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Sikhism - An Introduction: Guru Nanak

by Owen Cole

In 1469 CE the first Sikh Guru was born to a khatri, Kalu Bedi, and his wife Tripata in the Punjabi village of Talwandi (Talvandi). Nanaki, his only sister, is said to have been the first person to believe in his vocation. He and his wife Sulakhani had two sons named Lakshmi Das and Sri Chand. Almost all of what is known of Guru Nanak’s life comes from a collection of stories called the Janam Sakhis; there is very little biographical material in the Guru Granth Sahib. However, there is a mention of the Guru’s call to spread the divine word on page 150 of the scripture that ties in closely with the Janam Sakhi account of the event. After this experience he began to preach within and beyond Punjab, accompanied by Mardana, a Muslim musician from his home village. The Janam Sakhis tell of journeys to such places as Tibet, Sri Lanka, Burma and Baghdad. Eventually, Guru Nanak settled down in the town of Kartarpur where he died in 1539, having first appointed Angad as his successor.

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