Live Kirtan from Golden Temple: What It Means and How Devotees Listen

The ragis and their instruments

A typical ragi jatha has three or four members: a lead singer, usually playing harmonium; one or two accompanying singers; and a percussionist on the tabla or jori, a pair of drums.

The harmonium arrived in India with Europeans in the nineteenth century and quickly became the dominant accompanying instrument in kirtan. In recent decades there has been a revival of interest in traditional string instruments, the tanti saaz, including:

• Rabab, associated with Bhai Mardana.
• Saranda, a bowed instrument.
• Taus, a bowed instrument traditionally shaped like a peacock.
• Dilruba, a lighter bowed instrument related to the taus.

Institutions, teachers and some ragis at Harmandir Sahib have worked to bring these instruments and raga-based singing back into the mainstream.

From Amritsar to the world: the broadcast story

Broadcasting kirtan from Harmandir Sahib began with radio and gathered pace with television.

• Television rights. From the late 1990s, the SGPC granted rights to private television channels to broadcast Gurbani from the shrine. For more than a decade, from 2012 to 2023, the rights were held by a single broadcaster, and its morning transmission became part of daily life for many families.
• The SGPC's own channel. In July 2023, the SGPC began broadcasting on its own web and YouTube channel, Sachkhand Sri Harmandir Sahib Sri Amritsar.
• An ongoing debate. In 2023, the Punjab government passed a bill to make the broadcast free to air for all channels. The SGPC objected, arguing that the management of Sikh shrines falls under its own authority, and the question of broadcast rights has remained contested since.

Whatever the outcome of that debate, the practical result for listeners is that the official broadcast from the SGPC is freely available online.

How devotees listen

People fold the Harmandir Sahib kirtan into daily life in many ways:

• The morning broadcast. Many families watch or listen to the early-morning programme, including the Hukamnama and Asa di Var, while getting ready for the day.
• In the background. Kirtan plays softly at home, in shops or in the car throughout the day.
• Focused listening. Some people sit quietly and follow the words of a shabad on screen or in a gutka.
• Across time zones. Diaspora families may listen live in the evening or at night, or catch up on recorded broadcasts.

Many Sikhs observe small customs when kirtan is playing, such as covering their heads, keeping the volume respectful and switching off the broadcast rather than letting it play in inappropriate places. These are personal and family practices rather than fixed rules.

Finding the official broadcast responsibly

A search for "live kirtan Golden Temple" returns a great many channels, not all of them official. A few simple checks help:

• Look for the SGPC's own channel. Its name is Sachkhand Sri Harmandir Sahib Sri Amritsar. Check that the channel is verified, and look at its history and subscriber count.
• Be cautious with re-uploads. Unofficial channels sometimes re-stream or re-upload the broadcast with added advertising, altered titles or clickbait thumbnails.
• Don't rely on "live" labels alone. Some streams labelled live are recordings looped continuously.
• Check apps before installing. If you use an app, look at who publishes it and what permissions it asks for.

For the day's Hukamnama specifically, our Hukamnama Today page lists official sources.

Understanding what you hear

Following the words deepens the experience. A few suggestions:

• Use the on-screen text. Broadcasts often display the Gurmukhi text of the shabad, sometimes with a translation.
• Note the Ang. If the page number of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji is shown, you can look up the shabad and its translation afterwards.
• Learn the structure. Knowing that a shabad has a rahao line, the refrain that carries its central idea, helps you follow it. Our guide on how to read a Hukamnama explains this and applies equally to shabads sung in kirtan.

Listening in person

If you visit Sri Harmandir Sahib, you can sit and listen to kirtan in the sanctum, on its upper floors or anywhere along the parikrama, where the kirtan is relayed through speakers. Many visitors find the early morning Asa di Var especially moving. Our visitor guide explains how to plan your visit.

Summary

Kirtan, the singing of Gurbani in raga, has been at the heart of Sikh worship since Guru Nanak Dev Ji sang with Bhai Mardana. At Sri Harmandir Sahib, ragi jathas sing through the day, from the Asa di Var at dawn to Kirtan Sohila at night. Broadcasts have carried that sound to homes around the world, and since 2023 the SGPC has run its own channel. Listen through the official source, follow the words where you can, and the kirtan from Amritsar can become part of your own daily rhythm.