A gurdwara (, '''' or , ''''), meaning ''the Gateway to the Guru'', is a place of worship for Sikhs, the followers of Sikhism. The most well-known gurdwara of the Sikhs is the Harmandir Sahib in Amritsar, Punjab, India.

History

The first gurdwara was built in Kartarpur On the banks of the River Ravi in Punjab Now Narowal District Punjab(Pakistan) in the year 1521 by the first Sikh guru, Guru Nanak Dev.

Gurdwara

There are no idols, statues, or religious pictures in a gurdwara, but the essential feature of a gurdwara is the presiding presence of the holy book, the Guru Granth Sahib. The Sikhs hold high respect for the commandments laid down in the Guru Granth Sahib.

A gurdwara has a darbar (main) hall, a free community kitchen langar, and other facilities. A gurdwara is identified from a distance by tall flag-poles bearing the Nishan Sahib (Sikh flag). Many of the gurdwaras in Punjab have a pool (sarovar) for bathing in.

The Sikh marriage ceremony, called Anand Karaj is performed inside a gurdwara.

Etiquette

Gurdwaras are open to everyone regardless of faith. Visitors remove their shoes, wash their hands and cover their head with a cloth before entering. Visitors are also forbidden to go into the gurdwara while they are inebriated or possess alcohol, cigarettes or any intoxicating substances. They may donate some money for the upkeep of the gurdwara.

Devotees sit cross-legged on the floor. On entering the hall, devotees walk slowly and respectfully to the main throne (called the ''takht'') on which the Guru Granth Sahib rests. Devotees then stand before the holy scriptures, often say a silent prayer, then bow.

Customs

Many gurdwaras are designed to seat men on one side and women on the other, although designs vary and the divide is far from mandatory. Worshippers are offered Karah Parshad (sweet flour and oil-based food offered as prashad) in the worship hall, which is usually given into cupped hands by a sewadar (volunteer).

Langar communal vegetarian food made by volunteers is funded by the worshippers themselves. No meat is served in the langar hall to suit the visitors from different background. Langar is always served to the Sangat (the langar congregation) sitting on the ground, as equality amongst all members of the community is a tenet of Sikhism.

Learning facilities

Many Gurdwaras also have other facilities for Sikhs to learn more about their religion, such as libraries, complexes for courses in Gurmukhi (Sikh script) and Sikhism, meeting rooms, and room-and-board accommodation for those who need it (serais).

See also

List of Sikh festivals

List of Gurdwaras

Gurdwaras in India

References

External links

A Journey to Historical Sikh Gurdwaras Around World

Global Gurudwara Database

Historical Sikh Gurdwaras - SikhismGuide.org

Gurdwara Guides

Gurdwara Features and Database

Photo gallery

Category:Gurdwaras Category:Sikh terms Category:Sikh architecture Category:Sikh practices

cs:Gurudvára da:Gurdwara de:Gurdwara es:Gurdwara eu:Gurdwara fr:Gurdwârâ hi:गुरुद्वारा it:Gurdwara lad:Gurdwara mr:गुरूद्वारा nl:Gurdwara no:Gurdwara nn:Gurdvara pa:ਗੁਰਦੁਆਰਾ pnb:گردوارہ pl:Gurudwara pt:Gurdwara ru:Гурдвара simple:Sikh temple fi:Gurdwara sv:Gurdwara uk:Ґурдвара

}}

Mandeep Kaur (born April 19, 1988) is an Indian athlete who mainly competes in the 400 meters. She competed at the 2008 Olympic Games, she failed to pass the first round. Mandeet Kaur won the Gold Medal at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in 4x400 m relay event and in the 2006 and 2010 Asian Games.

On June 29, 2011, Reuters reported that she had tested positive for the anabolic steroids methandienone and stanozolol during off-season tests, following the same day announcement of the Athletics Federation of India. She blamed the results on tainted food supplements, and denied taking any banned substance knowingly. After a total of 6 Indian female 400m runners tested positive, including Mandeep's teammates at the Commonwealth Games, Ashwini Akkunji and Sini Jose, the team coach, Ukrainian Yuri Ogrodnik, was fired by India's Sport's Minister Ajay Maken.

References

External links

Mandeep Kaur - IAAF Profile

Category:1988 births Category:Living people Category:Indian athletes Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 2008 Summer Olympics Category:Olympic athletes of India Category:Punjabi people Category:Commonwealth Games gold medallists for India Category:People from Amritsar Category:Sportspeople from Punjab (India) Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 2010 Commonwealth Games Category:Asian Games medalists in athletics (track and field)

no:Mandeep Kaur

name	Kevin Bridges
birth date	November 13, 1986
birth place	Clydebank, Scotland
medium	Television, radio
nationality	Scottish
active	2004–present
genre	Observational humouranecdotal humour
notable work	''Stand Up for the Week''
website	}}

Kevin Bridges (born 13 November 1986) is a Scottish stand-up comedian.

Career

Stand-up

Bridges began performing on the small stage when he left school shortly after his 17th birthday, doing stand-up comedy gigs at The Stand Comedy Club in Edinburgh and then throughout the UK. At 18 he reached the final of Channel 5's ''So you think you're funny'' competition at the Edinburgh Fringe. He performed at the 2008 Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Bridges appeared on ''Michael McIntyre's Comedy Roadshow'' on the BBC, where he performed at the Edinburgh Playhouse.

In 2010, he took part in ''Channel 4's Comedy Gala'', a benefit show held in aid of Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital, filmed live at the O2 Arena in London.

His debut DVD, titled ''Kevin Bridges: The Story So Far... Live In Glasgow'', was released on 22 November 2010.

Television

Bridges' television career started on Comedy Central (formerly known as Paramount comedy) with a set on ''The World Stands Up'' which aired in April 2008. Shortly afterwards he appeared on ''Comedy Store'' (also on Comedy Central). His performances on these shows and on the comedy circuit and at festivals led to his being given his first mainstream TV break on BBC One's ''Michael McIntyre's Comedy Roadshow'' (recorded in April 2009 and broadcast June 5, 2009). Bridges was critically commended for his performance. Over 5 million viewers saw his debut and his entire 25-night run at the Edinburgh festival sold out in hours, with extra shows being subsequently added and also selling out. Bridges went on to be nominated for the 2009 Edinburgh Comedy Awards (formerly Perrier) in the best newcomer category. His TV work since then has included BBC One's ''Live At the Apollo'' and also a "Best of British Special" (Episode 7 of the 8th series) of ''8 out of 10 Cats'', in July 2009. He also appeared in BBC 2 Scotland's ''Gary: Tank Commander'' (Episode 6). Bridges appeared in ''Rab C Nesbitt'' in the first episode of the new series in 2010, on ''Mock the Week'' in February 2010, in an episode of season 4 of ''Would I Lie To You?'', and on the ''Jonathan Ross show'' on BBC One on 28 May 2010. He is a regular performer on Channel 4's ''Stand Up for the Week'', which began in June 2010.

Radio

Bridges took part in the BBC 5 Live show ''Fighting Talk'' on 6 March 2010, where he came second behind Greg Brady, becoming the youngest person ever to appear on the show at the time (a record since broken by fellow comedian Jack Whitehall). He was also a contestant on BBC Radio 4's ''The Unbelievable Truth'', broadcast in November 2010.

Personal life

Kevin is the son of Andy and Patricia Bridges and has a brother, John, who is ten years older. He grew up in Clydebank and attended St Mary's Primary and St Columba's High. He later studied social sciences at Glasgow Caledonian University.

He comes from a family of Celtic F.C. supporters and shared their interest but later became disillusioned with the corporate side of the team.

During the "Any Other Business" round of the 13 August 2011 episode of ''Fighting Talk'', Bridges revealed that he had moved out of his parents' home in Glasgow and into a new flat.

Stand-Up DVDs

''The Story So Far...Live in Glasgow'' (22 November 2010)

References

External links

Agent's Website

Category:Scottish comedians Category:Scottish stand-up comedians Category:Living people Category:1986 births Category:People from Glasgow

name	Saif Ali Khan
birth date	August 16, 1970
birth place	New Delhi, India
occupation	Film actor, producer
yearsactive	1992–present
spouse	Amrita Singh (1991–2004)
partner	Kareena Kapoor (2007–present) }}

Saif Ali Khan (, ; born 16 August 1970) is an Indian actor in Bollywood films. He is the son of the Nawab of Pataudi, Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, and the actress Sharmila Tagore. He has two sisters; Saba Ali Khan and actress Soha Ali Khan. He is the heir apparent to both royal houses of Bhopal and Pataudi.

Khan made his debut in 1992 with ''Parampara''. He had his first major success with the 1994 films ''Main Khiladi Tu Anari'' and ''Yeh Dillagi''. After going through several years of decline in the 1990s, he rose into prominence with his performance in ''Dil Chahta Hai'' (2001), which marked his professional turning point. His performance in Nikhil Advani's ''Kal Ho Naa Ho'' (2003) won him the Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award, and he won the National Film Award for Best Actor for his performance in ''Hum Tum'' (2004). He then had commercial success with films like ''Salaam Namaste'' (2005), ''Race'' (2008) and ''Love Aaj Kal'' (2009), and starred in critically acclaimed projects such as ''Parineeta'' (2005) and ''Omkara'' (2006). These accomplishments have established Khan as one of Bollywood's most successful and talented actors. In 2009, Khan branched out into film production with his company Illuminati Films.

Early life

Saif Ali Khan has Muslim Pashtun ancestry through Nawabs of Pataudi lineage from his father's side and Hindu Bengali Tagore ancestry from his mother's side. His paternal grandfather, Iftikhar Ali Khan Pataudi, was the Nawab of Pataudi as well as an accomplished cricketer who played for England and then for India as the captain of the team. His paternal grandmother was Sajida Sultan, Begum of Bhopal and his great-uncle was Pakistani general Nawabzada Sher Ali Khan Pataudi. His father is Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, the ninth Nawab of Pataudi and a former captain of the Indian cricket team.

Khan has two sisters Saba Ali Khan and Soha Ali Khan. Khan's mother is Sharmila Tagore, a Bengali Indian film actress and a member of Bengal's Tagore family. She is also the head of the Indian film censorship board and the grand-niece of Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore. Tagore converted to Islam from Hinduism after her marriage to Khan's father, and changed her name to Begum Ayesha Sultana. Khan spent his childhood in a Muslim atmosphere, reading the Quran, with his grandmother being the centre of his religious education. Khan says that "Religion played a major role in my upbringing." Khan also states that his family is "cool or rather massively open–minded about religious matters." For example, he acknowledges that his daughter is born into a Muslim family, however he states that he will not decide her religion for her.

Initially Khan studied at the Lawrence School Sanawar and later attended Lockers Park School in Hertfordshire. He followed in his father's footsteps by attending Winchester College, an independent school for boys in the UK. Khan can speak his native languages of Hindi and Bengali fluently, as well as English.

Career

In 1993, he won the Filmfare Best Male Debut Award for ''Aashiq Awara''. His breakthrough role came in 1994 with ''Yeh Dillagi'' starring opposite Kajol and Akshay Kumar which was his first major hit. Khan went on to star in many films but they failed at the box office. He only had success with multi-starrer hits like ''Main Khiladi Tu Anari'' (1994), ''Imtihaan'' (1995), ''Kachche Dhaage'' (1999) and ''Hum Saath-Saath Hain: We Stand United'' (1999). After some box office failures he had a hit with the film ''Kya Kehna'' (2000).

His acting career, more or less, went through a relative slump until 2001, when he was cast in Farhan Akhtar's contemporary drama ''Dil Chahta Hai''. He received much acclaim for his role as Sameer with critic Taran Adarsh calling it ''his career-best performance''. The success of this film firmly established Saif as one of the industry's most bankable stars.

He has since had many box office successes, starting with Nikhil Advani's drama ''Kal Ho Na Ho'' (2003), co-starring alongside Shahrukh Khan and Preity Zinta. The film, set in New York, starred Saif as Rohit, Zinta's best friend, who later realises that he loves her. The film was the second top-grossing film of the year, and Khan's performance was praised by critics. He won the Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award, as well as other awards in that category in other award ceremonies. Khan followed it with the leading role in Kunal Kohli's romantic comedy ''Hum Tum'' (2004), his first collaboration with Yash Raj Films. The film follows the encounters of the two main characters until they, after several years and various meetings, become friends and finally fall in love. Khan played the role of Karan Kapoor, a young cartoonist and womaniser whose relationship with Rhea Prakash, played by Rani Mukerji, changes his perception of women and life. Khan's performance was applauded by both critics and audiences. He won the Best Comedian award at the Filmfare, and was conferred the coveted National Film Award for Best Actor in 2005. Khan's next project with the Yash Raj Films production, ''Salaam Namaste'' (2005), became India's top-grossing film in the overseas market. The film, which was the first Indian film to be entirely shot in Australia, starred Khan and Preity Zinta as a contemporary cohabiting Indian couple. He was also noted for his performance in a negative role in Ram Gopal Verma's ''Ek Hasina Thi'' (2004) and for his role of Shekhar Rai in Pradeep Sarkar's ''Parineeta'' (2005), an adaptation of the 1914 Bengali novella, Parineeta by Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay.

In 2006 Khan played the protagonist in the English-language art film, ''Being Cyrus''. His role as Cyrus got him positive reviews. In that same year, he went on to receive major acclaim for his portrayal of Iago in the Indian adaptation of Shakespeare's Othello, ''Omkara''. Rediff.com stated, "Omkara marks Saif's emergence into the very forefront of his acting peers, and we gleefully applaud". ''Variety'' film critic Derek Elley called his performance "powerhouse" and further wrote, "It's Khan's movie through and through, in a performance of rugged, contained malevolence which trades on his previous screen persona as a likable best friend as well as his stint as the manipulative outsider in 'Being Cyrus'. It's smart casting, superbly realized." For his work, Khan earned the awards for Best Actor in a negative role at the Star Screen, Filmfare, Zee Cine and IIFA Awards.

Khan next acted in ''Eklavya: The Royal Guard'' (2007), co-starring alongside his mother for the second time since ''Aashiq Awara'' (1993). The film was India's official entry to the Oscars, and Khan's performance as Harshwardhan was appreciated by critics. Taran Adarsh commented, "watching him emote with amazing precision makes you realise the giant strides he has taken as an actor". He next appeared alongside Rani Mukerji in the family drama, ''Ta Ra Rum Pum'' (2007). Directed by Siddharth Anand, the film went on to become a box office success.

In 2008, Khan first starred in the Abbas-Mustan thriller ''Race'', which went on to do well at the box office. This was followed by two projects produced by Yash Raj Films, ''Tashan'' and ''Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic'', both of which were not successful.

In 2009, Khan produced and starred in ''Love Aaj Kal''. The film, directed by Imtiaz Ali, was a critical and commercial success. He then starred in the thriller ''Kurbaan'' along with Kareena Kapoor in which he played a terrorist. The following year, Khan was awarded the Padma Shri, which is the fourth highest civilian award given by the Government of India

Khan turned producer when he setup his production company called Illuminati Films in 2009. His first film, ''Love Aaj Kal'' was directed by Imtiaz Ali and featured Deepika Padukone opposite him. Upon release, the film was critically and commercially successful. Khan's second film production, ''Agent Vinod'', will be directed by Sriram Raghavan.

Personal life

Khan married actress Amrita Singh in October 1991. After thirteen years of marriage and two children (son Ibrahim Ali Khan and daughter Sara Ali Khan), the couple divorced in 2004. His children live with their mother. Khan is currently dating actress Kareena Kapoor.

In 1998, Khan was charged with poaching two blackbucks in Kankani during the filming of ''Hum Saath Saath Hain'' along with co-stars Salman Khan, Tabu, Sonali Bendre and Neelam. The charges were dropped soon after Khan was acquitted.

On 18 February 2007, Khan was hospitalised at Lilavati Hospital, Mumbai due to experiencing chest pain while rehearsing for his performance at the Stardust Awards, to be held that night. After hospitalization, he stated he would quit smoking.

In October 2009 Khan publicly spoke of his relationship with Kareena Kapoor and the prospect of marriage stating, that in his opinion people said that marriage does not affect one's career but in fact it does and that today the whole definition of marriage has changed. He said, that he and Kareena were so well connected, so close that marriage is just a stamp of validation for the society.

Commitments

In 2005, along with other Bollywood stars, Khan performed at the HELP! Telethon Concert to help raise money for the victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake.

Khan took part in two major world tours. He was part of a troupe that included Shahrukh Khan, Rani Mukerji, Preity Zinta, Arjun Rampal and Priyanka Chopra, which went on the ''Temptations 2004'' world tour.

In 2006, Khan toured again, participating and performing in ''Heat 2006'' concert around the world, along with Akshay Kumar, Preity Zinta, Sushmita Sen and Celina Jaitley.

In 2006, Khan appeared along with various other Bollywood actors at the Closing Ceremony of the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, as part of a performance showcasing Indian culture along with Rani Mukerji, and Aishwarya Rai on behalf of the 2010 Commonwealth Games, to be held in Delhi.

Awards and nomination

Filmography

Actor

{|class="wikitable" style="font-size: 90%;" border="2" cellpadding="4" background: #f9f9f9; |- align="center" ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Year ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Film ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Role ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Notes |- | 1992 || ''Parampara'' || Pratap Singh || |- |rowspan="2"| 1993 || ''Aashiq Awara'' || Jimmy/Rakesh Rajpal || Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut |- | ''Pehchaan'' || Karan Verma || |- |rowspan="5"| 1994 || ''Imtihaan'' || Vicky || |- | ''Yeh Dillagi'' || Vikram 'Vicky' Saigal || |- | ''Main Khiladi Tu Anari'' || Deepak Kumar || Nominated—Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor |- | ''Yaar Gaddar'' || Jai Verma || |- | ''Aao Pyaar Karen'' || Raja || |- | 1995 || ''Surakshaa'' || Amar/Prince Vijay || |- |rowspan="4"| 1996 || ''Ek Tha Raja'' || Sunny || |- | ''Bambai Ka Babu'' || Vikram (Vicky) || |- | ''Tu Chor Main Sipahi'' || Raja/King || |- | ''Dil Tera Diwana'' || Ravi Kumar || |- |rowspan="2"| 1997 || ''Hamesha'' || Raja/Raju || |- | ''Udaan'' || Raja || |- |rowspan="2"| 1998 || ''Keemat: They Are Back'' || Ajay || |- | ''Humse Badhkar Kaun'' || Sunny || |- |rowspan="5"| 1999 || ''Yeh Hai Mumbai Meri Jaan'' || Raju Tarachand || |- | ''Kachche Dhaage'' || Dhananjay "Jai" Pandit|| Nominated—Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor |- | ''Aarzoo'' || Amar || |- | ''Biwi No.1'' || Deepak || |- | ''Hum Saath-Saath Hain: We Stand United'' || Vinod || |- | 2000 || ''Kya Kehna'' || Rahul Modi || |- |rowspan="3"| 2001 ||''Love Ke Liye Kuchh Bhi Karega'' || Rahul Kapoor || |- | ''Dil Chahta Hai'' || Sameer || Filmfare Award for Best Performance in a Comic Role |- | ''Rehna Hai Tere Dil Mein'' || Rajiv "Sam" Saamra || |- | 2002 || ''Na Tum Jaano Na Hum'' || Akshay || |- |rowspan="3"| 2003 || ''Darna Mana Hai'' || Anil Manchandani || |- | ''Kal Ho Naa Ho'' || Rohit Patel || Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor Filmfare Award for Motorola "Moto Look of the Year" |- | ''LOC Kargil'' || Capt. Anuj Nayyar || |- |rowspan="2"| 2004 || ''Ek Hasina Thi'' || Karan Singh Rathod || |- | ''Hum Tum'' || Karan Kapoor || National Film Award for Best Actor Filmfare Award for Best Performance in a Comic Role |- |rowspan="2"| 2005 || ''Parineeta'' || Shekhar Ray || Nominated—Filmfare Award for Best Actor |- | ''Salaam Namaste'' || Nikhil "Nick" Arora || |- |rowspan="2"| 2006 || ''Being Cyrus'' || Cyrus Mistry || English film |- | ''Omkara'' || Ishwar "Langda" Tyagi || Filmfare Award for Best Performance in a Negative Role |- |rowspan="4"| 2007 || ''Eklavya: The Royal Guard'' || Harshwardhan || |- | ''Nehlle Pe Dehlla'' || Jimmy || |- | ''Ta Ra Rum Pum'' || Rajveer Singh (RV) || |- | ''Om Shanti Om'' || Himself || Special appearance in song ''Deewangi Deewangi'' |- |rowspan="5"| 2008 || ''Race'' || Ranvir "Ronnie" Singh || |- | ''Tashan'' || Jimmy Cliff || |- | ''Woodstock Villa'' || Himself || Special appearance |- | ''Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic'' || Ranbeer Talwar || |- | ''Roadside Romeo'' || Romeo || Voice |- |rowspan="3"| 2009 || ''Sanam Teri Kasam'' || Vijay Verma || |- | ''Love Aaj Kal'' || Jai Vardhan Singh/ Young Veer Singh || Nominated—Filmfare Award for Best Actor |- | ''Kurbaan'' || Ehsaan Khan/Khalid || |- |rowspan="2"| 2011 || ''Aarakshan'' ||Deepak Kumar || |- | ''Agent Vinod'' || Agent Vinod || Filming |- | 2012 || ''Cocktail''|| || Filming |}

Producer

''Love Aaj Kal'' (2009)

''Agent Vinod'' (2011)

See also

List of Indian Actors

References

External links

Category:Old Sanawarians Category:Indian actors Category:Indian film actors Category:Old Wykehamists Category:Indian Muslims Category:People from Delhi Category:1970 births Category:Living people Category:Filmfare Awards winners Category:National Film Award winners Category:Hindi film actors Category:Indian film producers Category:Bengali people Category:Indian people of Afghan descent

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Name	Guru Nanak Dev
Birth date	15 April 1469
Birth place	Nankana Sahib
Death place	Kartarpur
Death date	22 September 1539
Ethnicity	Punjabi, Indian
Parents	Father: Kalu MehtaMother: Mata Tripta }}

Guru Nanak (, , ''Gurū Nānak'') (15 April 1469 – 22 September 1539) was the founder of the religion of Sikhism and the first of the ten Sikh Gurus. The Sikhs believe that all subsequent Gurus possessed Guru Nanak’s divinity and religious authority, and were named "Nanak" in the line of succession.

Early life

Guru Nanak Dev was born on 15 April 1469, now celebrated as Prakash Divas of Guru Nanak Dev, into a Bedi Kshatriya family in the village of Rāi Bhōi dī Talwandī, now called Nankana Sahib, near Lahore, Pakistan. Today, his birthplace is marked by Gurdwara Janam Asthan. He was born into a Muslim Village and later had an inner conviction to create the Sikh Religion. (Some are of the opinion that 20 October is his enlightenment day rather than his birthday.) His father, Mehta Kalyan Das Bedi, popularly shortened to Kalu Mehta, was the ''patwari'' (accountant) of crop revenue for the village of Talwandi in the employment of a Muslim landlord of that area, Rai Bular Bhatti. Guru Nanak’s mother was Tripta Devi and he had one elder sister, Bebe Nanaki who became a spiritual figure in her own right.

Nanaki married Jai Ram and went to his town of Sultanpur, where he was the steward (modi) to Daulat Khan Lodi, the eventual governor of Lahore. Guru Nanak was attached to his older sister, and, in traditional Indian fashion, he followed her to Sultanpur to live with her and her husband. Guru Nanak also found work with Daulat Khan, when he was around 16 years old. This was a formative time for Guru Nanak, as the Puratan Janam Sakhi suggests, and in his numerous allusions to governmental structure in his hymns, most likely gained at this time.

Commentaries on his life give details of his blossoming awareness from a young age. At the age of five, Guru Nanak is said to have voiced interest in divine subjects. At age seven, his father, Kalu Mehta, enrolled him at the village school as was the custom. Notable lore recounts that as a child Guru Nanak astonished his teacher by describing the implicit symbolism of the first letter of the alphabet, which is an almost straight stroke in Persian or Arabic, resembling the mathematical version of one, as denoting the unity or oneness of God. Other childhood accounts refer to strange and miraculous events about Guru Nanak witnessed by Rai Bular such as a poisonous cobra being seen to shield the sleeping child’s head from the harsh sunlight.

Biographies

The earliest biographical sources on the life of Guru Nanak recognised today are the ''Janamsākhīs'' (life accounts) and the ''vārs'' (expounding verses) of the scribe Bhai Gurdas. The most popular Janamsākhī were allegedly written by a close companion of the Guru, Bhai Bala. However, the writing style and language employed have left scholars such as Max Arthur Macauliffe certain that they were composed after his death.

Bhai Gurdas, a purported scribe of the Gurū Granth, also wrote about Guru Nanak’s life in his ''vārs''. Although these too were compiled some time after Guru Nanak’s time, they are less detailed than the Janamsākhīs. The Janamsākhīs recount in minute detail the circumstances of the birth of the guru. The Janamsakhis state that at his birth an astrologer, who came to write his horoscope, insisted on seeing the child. On seeing the infant, he is said to have worshipped him with clasped hands and remarked that "I regret that I shall never live to see young Guru Nanak as an adult.”

Sikhism and travels

Rai Bular Bhatti, the local landlord and Guru Nanak’s sister Bibi Nanaki were the first people who recognised divine qualities in the boy. They encouraged and supported him to study and travel. Sikh tradition states that at around 1499, at the age of 30, he had a vision. After he failed to return from his ablutions, his clothes were found on the bank of a local stream called the Kali Bein. The townspeople assumed he had drowned in the river; Daulat Khan had the river dragged, but no body was found. Three days after disappearing, Guru Nanak reappeared, staying silent. The next day, he spoke to pronounce, "There is neither Hindu nor Mussulman (Muslim) so whose path shall I follow? I shall follow God's path. God is neither Hindu nor Mussulman and the path which I follow is God's." Guru Nanak said that he had been taken to God's court. There, he was offered a cup filled with amrit (nectar) and given the command "This is the cup of the adoration of God's name. Drink it. I am with you. I bless you and raise you up. Whoever remembers you will enjoy my favour. Go, rejoice of my name and teach others to do so. I have bestowed the gift of my name upon you. Let this be your calling." From this point onwards, Nanak is described in accounts as a Guru, and Sikhism was born.

Although the exact account of his itinerary is disputed, he is widely acknowledged to have made four major journeys, spanning thousands of kilometres, the first tour being east towards Bengal and Assam, the second south towards Tamil Nadu, the third north towards Kashmir, Ladakh, and Tibet, and the final tour west towards Baghdad, Mecca and Medina on the Arabian Peninsula. At Mecca, Guru Nanak was found sleeping with his feet towards the Kaaba mosque Kazi Rukan-ud-din, who observed this, angrily objected. Guru Nanak replied to turn his feet in a direction that did not have God or a house of God. The Kazi understood that the meaning of what the Guru was saying was "God is everywhere". The Kazi was struck with wonder.

Last years

As the end approached Guru Nanak would frequently test the devotion of his sons and nearest followers and in doing so demonstrate their state of mind to one another. There were numerous such occasions and one particular devotee, Bhai Lehna, rose to eminence because he never faltered in his faith in Guru Nanak.

Personal life

Guru Nanak was married to Mata Sulakhni at about 19 years of age. His marriage to her took place in the town of Batala. The marriage party had come from the town of Sultanpur Lodhi. The couple had two sons, Sri Chand and Lakhmi Chand.

Death

Guru Nanak appointed Bhai Lehna as the successor Guru, renaming him as Guru Angad, meaning "one’s very own" or "part of you". Shortly after proclaiming Bhai Lehna as the next Guru, Nanak died on 22 September 1539 in Kartarpur, at the age of 69.

Teachings

Guru Nanak’s teachings can be found in the Sikh scripture Guru Granth Sahib, as a vast collection of revelatory verses recorded in Gurmukhi.

From these some common principles seem discernible. Firstly a supreme Godhead who although incomprehensible, manifests in all major religions, the Singular "Doer" and formless. It is described as the indestructible (undying) form.

Guru Nanak describes the dangers of the Egotism (haumai- "I am") and calls upon devotees to engage in worship through the word of God (''Naam'', implies God, the Reality, mystical word or formula to recite or meditate upon (shabad in Gurbani), divine order (hukam) and at places divine teacher (guru) and guru’s instructions) and singing of God’s qualities, discarding doubt in the process. However, such worship must be selfless (sewa). The word of God, cleanses the individual to make such worship possible. This is related to the revelation that God is the Doer and without God there is no other. Guru Nanak warned against hypocrisy and falsehood saying that these are pervasive in humanity and that religious actions can also be in vain. It may also be said that ascetic practices are disfavoured by Guru Nanak who suggests remaining inwardly detached whilst living as a householder.

Through popular tradition, Guru Nanak’s teaching is understood to be practised in three ways:

''Naam Japna'': Chanting the Holy Name and thus remembering God at all times (ceaseless devotion to God)

''Kirat Karō'': Earning/making a living honestly, without exploitation or fraud

''Va Chakkō'': Sharing with others, helping those with less who are in need

Guru Nanak put the greatest emphasis on the worship of the Word of God (Naam Japna). One should follow the direction of awakened individuals (Gurmukh or God willed) rather than the mind (state of Manmukh- being led by Self will)- the latter being perilous and leading only to frustration.

Reforms that occurred in the institution and both Godhead and Devotion, are seen as transcending any religious consideration or divide, as God is not separate from any individual.

Gallery

See also

Life of Guru Nanak through Pictures

References

External links

Guru Nanak Dev Ji

Guru Nanak by Jyotsna Kamat

http://www.youtube.com/user/GAGANJAKHU#p/u/14/MdPutY2H3ko

http://www.sikhnugget.com/2010/09/new-documentary-on-guru-nanak.html

Category:1469 births Category:1539 deaths Category:Revolutionaries Category:Sikh gurus Category:Founders of religions Category:Punjabi people Category:People from Nankana Sahib District

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