HISTORY OF THE TEN SIKH GURUS
By S. Subramaniam
The era of the ten Gurus of Sikhism spans from the birth of Nanak Dev in 1469, through the life of Guru Gobind Singh.
At the time of Guru Gobind Singh’s death in 1708, he passed the title of Guru to the Sikh scripture, Guru Granth.
1.Guru Nanak Dev - Guru from 1469 to 1539
Guru Nanak Dev, first of the 10 gurus, founded the Sikh faith, introducing the concept of one God.
He started the institution of Guru Ka Langar. Langar is the term in Sikh religion that refers to the common kitchen where food is served to everyone without any discrimination.
He emphasized the equality of women and rejected the path of renunciation and thus he rejected the authority of the Vedas.
He was the contemporary of Mughal emperor - Babur.
2.Guru Angad Dev - Guru from 1539 to 1552
Guru Angad Dev, second of the 10 gurus, invented and introduced the Gurmukhi (written form of Punjabi) script.
He compiled the writings of Nanak Dev in Guru Granth Sahib in Gurmukhi Script.
He popularized and expanded the institution of Guru ka Langar which was started by Guru Nanak Dev.
3.Guru Amardas Sahib - Guru from 1552 to 1574
Guru Amardas introduced the Anand Karaj or marriage ceremony for the Sikhs, replacing the Hindu form.
He established Manji & Piri system of religious missions for men and women respectively.
He strengthened the tradition of Guru Ka Langar.
He also completely abolished amongst the Sikhs, the custom of Sati and purdah system.
He was the contemporary of Mughal emperor - Akbar.
It has been documented that in a rare gesture, Akbar, in 1567, had once attended a Langar program sitting on ground and sharing food alongside common people.
4.Guru Ram Das - Guru from 1574 to 1581
Guru Ram Das, fourth of the 10 gurus, founded the city of Amritsar.
He started the construction of the famous Golden Temple at Amritsar, the holy city of the Sikhs.
He requested the Muslim Sufi, Mian Mir to lay the cornerstone of the Harmandir Sahib.
He was also the contemporary of Mughal emperor - Akbar
5.Guru Arjan Dev - Guru from 1581 to 1606
He compiled the Adi Granth, the scriptures of the Sikhs.
He completed construction of Sri Darbar Sahib also known as Golden Temple in Amritsar.
He founded the town of Tarn Taran Sahib near Goindwal Sahib.
He was the contemporary of Mughal emperors - Akbar and Jahangir.
6.Guru Har Gobind Sahib - Guru from 1606 to 1644
He was the son of Guru Arjan Dev and was known as a "soldier saint”.
He organised a small army and became the first Guru to take up arms to defend the faith.
He waged wars against Mughal rulers Jahangir and Shah Jahan.
7.Guru Har Rai Sahib - Guru from 1644 to 1661
Though he was a man of peace, he never disbanded the armed sikh warriors who were earlier maintained by Guru Har Gobind.
He gave shelter to Dara Shikoh, the eldest son of Mughal Ruler Shah Jahan, who was later persecuted by Aurangazeb.
He cautiously avoided conflict with Emperor Aurangzeb and devoted his efforts to missionary work.
He was the contemporary of Mughal emperor - Aurangazeb.
8.Guru Har Krishan Sahib - Guru from 1661 to 1664
Guru Har Krishan was the youngest of the Gurus. He was installed as Guru at the age of five.
He was contemporary of Aurangazeb and summoned to Delhi by him under framed charges of anti-Islamic blasphemy.
He was also the contemporary of Mughal emperor - Aurangazeb.
9.Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib - Guru from 1665 to 1675
He established the town of Anandpur.
He opposed the forced conversion of the Hindu Kashmiri Pandits by Mughal ruler Aurangazeb and he was consequently persecuted for this.
He was also the contemporary of Mughal emperor - Aurangazeb.
10..Guru Gobind Singh Sahib - Guru from 1675 to 1708
He became Guru after the martyrdom of his father Guru Tegh Bahadur.
He created the Khalsa in 1699, changing the Sikhs into a saint-soldier order for protecting themselves.
Last Sikh Guru in human form and he passed the Guruship of the Sikhs to the Guru Granth Sahib.
He was the contemporary of Mughal emperors - Aurangazeb and Bahadur Shah I.
11.Guru Granth Sahib
Guru Granth Sahib (also known as the Adi Granth) is the scripture of the Sikhs.
The Granth was written in Gurmukhi script and it contains the actual words and verses as uttered by the Sikh Gurus.
It is considered the Supreme Spiritual Authority and Head of the Sikh religion, rather than any living person.
Some select Quotes:
He who has no faith in himself can never have faith in God.
Let no man in the world live in delusion. Without a Guru none can cross over to the other shore.
Thou has a thousand eyes and yet not one eye; Thou host a thousand forms and yet not one form.
Place the Fear of God within the home of your heart; with this Fear of God in your heart, all other fears shall be frightened away.
There is but one God (Ek Onkar). True is His Name (Satnam), Creative His personality (Karta Purakh), Immortal His form (Akal murat). He is without fear (Nirbhau),sans enmity (Nirvair), unborn and self-illumined (Ajuni saibhang).
Wahe Guru Wahe Guru Wahe Gur Wahe Guru
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