; the Sikh Gurdwaras Act (1925) gave it statutory form; headquartered at the Golden Temple complex, Amritsar.

Core functions

Management of gurdwara properties, services, and langars; maintenance of the Golden Temple’s ritual (the kirtan rosters, the Guru Granth Sahib’s care); publication and distribution of Sikh scripture and literature; administration of schools and colleges; the election of the Jathedar of Akal Takht’s institutional context.

Practice and work

The daily Gurmat and langar operations (the Golden Temple’s langar feeds 100,000 daily — the world’s largest free kitchen); Sikh education (the SGPC-run universities and schools); preservation of Sikh heritage sites.

Modern status

Elected under the 1925 Act’s franchise; politically significant in Punjab; the gurdwara management question in Haryana and the diaspora remains live politics the encyclopedia notes neutrally.

Verification notes

• The 1920 formation and 1925 Act are documented.
• Audited against Wikipedia (September 2026).