Anand Karaj

What it is

Anand Karaj is a wedding rite, not a party. Its centre is the singing of four hymns called Lavan, which Guru Ram Das composed. The couple walks around the Guru Granth Sahib while those verses are sung, and the marriage is complete only after the fourth circuit. Sikhs use the word phere for this circling. The hymns speak of two lives joined, and of that union resting on union with God. A baptised Sikh, known as Amritdhari, may carry out the ceremony. The rite is governed by the Sikh Reht Maryada, the community's code of conduct, which the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee issued.

Origins and history

Sikh tradition traces the rite to Guru Amar Das, who lived from 1479 to 1574 and wrote a forty-stanza hymn, Anand, in the Ramkali measure, meant for solemn occasions. Guru Ram Das, his successor, added the four stanzas of Lavan for weddings. For a long period, though, most Sikh marriages looked much like Hindu ones: families settled the match through a Brahmin or Nai, astrologers chose the day, and the couple circled a sacred fire at the end. Under Maharaja Ranjit Singh the old ceremony fell partly out of use. Reform movements in the nineteenth century, first the Nirankaris and then the Singh Sabha, pressed for change, and by 1909 the Anand form had legal backing.

Law and recognition

British-era law shaped how Sikh marriages are recorded. Parliament passed the Anand Marriage Act in 1909, and in October of that year it came into force, giving Sikh couples a route of their own. India amended the law in 2012, and the President, Pratibha Devi Singh Patil, gave assent on 7 June that year. Since then a couple registered under the Anand Act need not also register under the general law on births, marriages and deaths. Pakistani Punjab passed its own measure, and by 2024 Sikhs there could have an Anand Karaj recorded by the state. The United Kingdom is different: it does not recognise the rite, so couples must also have a civil marriage.

Today and debate

Two arguments run alongside the rite today. One is about place. The Akal Takht issued a hukamnama, a formal direction, saying Anand Karaj may happen only inside a gurdwara, and Sikh authorities have repeated that view, rejecting destination and resort settings. The other is about who may marry this way. Gurdwaras in Britain asked how to treat a couple when one partner is not Sikh. After two years of consultation, the Sikh Council UK agreed guidelines in October 2014: gurdwaras should encourage both partners to be Sikh, and couples choosing a civil marriage should still be offered a prayer service, such as Ardas or Sukhmani Sahib Path, among family and friends. Some gurdwaras allow mixed marriages, and that causes dispute.

How Anand Karaj is kept

Anand Karaj is held in a gurdwara, with the Guru Granth Sahib at the centre and the congregation seated on the floor around it. Hymns are sung, and the four Lavan are the heart of the rite. As each verse is sung the couple walks slowly around the scripture. When the fourth round is complete, they are married. An Amritdhari Sikh, meaning one who has taken amrit, may conduct the marriage. Punjabi Sikh weddings often also include older Punjabi customs, such as the kurmai, an engagement, and the baraat, a procession.

When and where

Anand Karaj is not tied to a date in the calendar. It is held on the day a couple marries, at a time the two families arrange. Sikh authorities have ruled that it belongs in a gurdwara, not at a hotel, resort or other destination venue.

Sikhs keep the rite wherever they live. The sources tie it above all to Punjab, the region split between India and Pakistan, and it is kept across India, in Pakistani Punjab and in the United Kingdom, where gurdwaras hold it and the Sikh Council UK has issued guidance for them. Sikh authorities insist the proper place for it is a gurdwara.

What Anand Karaj means

The Lavan say more than that a wedding is taking place. In Sikh teaching the ceremony gives a couple the principles for a good marriage, and it sets that marriage inside the unity of the couple with God. Walking around the Guru Granth Sahib is an act of respect and of belonging, since the couple accept the scripture as the guide for their shared life. The name of the rite itself points to joy, an act that turns towards happiness.

Questions people ask about Anand Karaj

See also

SaptapadiThe seven-step ritual that finalizes a Hindu marriage, observed across India.MatchmakingThe custom of using a trusted intermediary to introduce partners for marriageMarriage proposalA ritual where one partner asks another to marry them, marking the start of engagement.SvayamvaraAn ancient Indian noble assembly where a bride chose her husband among suitors

Good reading and sources

• Encyclopaedia BritannicaArticle
• Pakistan Punjab province govt approves Sikh Marriage Act 2024The Indian Express, Article
• Pakistan Punjab province govt approves Sikh Marriage Act 2024The Indian Express, Article

• Anand Karaj on WikipediaEncyclopedia
• Wikidata recordOpen data

It may contain mistakes. Traditions differ from one family, village and community to the next, and the people who keep them know them best. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-11.