Guru Gobind Singh Ji

Guru Gobind Singh Ji, the tenth and last human Sikh Guru, was born in 1666 in Patna, Bihar. He became Guru at the age of nine following the martyrdom of his father, Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji. A warrior, poet, philosopher, and spiritual master of the highest order, he is one of the most remarkable figures in human history, whose legacy continues to shape Sikh identity and values.

His most transformative act was the creation of the Khalsa on Vaisakhi day, 1699, at Anandpur Sahib. He called upon Sikhs willing to give their lives for their faith, and five brave men (the Panj Pyare) stepped forward. He initiated them with Amrit (baptism), giving them the surname "Singh" (lion) for men and "Kaur" (princess) for women, abolishing caste distinctions forever. He established the five articles of faith (the 5 Ks) — Kesh, Kangha, Kara, Kachera, and Kirpan — as the visible identity of the Khalsa. He then had the Panj Pyare initiate him, declaring that the Guru was within the Khalsa and the Khalsa was within the Guru.

Guru Gobind Singh Ji was also a prolific writer, composing the Dasam Granth and other works. He fought numerous battles against the Mughal Empire and the Hill Rajas, and sacrificed all four of his sons — two eldest (Sahibzada Ajit Singh and Jujhar Singh) fell in the Battle of Chamkaur, and two youngest (Sahibzada Zorawar Singh and Fateh Singh) were bricked alive at Sirhind for refusing to convert to Islam. Before his passing in 1708, he declared the Guru Granth Sahib as the eternal Guru of the Sikhs, ending the line of human Gurus and establishing the scripture as the supreme spiritual authority for all time.