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Sikh gurus facts for kids

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A miniature painting, dated 1890, depicting an "imaginary portrait" of the ten gurus and others.
Gurus of the Sikhs. Fresco from Dera Nirmala, Tanda-Hoshiarpur.

The Sikh gurus (Punjabi: ਸਿੱਖ ਗੁਰੂ; Hindi: सिख गुरु) are the spiritual masters of Sikhism, who established the religion over the course of about two and a half centuries, beginning in 1469. The year 1469 marks the birth of Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism. He was succeeded by nine other human gurus until, in 1708, the Guruship was finally passed on by the tenth guru to the holy Sikh scripture, Guru Granth Sahib, which is now considered the living Guru by the followers of the Sikh faith.

Etymology and definition

Main article: Guru

Guru (/ˈɡuːruː/, UK also /ˈɡʊruː, ˈɡʊər-/; Sanskrit: गुरु, Punjabi: ਗੁਰੂ, IAST: guru) is a Sanskrit term for a "teacher, guide, expert, or master" of certain knowledge or field. Bhai Vir Singh, in his dictionary of Guru Granth Sahib describes the term Guru as a combination of two separate units: "Gu;(ਗੁ)" meaning darkness and "Rū;(ਰੂ)" which means light. Hence, Guru is who brings light into darkness or in other words, the one who enlightens. Bhai Vir Singh's definition provides further insight about Sikhi itself and explains why Guru Granth Sahib is considered the living Guru. The word Sikh is derived from the Sanskrit term shishya (Punjabi: ਸਿੱਖ) which means a disciple or a student. Thus, Sikhs have a student–teacher relationship with their Gurus since their teachings, written in Guru Granth Sahib, serve as a guide for the Sikhs.

According to Sikh beliefs, all the Gurus contained the same light or soul and their physical body was a vessel for containing the same essence. When one Guru passed, the successor inherited this light and that is why the Gurus are also referred to as mahalla (house).

The gurus

No. Name Portrait Birth date Guruship Birthplace Clan Father Mother Date of death Reason Place of death
1 Guru Nanak Detail of Guru Nanak from the earliest known painting of all ten Sikh gurus together, with each being identified in golden Persian nasta'liq script, probably painted in Hyderabad, circa 1780.jpg 14 April 1469 Since birth Nankana Sahib, Punjab, Delhi Sultanate Bedi Khatri Kalyan Das Bedi Mata Tripta 22 September 1539(1539-09-22) (aged 70) Natural causes Kartarpur, Punjab, Mughal Empire
2 Guru Angad Painting of Guru Angad, possibly from an illustrated manuscript of the Gulgashat-i-Punjab.jpg 31 March 1504 7 September 1539 Muktsar, Punjab, Mughal Empire Trehan Khatri Baba Pheru Mal Mata Ramo 29 March 1552(1552-03-29) (aged 47) Natural causes Khadur Sahib, Punjab, Mughal Empire
3 Guru Amar Das Painting of Guru Amar Das leaning against a bolster whilst seated on a raised platform on a terrace with a fly-whisk attendant.jpg 5 May 1479 26 April 1552 Amritsar, Punjab, Mughal Empire Bhalla Khatri Tej Bhan Bhalla Mata Lachmi 1 September 1574(1574-09-01) (aged 95) Natural causes Goindval, Lahore Subah, Mughal Empire
4 Guru Ram Das Miniature painting of Guru Ram Das seated outdoors on carpet underneath a tree with a book before him.jpg 24 September 1534 1 September 1574 Lahore, Punjab, Mughal Empire Sodhi Khatri Baba Har Das Mata Daya 1 September 1581(1581-09-01) (aged 46) Natural causes Goindval, Lahore Subah, Mughal Empire
5 Guru Arjan Guru Arjan painting.jpg 15 April 1563 1 September 1581 Goindval, Punjab, Mughal Empire Sodhi Khatri Guru Ram Das Mata Bhani 30 May 1606(1606-05-30) (aged 43) Execution by Mughal Emperor Jahangir Lahore, Lahore Subah, Mughal Empire
6 Guru Hargobind Contemporary painting of the sixth Sikh guru, Guru Hargobind. Provincial Mughal school, Deccan, mid-17th century.jpg 19 June 1595 25 May 1606 Amritsar, Lahore Subah, Mughal Empire Sodhi Khatri Guru Arjan Mata Ganga 28 February 1644(1644-02-28) (aged 48) Natural causes Kiratpur Sahib, Lahore Subah, Mughal Empire
7 Guru Har Rai Painting of Guru Har Rai holding a flower, Pahari style, painted by a Muslim, artwork preserved by the family of Bidhi Chand Chhina.jpg 16 January 1630 3 March 1644 Kiratpur Sahib, Lahore Subah, Mughal Empire Sodhi Khatri Baba Gurditta Mata Nihal Kaur 6 October 1661(1661-10-06) (aged 31) Natural causes Delhi, Delhi Subah, Mughal Empire
8 Guru Har Krishan Guru Har Krishan painting.jpg 7 July 1656 7 October 1661 Kiratpur Sahib, Lahore Subah, Mughal Empire Sodhi Khatri Guru Har Rai Mata Krishan Kaur 30 March 1664(1664-03-30) (aged 7) Smallpox Delhi, Delhi Subah, Mughal Empire
9 Guru Tegh Bahadur Guru teg bahadur.jpg 1 April 1621 20 March 1664 Amritsar, Lahore Subah, Mughal Empire Sodhi Khatri Guru Hargobind Mata Nanaki 11 November 1675(1675-11-11) (aged 54) Execution by Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb Delhi, Delhi Subah, Mughal Empire
10 Guru Gobind Singh Equestrian portrait of Guru Gobind Singh.png 14 February 1666 11 November 1675 Patna Sahib, Bihar Subah, Mughal Empire Sodhi Khatri Guru Tegh Bahadur Mata Gujri 7 October 1708(1708-10-07) (aged 41) Assassinated by Jamshed Khan and Wasil Beg on order of Wazir Khan Hazur Sahib, Bidar Subah, Mughal Empire
11 Guru Granth Sahib Sri Guru Granth Sahib Nishan.jpg 29 August 1604
(date of completion of compilation of the first draft [Adi Granth])		 20 October 1708 Amritsar, Lahore Subah, Mughal Empire
(place of compilation)		 The central holy scripture of Sikhism, regarded as the final, sovereign and eternal Guru.

Timeline

Pedigrees

'Imaginary Meeting of Guru Nanak, Mardana Sahab, and Other Sikh Gurus', earliest known painting depicting all ten Sikh gurus together with golden nastaliq identifying inscriptions, probably from Hyderabad, ca.1780
Imaginary Meeting of Guru Nanak and the rest of the Sikh Gurus, Bhai Mardana, and others. 1780 painting

Bansawali Guru Sahiban Ki

See also

  • History of Sikhism
  • Khalsa
  • Gurgadi
  • Gurpurab
  • Joti Jot
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