1.Sri Guru Nanak Dev ji was born in 1469 A.D. in Talwandi, a village in the Sheikhupura district, 65 kms. west of Lahore (now in Pakistan).
2.Guru Nanak's father was Mehta Kalu Chand, known popularly as Kalu. He was the accountant of the village and a farmer.
3.Guru Nanak's family were Hindus.
4.As a boy, Guru Nanak learned Persian and Arabic, as well as Hindi, Sanskrit and regional languages.
5.At the age of 11, the age Hindu boys of his caste would start to wear the sacred thread to distinguish them. Guru Nanak refused, saying that people should be distinguished by the things that they did, and their individual qualities, rather than by a thread.
6.Guru Nanak was married in 1487 A.D. to Sulakhani, daughter of Mula, a resident of Batala, in the district of Gurdaspur.
7.Guru Nanak fathered two sons, Srichand and Lakshmichand, both born during the decade of 1490 A.D.
7.In 1496 A.D., although married and having a family, Guru Nanak set out on a set of spiritual journeys through India, Tibet and Arabia that lasted nearly 30 years.
8.The last part of his life was spent at Kartarpur in the Punjab where he settled as a peasant farmer and teacher. He was joined by many disciples attracted by his teachings. Guru Nanak cultivated his lands and also continued his mission and preachings.
9.The followers of Guru Nanak were known as Nanak-panthies or Sikhs.
10.The places where Sikh congregation and religious gatherings of his followers were held were called Dharamsalas. These were also the places for feeding the poor. Eventually, every Sikh home became a Dharamsala.
11.Guru Nanak taught that God had commanded him to preach an entirely new religion, the central idea of which was the brotherhood of man and the fatherhood of God, without the ritualism and priestcraft. During a dialogue with the Yogis, he stated that his mission was to help everyone. One of his most radical social teachings denounced the caste system and taught that everyone is equal, regardless of caste or gender.
12.Guru Nanak came to be called a Guru in his own lifetime. In Punjabi, the word Guru means both God and an enlightener or a prophet. During his life, his disciples were formed and came to be recognized as a separate community.
13.Guru Nanak chose his successor, and in his own life time established him as the future Guru or enlightener of the new community. This step is of the great significance, showing Guru Nanak's determination that the mission which he had started and the community he had created were distinct and should be continued, promoted and developed. This mission led to the formation of Sikhism.
14.Guru Nanak selected his own successor by a system of test, and only when he was found perfect, was Guru Angad appointed as his successor.
15.It can be said of Guru Nanak that in his own lifetime, he determined the direction and laid the foundations of new religious institutions; and that he created the basis for the extension and organisation of his community and religion.
16.Guru Nanak died in the year 1538 A.D. at the age of sixty-nine.
17.Guru Nanak's birthday is celebrated by Sikhs on April 14th by the Nanakshahi calendar. (The date according to the lunar calendar changes annually but is usually in November.)
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