12 Facts About Bhai Gurdas

Bhai Gurdas was a Sikh writer, historian and preacher who served as the Jathedar of the Akal Takht from 1606 to his death in 1636.

Bhai Gurdas was possibly born in 1551 at Basarke Gillan, a small village in the Punjab.

Bhai Gurdas was the only child of Bhai Ishar Das and Mata Jivani.

Bhai Gurdas was near 3 years of age when his mother died.

Bhai Gurdas was further educated in both the Hindu and Muslim literary traditions.

Bhai Gurdas spent his early years at Goindwal and Sultanpur Lodhi.

At Goindval, Bhai Gurdas listened and obtained knowledge from scholars and swamis that continuously visited the town while traversing the Delhi-Lahore road.

Bhai Gurdas later moved to Varanasi, where he studied Sanskrit and Hindu scriptures.

In 1577, Bhai Gurdas contributed his labour to excavating the Sarovar at Darbar Sahib.

Bhai Gurdas led a group of Sikhs to Gwalior, where the Mughal emperor Jahangir, jealous of the popularity of Sikhism, had imprisoned Guru Hargobind.

Bhai Gurdas even went to Sri Lanka, preaching the name of the Guru among the masses and showing them the true way of life.

Bhai Gurdas was initially thought to have been the author of 556 Kabits but a discovery of 119 additional Kabits authored by Gurdas was made in 1939 by Vir Singh in a Gurmukhi manuscript.