Guru Nanak is the first Sikh Guru. He lived for 70 years. He was born in Talwandi, Pakistan and left his physical body in Kartapur Ravi, Pakistan. His father’s name was Mehta Kalyan Chand, but was known as Kalu Ji. His mother’s name was Mata Tripta Ji. His wife’s name was Mata Sulakhni Ji. He had two sons. His elder son was Baba Sri Chand Ji and his second son was Baba Lakshmi Das Ji. Born into a Hindu family, Guru Nanak rejected the notion of divisions between people based on religion. He taught the Oneness of the Creator and the fundamental brotherhood and sisterhood of all. He stated that the experience of the Divine dwelled within every person, so there was no difference between people based on caste, creed, gender or nationality. His simple but profound philosophy rested on recognizing the fundamental Divinity of all people. When lived in an awareness of the Divine Light within all, human life could become a profound experience of love, truth, patience, peace and contentment Guru Nanak achieved his state of enlightenment, or realization, sometime around the age of 30. After disappearing into a river and meditating in the water for three days, Guru Nanak emerged having had a powerful vision of the nature of reality, Divinity and human existence. He recorded that vision in a song – known as Japji Sahib – the Song of the Soul. With Japji Sahib, humanity has a rare picture of what a Master experienced at the moment of his enlightenment described in his own words.

Guru Angad is the second Sikh Guru. He was born in Sarai Matta, India. His father’s name was Pheru Mall Ji and his mother was Daya Kaur Ji. He married Mata Khivi. They had two sons Dassu Ji and Dattu Ji and two daughters Bibi Amro Ji and Bibi Anokhi Ji.
Guru Angad continued sharing the teachings of Guru Nanak. He also entered states of mystical vision and wrote songs from his own experience. To help the community learn to sing these songs, Guru Angad standardized the Gurmukhi script. Gurmukhi means “from the mouth of the Guru.” With very easy and clear rules of pronunciation, the Gurmukhi script allowed people to pronounce the songs of Guru Nanak, Guru Angad and the songs of the mystics from other lands and languages that Guru Nanak had collected. In some ways, it could be said that Gurmukhi was the world’s first tape-recorder – for it was an alphabet devised to re-create sound – regardless of the particular language a song was written in.
Under Guru Angad’s instruction, his wife Mata Khivi further developed langar– or the community meal. In India, people of different castes or social classes did not eat meals together. Guru Nanak began a tradition of having people of all castes sit together and eat together – as a way to create community among people and break the false divisions of social class. Mata Khivi was instrumental in seeing that this tradition of eating together flourished into an institution during the second Guru’s reign.

Guru Amar Das is the third Sikh Guru. He was born in Basarke, India. His father’s name was Tej Bhan Ji and his mother was Mata Lakhmi Ji. His wife was Mata Mansa Devi Ji. They had two sons and two daughters. His sons were Mohan Ji and Mohri Ji and his daughters were Bibi Dani Ji and Bibi Bhani Ji.

By the time that Guru Amar Das become Guru, he was already an old man. He continued to share and expand the teachings of the Gurus. He also had mystical experiences and shared those experiences through song. He composed the Anand Sahib, the Song of Bliss, which is one of the five daily prayers for someone who has taken Amrit. He wrote many other compositions, as well.

Guru Amar Das founded langar, or community meals, in many places. He also trained ministers to support and share the teachings of the Sikh Gurus. During his lifetime, he specially trained and commissioned 52 female ministers and 22 male ministers to go into particular regions and serve. He taught humility, service, dedication, equality, honor and respect to women.

Guru Ram Das is the fourth Sikh Guru. He was born in Lahore, Pakistan. His father’s name was Hardas Ji Sodhi and his mother was Mata Daya Kaur Ji. He married the daughter of Guru Amar Das, Bibi Bhani Ji.
Like the preceding Sikh Gurus, Guru Ram Das had mystical visions and wrote songs explaining the nature of the Divine and the human experience. Among his compositions is the Lavaan – the Sikh wedding ceremony – which he composed on his own wedding day to Bibi Bhani. He also wrote four songs known as the Engagement Shabads as well as many other compositions.
Guru Ram Das founded the city of Amritsar and began the process of building the Harimandir Sahib (Golden Temple) which is the most sacred temple for Sikhs around the world. He undertook the excavation of the tank of water which surrounds the Temple. The water is legendary for its healing powers. He created the Harimandir Sahib so that it would have four doors – one on each side of the building – meaning that is was open to people of every caste, background, language and religion. Guru Ram Das also encouraged people to start small businesses. He helped establish Amritsar as the religious center for the Sikhs.

Guru Arjan is the fifth Sikh Guru. He was the youngest son of Guru Ram Das. He was born in Goindwal, India. He breathed his last in Lahore, Pakistan where the Gurdwara of Dehra Sahib was established. His mother was Mata Bhani Ji. His wife was Mata Ganga Ji, They had only one son, Hargobind, who became Guru Hargobind Sahib. Guru Arjan completed the work of his father by finishing the construction of the Harimandir Sahib. Guru Arjan also undertook the tremendous task of creating the Adi Granth, which became the predecessor to the Siri Guru Granth Sahib. Recognizing that the Shabad Guru was the base of the Sikh practice, Guru Arjan created a compilation of sacred songs that included the songs of the previous Sikh Gurus, songs from Hindu and Sufi mystics, and his own sacred writings. As a master, Guru Arjan could hear whether a song was in the sound current of the Shabad – and those songs that clearly came from the Universal Teachings were incorporated into the work. Guru Arjan viewed the Adi Granth as holding the eternal, universal wisdom of the Shabad Guru. While working on the Adi Granth, he would keep the Adi Granth on his bed and himself sleep next to it on the floor – like a servant. The Adi Granth exemplified the Sikh Gurus’ teachings that the Word, itself, is the Teacher – not a human person. During this period of time, the community that surrounded Guru Arjan thrived and became very prosperous. Through a series of political intrigues, the sovereignty of Guru Arjan and his people were challenged by the Mughal Emperor Jahangir. To protect the independence of the community, Guru Arjan allowed himself to be tortured for five days and five nights. He was chained to a hot metal plate while his captors poured burning sand on his body. Guru Arjan smiled the entire time, for he saw the hand of the Divine behind it all. He saw the One Creator playing every part in the torture and recognized his Union with the Creator. After five days and nights, Guru Arjan was permitted to bathe in a nearby river. Guru Arjan dove into the water and dissolved into Light. His physical body was never seen again.

Guru Hargobind is the sixth Sikh Guru. He was born in Wadali, India and breathed his last at Kiratpur, India. His father was Guru Arjan and his mother was Mata Ganga Ji. His wives were Mata Damodri Ji, Mata Nanaki Ji, and Mata Mahan Devi Ji. He had five sons and a daughter. After the death of Guru Arjan, the Sikh community went through a profound change. For 100 years, they had developed a deep meditative tradition founded in peace and tolerance. After the sacrifice of his father, however, Guru Hargobind recognized the need for the community to be able to defend itself. This started the martial practice of the Sikhs. Guru Hargobind became a powerful warrior and trained the Sikhs to fight. The Sikh martial tradition, however, stayed rooted in the principles of peace and tolerance taught by the first Sikh Gurus. The Sikh warrior would only defend – never attack. In the coming centuries, in the midst of relentless religious persecution, the Sikhs would be called upon to protect the rights of all people to practice their religion freely. The Sikh warriors never started a fight. They never took the property of others. They never used force as a means to enslave people. The Sikh warriors used their strength to defend themselves against unjust attacks, and to defend those who could not defend themselves. Guru Hargobind created the martial art of the Sikhs – called Gatka. He also built the Akal Takhat, or the Throne of the Undying One, next to the Harimandir Sahib. The throne was a statement that the Sikh community was sovereign in its spiritual identity, and was self-governing in its social/political identity. This principle came to be known as Miri Piri. It was a direct statement to the ruling Emperor of the time that the Sikhs considered no one to have higher authority in their lives than God and Guru.

Guru Har Rai is the seventh Sikh Guru. He was the grandson of Guru Hargobind. He is known as the “tender-hearted” Guru. He was born in Kiratpur, India. His father was Guruditta Ji (son of Guru Hargobind Ji) and his mother was Mata Nihal Kaur Ji. His wife was Mata Kishan Kaur Ji, also known as Mata Sulakhni Ji.
After the battles and wars of Guru Hargobind’s time, the 7th Sikh Guru ushered in a time of healing and peace. As a child, when walking with his grandfather, Har Rai’s robes brushed a rose bush and all of the petals fell off one of the roses. Har Rai wept at what he had done. Guru Hargobind instructed the boy that he should never fight in battle. When Guru Hargobind passed the mantle of the Guruship to Guru Har Rai, he told him to never fight, but to take a security guard of 2500 people with him wherever he travelled so that he would always be protected.
Guru Har Rai was an amazing herbalist and healer. He was famous for his use of natural medicine, and kept a beautiful herbal garden from which he made his remedies. He was also quite good at hunting, but never killed any animals. Instead, he would capture the animals, then bring them back to the town and place them in a zoo for the community to enjoy.

Guru Har Krishan is the eighth Sikh Guru. He became Guru at the age of five and breathed his last at the age of 8 in New Delhi, India, where the Gurdwara of Bangala Sahib has been established. He was born at Kiratpur, India. His father was Guru Har Rai and his mother was Mata Kishan Kaur. When the Guruship passed to a young child of 5, there were some in the community who could not believe that a little boy could lead them. One such person, Lal Chand, challenged Guru Har Krishan to debate the meaning of scripture. In response, Guru Har Krishan requested that Lal Chand go and find someone to speak on the Guru’s behalf. Lal Chand searched the town and brought a deaf, mute and illiterate water-carrier, Chhaju Ram, to speak on the Guru’s behalf. Guru Har Krishan touched the head of the water carrier with his shoe. Suddenly Chhaju Ram became awakened – and proceeded to give a simple but profoundly moving discourse on the meaning of scripture. Lal Chand begged for forgiveness from Guru Har Krishan and the community fully accepted the child’s ability to lead the community. There was an epidemic of smallpox in Delhi. Guru Har Krishan went to the place where the outbreak had occurred and through his blessing, a spring of sacred water appeared that could heal the people of the illness. He took on the suffering and sickness of the area, taking on smallpox himself – giving his life to help save the lives of others.

Guru Tegh Bahādur, (born 1621?, Amritsar, Punjab, India—died November 11, 1675, Delhi), ninth Sikh Guru (1664–75) and second Sikh martyr. He was also the father of the 10th Guru, Gobind Singh. After the eighth Guru, Hari Krishen, the “child Guru,” told his followers that his successor would be found in the village of Bakāla, a deputation went there and found 22 claimants. Bhai Makhan Shah, a wealthy Sikh merchant, sought out Tegh Bahādur, who, he realized, displayed none of the greed and self-aggrandizement of the other pretenders. Thereupon he proclaimed Tegh Bahādur the ninth Sikh Guru. Guru Tegh Bahādur ran afoul of the Mughal authorities by giving aid and shelter to some Hindu holy men from Kashmir who had sought his help after they were ordered by the emperor Aurangzeb to accept Islam. Encouraged by his son, the Guru told the Hindus to inform the emperor that they would accept Islam if the Guru became a Muslim. With no intention of converting to Islam, he then left for Delhi to defend the Hindus before Aurangzeb and was arrested at the emperor’s order along the way. He was escorted with five Sikhs to Delhi and confined to the fortress in the city. While in prison he was given the opportunity to accept Islam or be tortured; he refused to convert. Aurangzeb, his patience at an end, ordered the Guru to embrace Islam or perform a miracle. The emperor promised great rewards if Tegh Bahādur did either but death if the Guru refused. Rejecting earthly honours and maintaining that he did not fear death, the Guru refused both options. Accepting the death sentence, he recited the Japjī (the most important Sikh scripture) and was decapitated in one blow by the executioner. A loyal Sikh took the Guru’s head back to Anandpur. According to tradition, another loyal Sikh took the body back to his home and cremated it; a Sikh shrine, Gurdwārā Rakābgunj, marks the spot of the cremation.

Guru Gobind Singh, original name Gobind Rāi, (born 1666, Patna, Bihar, India—died October 7, 1708, Nanded, Maharashtra), 10th and last of the personal Sikh Gurus (1675–1708), known chiefly for his creation of the Khalsa (Punjabi: “the Pure”), the military brotherhood of the Sikhs. He was the son of the ninth Guru, Tegh Bahadur, who suffered martyrdom at the hands of the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb. Guru Gobind Singh was a man of great intellectual attainments. He was a linguist familiar with Persian, Arabic, and Sanskrit as well as his native Punjabi. He further codified Sikh law, wrote martial poetry and music, and was the reputed author of the Sikh work called the Dasam Granth (“Tenth Volume”) Guru Gobind Singh’s greatest achievement was his creation of the Khalsa in 1699. According to one tradition, one morning after services, he sat in meditation before a great number of Sikhs and asked if any would sacrifice himself for the faith. Finally one man stepped out. The Guru and his victim disappeared into a tent. A few minutes later the Guru appeared with his sword dripping with blood, calling for another sacrificial volunteer. This ceremony continued until five men had volunteered. All five men then reappeared; according to one tradition the men had been slain but were miraculously restored to life, and according to another Guru Gobind Singh had merely tested the men’s faith and slaughtered five goats instead. Initiated with amrit (sweetened water or nectar) and given the title panc-piara (the five beloved), they formed the nucleus of the Khalsa. Guru Gobind Singh Ji has contributed the most to the Sikh community but the most important contributions include writing the important texts of Sikhism and holding Guru Granth Sahib, the religious scripture of Sikhism, as the eternal living Guru of the Sikhs.

The Guru Granth Sahib (Punjabi: ਗੁਰੂ ਗ੍ਰੰਥ ਸਾਹਿਬ), also known as the Adi Granth, is the primary Holy Book of the Sikhs. and is consulted for religious guidance in all aspects of life. Composed during the period of Sikh Gurus, from 1469 to 1708, the Guru Granth Sahib is a voluminous text of 1430 pages that was compiled by the fifth Sikh Guru, Guru Arjan Dev (1563-1606), from hymns of the previous Sikh Gurus and other great saints of the Hindu and Muslim traditions. The original scribe of the Adi Granth was Bhai Gurdas and later Bhai Mani Singh. After the demise of the tenth Sikh Guru many handwritten copies were prepared for distribution by Baba Deep Singh. The Holy Book is organized in the form of hymns written in praise of God, which describe God's nature[1] and the right way to live. Written in the Gurmukhi script, the Holy Book contains many languages including Braj, Old Punjabi, Khariboli, Sanskrit and Persian. Guru Gobind Singh (1666-1708), the tenth Guru in Sikh tradition, affirmed the sacred text Adi Granth as his successor, ending the line of human Gurus, and elevating the text to leadership of the Sikh community. From that point on, the text remained not only the holy scripture of the Sikhs, but is also regarded by them as the living embodiment of the their Ten Gurus.