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10 Sikh Gurus โ€” Names in Punjabi and English

Sikhism was founded and shaped by 10 human Gurus (spiritual teachers) from Guru Nanak Dev Ji to Guru Gobind Singh Ji (1469โ€“1708 AD). After the 10th Guru, the eternal Guru of Sikhs became the holy scripture โ€” Guru Granth Sahib Ji.

Question (Click to Flip)

Who was the first martyr of Sikhism?

Answer

Guru Arjan Dev Ji (5th Guru) was the first Sikh martyr, executed in 1606 on the orders of Mughal Emperor Jahangir for refusing to convert to Islam and for compiling the Adi Granth.

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Key Facts

Guru Har Krishan Ji (8th Guru) became Guru at the age of just 5 years in 1661 โ€” making him the youngest religious leader of any major world religion. He passed away at age 7 from smallpox contracted while treating Delhi's poor.

Complete List of 10 Sikh Gurus

#Punjabi NameEnglish NameBirth YearGuruship
1เจ—เฉเจฐเฉ‚ เจจเจพเจจเจ• เจฆเฉ‡เจต เจœเฉ€Guru Nanak Dev Ji14691469โ€“1539
2เจ—เฉเจฐเฉ‚ เจ…เฉฐเจ—เจฆ เจฆเฉ‡เจต เจœเฉ€Guru Angad Dev Ji15041539โ€“1552
3เจ—เฉเจฐเฉ‚ เจ…เจฎเจฐเจฆเจพเจธ เจœเฉ€Guru Amar Das Ji14791552โ€“1574
4เจ—เฉเจฐเฉ‚ เจฐเจพเจฎเจฆเจพเจธ เจœเฉ€Guru Ram Das Ji15341574โ€“1581
5เจ—เฉเจฐเฉ‚ เจ…เจฐเจœเจจ เจฆเฉ‡เจต เจœเฉ€Guru Arjan Dev Ji15631581โ€“1606
6เจ—เฉเจฐเฉ‚ เจนเจฐเจ—เฉ‹เจฌเจฟเฉฐเจฆ เจœเฉ€Guru Hargobind Ji15951606โ€“1644
7เจ—เฉเจฐเฉ‚ เจนเจฐเจฟ เจฐเจพเจ เจœเฉ€Guru Har Rai Ji16301644โ€“1661
8เจ—เฉเจฐเฉ‚ เจนเจฐเจ•เฉเจฐเจฟเจธเจผเจจ เจœเฉ€Guru Har Krishan Ji16561661โ€“1664
9เจ—เฉเจฐเฉ‚ เจคเฉ‡เจ—เจผ เจฌเจนเจพเจฆเจฐ เจœเฉ€Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji16211665โ€“1675
10เจ—เฉเจฐเฉ‚ เจ—เฉ‹เจฌเจฟเฉฐเจฆ เจธเจฟเฉฐเจ˜ เจœเฉ€Guru Gobind Singh Ji16661675โ€“1708

Key Contributions of Each Guru

Guru Nanak Dev Ji: Founded Sikhism; emphasized One God (Ik Onkar), equality, honest living, and rejecting caste discrimination.

Guru Angad Dev Ji: Standardized and promoted the Gurmukhi script for writing Punjabi.

Guru Amar Das Ji: Established the langar (community kitchen) system where all eat together regardless of caste.

Guru Ram Das Ji: Founded the city of Amritsar.

Guru Arjan Dev Ji: Compiled the Adi Granth (original Guru Granth Sahib); built the Golden Temple (Harmandir Sahib); became the first Sikh martyr.

Guru Hargobind Ji: Introduced the concept of Miri-Piri (temporal and spiritual authority); established the Sikh army.

Guru Har Krishan Ji: Became Guru at age 5 โ€” the youngest; served plague victims in Delhi.

Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji: Sacrificed his life defending the right of Kashmiri Hindus to practice their religion โ€” martyred by Aurangzeb.

Guru Gobind Singh Ji: Created the Khalsa (the Sikh brotherhood, 1699); introduced the 5 Ks (Panj Kakars); declared Guru Granth Sahib as the eternal Guru.

The Eternal Guru โ€” Guru Granth Sahib Ji

After Guru Gobind Singh Ji, there were no more human Gurus. Before passing away in 1708, he declared that the holy scripture Guru Granth Sahib Ji would be the eternal, living Guru of the Sikhs for all time.

Sikhs treat Guru Granth Sahib Ji with the same reverence as a living Guru โ€” it is given its own room, covered with elaborate cloths, and fanned with a chauri.

Questions and Answers

Who was the first martyr of Sikhism?+

**Guru Arjan Dev Ji** (5th Guru) was the first Sikh martyr, executed in 1606 on the orders of Mughal Emperor Jahangir for refusing to convert to Islam and for compiling the Adi Granth.

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