The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, commonly called the SGPC, was founded in 1920.
It emerged during the Gurdwara Reform Movement, when Sikh activists sought elected Sikh management for major gurdwaras. The movement challenged hereditary custodians and other arrangements that reformers believed had allowed mismanagement at important shrines. The SGPC became a central representative and administrative body for many historic gurdwaras in Punjab.
Its formation was part of a wider period of Sikh political and religious mobilization under British rule. The organization later received a legal framework through the Sikh Gurdwaras Act of 1925. The SGPC is headquartered at Amritsar and is associated with management of the Golden Temple and other major Sikh institutions.
The SGPC is not the same as the Akal Takht. The Akal Takht is a seat of temporal authority founded by Guru Hargobind, whereas the SGPC is an elected management body. The two institutions have distinct origins and functions.