Punjabi literature as such came into existence only from the end of the 16th century when Punjabi was already in its Middle Period. The fifth Guru, Arjan Dev compiled the Sikh scripture, the Adi Grantha or Grantha Sahib, but this again was not strictly in Punjabi. Guru Gobind Singh (1666-1708), the tenth and last Guru, wrote a number of religious works mainly in Old Hindi with the exception of Candi-di-Var, which is in Punjabi. Earlier, Punjabi language had no script of its own and was written in Landha or Mahajani script. But with the birth of Sikhism, a new alphabet was needed urgently for the language to define a separate cultural identity and a vehicle for the new religious teachings.

Landha or Mahajani scripts were derived from Sanskrit but did not represent all the sounds contained in Punjabi language. Muslim poets wrote their Punjabi writings in Persian script and it was called Shahmukhi script or `the script uttered from the mouth of Shah or the king`. The second Sikh Guru, Angad Dev, did a great service to Punjabi people by inventing a new script called Gurmukhi or `utterings from the mouth of the guru`. It had thirty-five letters in its alphabet to incorporate all the sounds, not found in other languages.

The birth of Khalsa or Sikhism is deeply entwined with Punjabi poetry, as almost all the Sikh Gurus were accomplished poets/musicians and created moving verses set to classical music, thus laying the foundation for new religious uttering combined with a quest for Punjabi identity. In a sense Guru Nanak was the first real `Punjabi` who gave its inhabitants a pride in reclaiming their separate identity.

The period between 1600-1850 covers the entire Middle Punjabi literature. Hindu and Sikh writers wrote in Punjabi, but it were Muslims were the most creative in producing rich literature in Punjabi. The best-known Hindu Punjabi scholar and Persian poet of the 17th century was Chandar Bhan of Lahore. In the 17th century Punjabi split up into three scripts - Perso-Arabic, Nagari and Gurmukhi.

A Muslim poet named Abdullah`s (1616-1666) Bara Anva or the `the Twelve Topics` is a thesis on Islam. During this age, many Muslim Sufi poets came to the forefront, and their compositions, entirely Punjabi in spirit and content, form an integral part of Punjabi literature. Bullhe Shah (1680-1758) is the greatest Sufi poet whose Kafis or short poems of about six stanzas are very popular. Ali Haidar (1689-1776), one of his contemporaries, wrote a large number Si-harfis or poems of 30 stanzas, each stanza beginning with a letter of the Persian alphabet.

The contribution of various Sikh Gurus & other luminaries to Literature, is given as follows:
Guru Nanak Dev (1469-1539) travelled over vast distances, teaching his message of peace and love. He was a prolific poet who composed hymns and other compositions, which became the basis of Adi Granth. A great poet and founder of a new religion, he took up poetry to give a voice of protest against this cruel fate of Punjab. He championed the cause of the weak, the poor and women, and incorporated into his verses a new innovation of poetical form and expression. He composed verses of great beauty about divinity; the human relationship with God and the salvation of individuals through philosophical teaching, which, though simple in appearance, spoke of great profundity. His composition Japji Sahib gives the essence of his teachings and is set in vigorous verses. It is used by the faithful as their daily meditation.

Guru Angad Dev (1539-1552) devised a new alphabet of Gurmukhi, thus giving people an identity, a faith and the beginnings of a new Punjabi sensibility.

Guru Amar Das (1552-1574) condemned and demolished the practice of Sati (widow burning) and divided Punjab into 22 districts of Sikh faith, appointing a learned preacher as the head of each.

Guru Arjan Dev (1581-1606) organized Sikhism into a fresh mission and stated that no field of life whether temporal, social or political was to be excluded from the operation of mystic venerations and the divine light. He compiled Adi Granth as the sole scriptural authority for the Sikhs.

Guru Gobind Singh (1675 -1708) was the great warrior poet who founded the Khalsa panth and gave Sikhs their distinctive dress code. His writings have universal appeal touching the tender strings of the heart and arousing courage for a life of purposeful action. He wrote his Zafarnama in chaste Persian to the Mogul king Aurangzeb, reminding him of the teachings of the Quran, as opposed to plunders of his army against the weak and destitute of India. Dasam Granth is anthology of his writings, a voluminous book of 1066 pages in Gurmukhi. He gave Guru Granth Sahib, the holy book of Sikhs, its final form as a scriptural authority for the people to follow. He was the last guru of the Sikhs.

Bhai Vir Singh (1872-1957) was the father of modern Punjabi literature and he single handedly brought a renaissance of Punjabi poetry. He was the first to use blank verse form in poetry and was the author of numerous novels, plays and poetry collections. He was a pioneer in starting the first Punjabi daily newspaper, the winner of many literary awards and a grand personality. He gave Punjabi verse a sophistication and new expression.

Shiv Kumar Batalvi (1936 -1973) was a bohemian poet of Punjab and his verse play Loona won him the Sahitya Akedmi award, which brought to light a new interpretation of legend of Pooran Bhagat in modern media. He expressed his inner sufferings through brilliant lyrics. He was uprooted from his native land by traumatic happenings of the partition of India in 1947, which affected his psyche deeply as a source of melancholy and fearful sorrow, but he never expressed it in his early poetry. He was only able to express it at the end of his poetic career.

Amrita Pritam (1917-) is a household name in the sphere of poetry and her single poem "Aj Akhan Waris Shah noo" brought her fame across both sides of Punjab. She was chosen as poetess of the millennium in India and has won the Sahitya Akademi award for an outstanding collection of poetry, Sunehray. She has published 24 novels, 15 collections of short stories and numerous other anthologies. Her work has been translated into 21 Indian languages, as well as English, Albanian, Bulgarian, Russian, French, Polish and Spanish. Her poetry is a wonderful blend of earthiness and psychic sophistication. A lyrical quality derived from Sufi and Sikh traditions with an undercurrent of feminism.