This delightful book contains photographs and descriptions of many rare and before-now unseen relics of Sikh history, bestowed by the Gurus to his disciples. The authors do a thorough job in describing each artefact in its historical context, giving a thorough perspective of its priceless value in Sikh heritage. The authors have used their understanding of and sensitivity to the Sikh ethos to familiarize and educate the readers about all that has been left behind by the Sikh Gurus. This oversized picture book is one of best publications of 2012, and has become a collector's item.

No one is a Hindu; no one a Muslim. With these radical words Guru Nanak (1469 - 1539) founded the Sikh religion, calling for the recognition of one God, by whatever name devotees chose to call him, and the rejection of superstition, avarice, meaningless ritual, and social oppression.

Meditation and devotion were identified as the work of the private domain and charity, honest work, and service to humanity as the obligation to the social domain.

This compilation brings together and illuminates works of art that identify these core Sikh beliefs in the period of their early development by the ten historical Gurus (16th - 17th centuries).

Through them, we are taken behind the external signs that identify Sikhs, who constitute the world's fifth-largest organized religion, to its founding principles. The works of art include paintings, drawings, textiles, and metalwork.

They are drawn from museum collections in India and the United States and private collections in Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

The essay and object texts provide keen insight into early Sikh devotion and examine the works of art in the context of the North Indian cultural mix in which they were created.