A very basic description of what the ten Gurus contributed to Sikhism.

2. Guru Nanak Guru Angad Guru Amar Das Guru Ram Das Guru Arjan
Guru Guru Har Rai Guru Guru Tegh Guru Gobind
Hargobind Harkrishan Bahadur Singh

3. Created the
institution of
Laid the the Guru, who
groundwork for became
a new, rational central
model of authority in
Defined the ideal
human community life
person as a
behaviour Gurmukh who
based on practised the
divine threefold discipline
authority, of nam dan
ishnan, ‘the divine
name, charity and
purity’.
Guru
Nanak
Three key institutions
1) Sangat (holly fellowship) where all
felt that they belonged to one large
Founded the village of
spiritual fraternity.
Kartarpur in 1519/ Lived
2) Dharamsala, original form of the there for the rest of his life
Sikh place of worship. as the ‘spiritual guide’ of a
Prescribed the new religious community.
3) Langar, communal meal served daily routine, in
by members of the Sangat. ‘Nanak-Panth ’ is the
which communal community that followed
devotions was his panth of liberation.
recited in the
early
morning, and ‘so
dar’ and Arti were
sung in the
evening.

4. Consolidated the
nascent Sikh panth in the
face of a challenge
mounted by Guru
Nanak’s eldest son, Sri
Chand, founder of the
ascetic Undasi sect.
Established a new Sikh centre
Composed the sixty-two at Khadur, where his wife
shaloks, which threw light Khivi ran the community
on historical situation of kitchen. Wife added a
the panth during this dessert – boiled rice in milk-
period and marked the to the standard vegetarian
doctrinal boundaries of meal. Sign of the Sikh’s ability
the Sikh faith in strict to attract contributions
conformity with Guru substantial enough to offer
Nanak’s message. generous meals to one and
all.
Refined the Gurmukhi
script in which the
Guru’s hymns were
recorded. Original
script was a
systematisation of the
business shorthand
that Guru Nanak used
to write the Punjabi
language as a young
man.

5. He also appointed women
Introduced a variety of Introduced a system of as missionaries. Gave all
institutional innovations that twenty-two Manjis (cots or Sikh women equal rights
helped to reinforce the seats of authority) as bases with men to conduct
cohesion and unity of the for missionaries seeking to prayers and other
ever-growing Sikh panth. attract new converts. ceremonies in the
congregational setting.
Oversaw the preparation of Established two annual
Abolished not only the the Goindval pothis festivals (Divali and
wearing of the veil but the (volumes) the initial Baisakhi) that provided
practice of Sati, and collection of the regular opportunities for the
permitted windows to compositions of the first growing community to get
remarry. three Gurus and some of together and meet the
the medieval poet-saints. Guru.
Founded the town of
Goindval (southeast of
Amritsar on the river Beas)

6. The liturgical The new building
requirement not projects required
only to recite but Contributed 679 considerable
to sing the sacred new hymns to the financial and
Established a Process of Together the
Word became collection that logistical
town called distinguishing musicality and
part of the very made up the Sikh mobilisation for
Ramdaspur in between ‘us’ and the emotional
definition of scripture and which the
1577 and ordered ‘them’ was appeal of his
Sikhism, and expanded the appointment of
the construction effectively hymns had a
contributed number of ‘deputies’
of a large completed tremendous
significantly to melodies (masands) became
bathing pool during the period impact on his
the Sikh’s self- specified for their necessary to deal
there. of Ram Das. audience.
image as a singing from 19 to with increasingly
distinct and a 30. complex
cohesive administrative
community. demands.

7.  Built the Darbar Sahib (Divine court) in the
sacred pool of Amritsar, a shining monument
that remains the central symbol of the Sikh
faith.
 Guru Arjan’s execution (martyrdom) became
the decisive factor in the crystallisation of the
Sikh panth.
 By the end of the sixteenth century the Sikh
panth had developed a strong sense of
identity.
 Organised the scriptural corpus he had
inherited into the Adi Granth, the definitive
statement of Sikhism’s unique spiritual stance.

8.  Signalled this new  Under his direct
direction when, at his leadership the Sikh
investiture, he donned panth took up arms to
two swords, one defend itself against
symbolising spiritual (piril) mughal hostility. After
and the other temporal four skirmishes with
(miri) authority. Mughal troops, Guru
 Was Hargobind’s Hargobind withdrew
construction, in 1609, of from Amritsar to the
the Akal Takhat (Throne jurisdiction of the mughal
of the Timeless) facing state. Kiratpur became
the Darbar Sahib, to the new centre of the
resolve internal disputes mainline Sikh tradition.
within the community.

9.  Founded three missions
 Stressed importance of
langer, insisting no one
should ever be turned
away hungry.
 Stressed the importance of
early morning worship and
scripture, implying that
whether or not words could
be understood, hymns
benefited the heart and
soul.
 Sikhs are not to show
miraculous powers
because that goes against
the will of God.

10.  Healed those
afflicted with leprosy.
 Have had no real
impact on Sikhism.

11.  Encouraged his followers to be fearless in
their pursuit of a just society.
 His martyrdom helped to make human
rights and freedom of concience central
to its identity.

12. Added a
collection of
works of his father
Tegh Bahadur, to
the Adi
Granth, he closed
the Sikh cannon.
Reconstructed the
panth and
created the
Khalsa (pure), an
order of loyal Sikhs
bound by a
common identify Brought an end to the
and discipline succession of human
(rahit) Gurus. Thereafter, the
authority of the Guru
would be invested in
the scripture (Guru-
Granth) and the
corporate community
(Guru- Panth)