SELMA -- In Sikhism, there is nothing more important than the holy book, Sri Guru Granth Sahib.
The book is so important that it is often protected -- only accessible by Sikh priests and stored in a locked room. Priests will perform ceremonies to show the book respect, such as fanning it with Chaur Sahib fashioned out of yak hair.The holy book will get even more special attention Sunday when Sikh temples in the central San Joaquin Valley hold special events to commemorate the 405th anniversary of its installation."To me, [the book] compares to God," says Selma temple member Manjit Kaur, who has been a member of Gurdwara Guru Kalgidhar Sahib for four years. Sikhism was founded by Guru Nanak in North India as a monotheistic religion in 1469 -- and, 135 years later, the religion installed the holy book. Sikhism has grown into the world's fifth-largest religion with more than 20 million followers.The Valley has about a dozen Sikh temples and more than 15,000 worshippers.The 1,434-page book is a collection of hymns, writings and poetry by people of various faiths, mainly describing what God is like and the precepts of noble living. Many lines sound as rhymes."It is messages of God that tell us how to live a daily life," says Kaur.Holy books used at Valley temples are written in Punjabi, the language spoken in Punjab, a region in northwest India and northeast Pakistan where many Sikhs live.The holy book was composed during the period of the Sikh gurus, from 1469 to 1708. The 10th guru, Guru Gobind Singh, affirmed the sacred text Adi Granth as his successor -- and it ended the line of human gurus and elevated the text to Sri Guru Granth Sahib."He gave guruship to Granth Sahib," says Gurdial Singh Sanghera, president of Nanaksar Satsang Sabha Inc., which operates a Fresno Sikh temple, Gurdwara Nanaksar, on North Cornelia Avenue near Ashlan Avenue.The Fresno temple features a 10,562-square-foot worship hall accommodating nearly 1,500 worshippers, the largest hall in the United States.The hall's focal point is a special room, or the Sach Khand, which houses the Sri Guru Granth Sahib. The room is accessible only to Sikh priests.Inside the worship hall, worshippers view the holy book only through the special room's main window. Over a loud speaker, they can listen to priests reading and chanting from the holy book.In 2004, when Sikh worshippers celebrated the 400th anniversary of the holy book's installation, some Valley priests read and chanted continuously from the book -- reading it in its entirety. That procedure, known as Akhand, takes three days.At Gurdwara Nanaksar, when priests aren't reading or chanting, the holy book sits covered by white cloth in the special room. Flowers are displayed in front of the book. And behind it are pictures of Guru Nanak, founder of the Sikh denomination with which the Fresno temple has affiliation.At Gurdwara Guru Kalgidhar Sahib in Selma, six poems were read from the holy book last Sunday. They were about the religion's fourth guru, Guru Ram Das, who was known for serving others selflessly.Worshippers such as Kaur ate a sweet food, karah parshad, which is made of semolina, butter and sugar. It represents a blessing for visiting the temple and experiencing the Sri Guru Granth Sahib.Kaur says she felt the blessing."How Guru Ram Das led his life are things we could learn," she says. "I can apply that in my life."