Overview
Baisakhi — Vaisakhi — is 13 or 14 April, the day the Sun enters Mesha (Aries): the solar new year, the wheat harvest in Punjab, and for Sikhs the birthday of the Khalsa, founded by Guru Gobind Singh at Anandpur Sahib on this day in 1699. Punjab keeps it with the harvest fair, the bhangra and the nagar kirtan processions; Sikhs everywhere keep it at the gurdwara with the Guru Granth Sahib read through and the amrit sanchar, the initiation ceremony, held on the day. The same ingress is Vishu in Kerala, Puthandu in Tamil Nadu, Pohela Boishakh in Bengal and Bihu in Assam. See the Waheguru, Ek Onkar & Guru Nanak page for Sikh naam.
Story
The Khalsa. On Baisakhi 1699, at Anandpur, Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Sikh Guru, came before the gathering with a drawn sword and asked for a head. One man came forward and was taken into a tent; the Guru returned with the sword bloodied and asked again, until five had gone in. He brought all five out alive, dressed as he was, and initiated them with amrit — sweetened water stirred with a double-edged sword — as the Panj Piare, the five beloved ones, and then asked them to initiate him. The Khalsa, with its five Ks and the names Singh and Kaur, dates from that day. Sikh tradition keeps the account from the Bachittar Natak tradition and the early Sikh chronicles; historians date the event to 30 March 1699 in the Julian calendar then in use, which is the Baisakhi of that year.
The harvest. Baisakhi is the day the rabi wheat is cut in Punjab, and the older festival — the fairs, the wrestling, the bhangra danced in the fields — belongs to that. It was the Hindu solar new year across the north before the Vikram Samvat’s Chaitra new year became the common reckoning, and Hindu households in Punjab keep it with a bath in a river or the Golden Temple’s sarovar and the Sun’s puja.
How the day is kept
Gurdwaras: the akhand path (a continuous reading of the Guru Granth Sahib over 48 hours) ends on the morning of Baisakhi; the nishan sahib (the flag) is replaced; the amrit sanchar initiates new members of the Khalsa; the nagar kirtan carries the Guru Granth Sahib through the town led by the Panj Piare; and the langar feeds everyone. Anandpur Sahib and the Golden Temple at Amritsar hold the largest.
Punjab at large: the harvest fairs (Baisakhi mela), the bhangra and gidda, and — at Talwandi Sabo, the Damdama Sahib fair.
Jaap. The naam — Waheguru; the Mool Mantar; the Ek Onkar Satnam Shri Waheguru phrase whose page is linked below.
Regional forms
- Punjab (India and Pakistan): as above; the Pakistani shrines of Panja Sahib and Nankana Sahib receive Sikh pilgrims for the day.
- Haryana, Himachal, Jammu: the harvest fair and the bath; Baisakhi at the Baba Bakala and Poanta Sahib gurdwaras.
- The Sikh diaspora (UK, Canada, US): nagar kirtans in Southall, Vancouver and Surrey are among the largest Sikh gatherings outside India.
- Elsewhere in India: the same ingress as Vishu, Puthandu, Pohela Boishakh, Bihu and Maha Vishuba Sankranti.
The date
The day of the Sun’s sidereal entry into Mesha; the Sikh calendar (Nanakshahi, as revised) fixes Vaisakhi to 14 April, and the two coincide in most years. The table gives the computed ingress date for New Delhi.
Dates 2027
Dates are for New Delhi (IST), computed from the tithi rule for 1 Sept 2026 to 31 Dec 2027. Rows marked computed have not yet been checked against a published panchang — confirm with a local calendar before planning around them. Dates already past are kept for reference.
| Date | Observance | Tithi at sunrise | Tithi (IST) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baisakhi (Vaisakhi) | Shukla Ashtami, Chaitra | — | computed |
Mantra, aarti and chalisa for Baisakhi (Vaisakhi)
Frequently asked questions
When is Baisakhi (Vaisakhi) in 2027?
Is Baisakhi a Hindu or a Sikh festival?
What happened in 1699?
What is the connection with Jallianwala Bagh?
Which mantra is chanted?
Sourcing
Checked against independent sources before publishing — see our sourcing and editorial policy. Spotted an error? Report an issue .
