NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Guru Nanak

Guru Nanak (Gurmukhi: ਗੁਰੂ ਨਾਨਕ, Devanagari: गुरु नानक) (20 October 1469 - 7 May 1539), the founder of Sikhism and the first of the ten Gurus of the Sikhs, was born in the village of Talwandi, now called Nankana Sahib, near Lahore in present-day Pakistan. His parents, Kalu Mehta and Matta Tripat, were Hindus and belonged to the learned Brahmin caste. Even as a boy, Nanak was fascinated by religion, and his desire to explore the mysteries of life eventually led him to leave home. Guru Nanak Dev From [www. ... The Gurmukhi (ਗੁਰਮੁਖੀ or ਗੁਰਮੁੱਖੀ) script, derived from the Later Sharada script and standardised by Guru Angad Dev in the 16th century, was designed to write the Punjabi (ਪੰਜਾਬੀ) language. ... Rigveda manuscript in Devanagari (early 19th century) Devanāgarī (देवनागरी — in English pronounced ) (ISCII – IS13194:1991) [1] is an abugida alphabet used to write several Indian languages, including Sanskrit, Hindi, Marathi, Kashmiri, Sindhi, Bihari, Bhili, Konkani, Bhojpuri and Nepali from Nepal. ... October 20 is the 293rd day of the year (294th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 72 days remaining. ... Events July 26 - Battle of Edgecote Moor October 17 - Prince Ferdinand of Aragon wed princess Isabella of Castile. ... May 7 is the 127th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (128th in leap years). ... Events May 30 - In Florida, Hernando de Soto lands at Tampa Bay with 600 soldiers with the goal to find gold. ... The Golden Temple is the most important sacred shrine for Sikhs Sikhism is a religion that developed in an environment heavily influenced by conflict between the Hindu and Muslim religions. ... Nankana Sahib, also known as Raipur and Rai-Bhoi-di-Talwandi is a village in the state of Punjab (a portion of the proposed sovereign state Khalistan) in present-day Pakistan. ... Nankana Sahib, also known as Raipur and Rai-Bhoi-di-Talwandi is a village in the state of Punjab (a portion of the proposed sovereign state Khalistan) in present-day Pakistan. ... Lahore (لاةور) is a major city in Pakistan and is the capital of the province of Punjab. ... Indian family name (northern states) reflecting the academic achievements of their forefathers. ... This article is about the Hindu religion; for other meanings of the word, see Hindu (disambiguation). ... A Brahmin (less often Brahman) is a member of the Hindu priestly caste, the highest in the Hindu caste system. ...

Nanak married Sulkhni, of Batala, and they had two sons, Sri Chand and Lakhmi Das. He continued his religious pursuits as always. His brother-in-law, the husband of his sister Nanki, obtained a job for him in Sultanpur as the manager of the government granary. One morning, when he was twenty-eight, he went as usual down to the river to bathe and meditate. It was said that he was gone for three days. When he reappeared, filled with the spirit of God, he said, "There is no Hindu and no Muslim." It was then he began his missionary work.

Tradition states that he made four great journeys, traveling to all parts of India, and into Arabia and Persia; visiting Mecca and Baghdad. He spoke before Hindus, Jains, Buddhists, Parsees, and Muslims. He spoke in the temples and mosques, and at various pilgrimage sites. It was during this period that Nanak met Kabir (1441-1518), a saint revered by both Hindus and Muslims. Wherever he went, Guru Nanak spoke out against empty religious rituals, pilgrimages, the caste system, the sacrifice of widows, of depending on books to learn the true religion, and of all the other tenets that were to define his teachings. Never did he ask his listeners to follow him. He asked the Muslims to be true Muslims and the Hindus to be true Hindus. The term the Middle East sometimes applies to the peninsula alone, but usually refers to the Arabian Peninsula plus the Levant, Mesopotamia, and Iran. ... Iran (historically Persia) (Persian: ایران) is a Middle Eastern country located in Southwest Asia. ... This article is about the holy city in Saudi Arabia. ... A street map of Baghdad Average temperature (red) and precipitations (blue) in Baghdad Baghdad (Arabic: ) is the capital of Iraq and the Baghdad Province. ... This article is about the Hindu religion; for other meanings of the word, see Hindu (disambiguation). ... The holiest Jain symbol is the right facing swastika, or svastika, shown above. ... Statues of Buddha such as this, the Tian Tan Buddha statue in Hong Kong, remind followers to practice right living. ... ... A Muslim is a believer in or follower of Islam. ... Kabir (कबीर) (1440 - 1518) was an Indian Mystic who preached an ideal of seeing all of humanity as one. ... This page is about the year 1441. ... Events A plague of tropical fire ants devastates crops on Hispaniola. ... A ritual is a formalised, predetermined set of symbolic actions generally performed in a particular environment at a regular, recurring interval. ... A pilgrimage is a journey by a religious person to a place that is sacred according to his or her religion. ... The word Caste is derived from the Portuguese word casta, meaning lineage, breed or race. ... For sati in Buddhism, see mindfulness. ... Many religions and spiritual movements hold certain written texts (or series of spoken legends not traditionally written down) to be sacred. ...

After the last of his great journeys, Guru Nanak settled in the town of Kartapur (in Punjab) on the banks of the Ravi where he taught for another fifteen years. Followers from all over came to settle in Kartapur to listen, and sing, and be with him. During this time, although his followers still remained Hindu, Muslim, or of the religion to which they were born, they became known as the Guru's disciples, or sikhs. It was here his followers began to refer to him as teacher, or guru. It was here that the Guru told his followers that they were to be householders and could not live apart from the world—there were to be no priests or hermits. Here is where the Guru instituted the common meal; requiring the rich and poor, Hindu and Muslim, high caste and low caste, to sit together while eating. Here is where Lehna, later to be Guru Angad, came to be with Guru Nanak. Punjab, 1903 Punjab Province, 1909 The Punjab (also Panjab) is a region straddling the border between India and Pakistan. ... (راوی)A river 450 mi (724 km) long in north India flowing southwest to the Chenab and forming part of boundary between Punjab provinces of India and Pakistan. ... A Sikh is a follower of Sikhism, a religious faith originating in the Punjab. ... A guru (गुरू Sanskrit) is a teacher in Hinduism, Buddhism and Sikhism. ... A household refers to those who live in the same house, who may or may not make up a family. ... Roman Catholic priest LCDR Allen R. Kuss (USN) aboard USS Enterprise A priest or priestess is a holy man or woman who takes an officiating role in worship of any religion, with the distinguishing characteristic of offering sacrifices. ... A hermit (from the Greek erēmos, signifying desert, uninhabited, hence desert-dweller) is a person who lives to some greater or lesser degree in seclusion from society. ... Langar is the term used in the Sikh religion for the free, vegetarian-only food served in a Gurdwara and eaten by everyone sitting as equals. ... Guru Angad Dev Ji (31 March 1504 - 29 March 1552) was the second of The Ten Gurus of Sikhism. ...

Just before Guru Nanak died, he called his disciples together and requested them to sing Sohila, the evening hymn. To satisfy both his Hindu and Muslim follower as to the funeral arrangements it is said he did not allow his body to remain behind.

Preceded by: Sikh Bhagats (1100 - 1469)	Guru Nanak	Followed by: Guru Angad Dev (31 March 1504 - 29 March 1552)

These are the Ten Gurus of Sikhism
Guru Nanak \| Guru Angad Dev \| Guru Amar Das \| Guru Ram Das \| Guru Arjan \| Guru Hargobind \| Guru Har Rai \| Guru Har Krishan \| Guru Teg Bahadur \| Guru Gobind Singh Sikh Bhagats refers to the Saints and holy men of various faiths whose teachings are included in the Sikh holy book the Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji. ... For alternate uses, see Number 1100. ... Events July 26 - Battle of Edgecote Moor October 17 - Prince Ferdinand of Aragon wed princess Isabella of Castile. ... Guru Angad Dev Ji (31 March 1504 - 29 March 1552) was the second of The Ten Gurus of Sikhism. ... March 31 is the 90th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (91st in Leap years), with 275 days remaining, as the final day of March. ... Events January 1 - French troops surrender Gaeta to the Spanish under Cordoba. ... March 29 is the 88th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (89th in Leap years). ... Events April - War between Henry II of France and Emperor Charles V. Henry invades Lorraine and captures Toul, Metz, and Verdun. ... A guru (गुरू Sanskrit) is a teacher in Hinduism, Buddhism and Sikhism. ... The Golden Temple is the most important sacred shrine for Sikhs Sikhism is a religion that developed in an environment heavily influenced by conflict between the Hindu and Muslim religions. ... Guru Angad Dev Ji (31 March 1504 - 29 March 1552) was the second of The Ten Gurus of Sikhism. ... Guru Amar Das Ji (5 April 1479 – 1 September 1574) was the third of the Ten Gurus of Sikhism and became Guru on 26 March 1552 following in the footsteps of Guru Angad Dev ji, who died 29 March 1552. ... Guru Ram Das Ji (24 September 1534 - 1 September 1581) was the fourth of the Ten Gurus of Sikhism and became Guru on 30 August 1574 following in the footsteps of Guru Amar Das ji. ... Guru Arjan Dev Ji (15 April 1563 - 30 May 1606) was the fifth of the Ten Gurus of Sikhism and became Guru on 1 September 1581 following in the footsteps of Guru Ram Das ji. ... Guru Har Gobind Ji (19 June 1595 - 03 March 1644) was the sixth of the Ten Gurus of Sikhism and became Guru on 25 May 1606 following in the footsteps of his father Guru Arjan Dev Ji. ... Guru Har Rai Ji (26 February 1630 - 30 May 1661) was the seventh of the Ten Gurus of Sikhism and became Guru on 8 March 1644 following in the footsteps of his grandfather, Guru Har Gobind Ji. ... Guru Har Krishan Ji (7 July 1656 - 30 March 1664) was the eighth of the Ten Gurus of Sikhism and became Guru on 7 October 1661 following in the footsteps of his father, Guru Har Rai Ji. ... Guru Teg Bahadur Ji (April 1, 1621 - November 11, 1675) was the ninth of the Ten Gurus of Sikhism and became Guru on March 20, 1665 following in the footsteps of his grand-nephew, Guru Har Krishan Ji. ... Guru Gobind Singh Ji (December 22, 1666 in Patna, Bihar, India - October 7, 1708) was the tenth and last of the Ten Gurus of Sikhism and became Guru on November 11, 1675 following in the footsteps of his father Guru Teg Bahadur Ji. ...

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