Has a central authority

Sikhism

around 26 million adherents worldwide.

Estimate from Pew Research Center — The Future of World Religions.

What the sources state

The SGPC records that Guru Gobind Singh is said to have stayed at Damdama Sahib for nine months in 1706 and dictated the whole Adi Granth to Bhai Mani Singh.

“It is said that Guru Gobind Singh stayed at Damdama Sahib for nine months in 1706 and dictated the whole Adi Granth to Bhai Mani Singh.”

Source: SGPC — Sri Guru Granth Sahib

The SGPC states that Guru Arjan gave the Sikhs a central place of worship in Harmandir Sahib.

“Guru Arjan gave a central place of worship to the Sikhs in Harmandir Sahib.”

Source: SGPC — Sri Guru Granth Sahib

Every quotation above was checked against its source on 3 September 2026.

Authority

Sikhism recognises a central authority.

The Akal Takht at Amritsar holds temporal authority and the SGPC administers the principal gurdwaras, though the Nanakshahi calendar reform remains contested and some bodies keep the older Bikrami reckoning. Dates are therefore emitted per calendar variant.

Traditions

Known within the tradition as sampradāya.

Khalsa

Nirmala

Udasi

Namdhari

Nihang

Observances in 2026

Observance	Dates	How certain
Vaisakhi	14 April 2026	Calculated
Martyrdom of Guru Arjan Dev Ji	16 May 2026	Calculated
Parkash Utsav of Sri Guru Granth Sahib	1 September 2026	Calculated
Guru Nanak Gurpurab	24 November 2026	Calculated

Sources

Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee
Sikh institutional administration
Akal Takht Sahib
Sikh temporal authority.
SGPC — Sri Guru Granth Sahib
The SGPC's account of the compilation and status of Sri Guru Granth Sahib.
World Sikh Organization of Canada
A Sikh advocacy body. Not a doctrinal authority.
Sikh Missionary Society UK
A British Sikh educational organisation.

No expert review. Accuracy here rests on continuous machine verification of every quotation against its source. Spotted an error? Corrections are answered within five working days.