Guru Amar Das
Guru Amar Das (गुरु अमरदास, 1479–1574) was the third of the ten Sikh Gurus, serving from 1552 until his death. An elderly disciple of Guru Angad, he strengthened Sikh institutions of equality and discipline and composed a substantial body of hymns now in the Guru Granth Sahib.
Life
Guru Amar Das was born in 1479 at Basarke in present-day Punjab to a Hindu Khatri family. A devout Vaishnava in his earlier years, he became a follower of Guru Angad around 1540 after hearing Nanak’s hymns, and served him with legendary humility for roughly a dozen years. He succeeded Guru Angad in 1552 and made Goindwal the center of the Sikh community. He established the baoli (stepwell) at Goindwal as a pilgrimage site, died in 1574 at the age of 95, and — breaking with hereditary succession — chose his son-in-law, Guru Ram Das, as his successor.
Contributions
Guru Amar Das reformed the langar, insisting that all visitors — including Emperor Akbar, by tradition — sit together in the pangat and eat the same food regardless of caste or rank before receiving an audience with the Guru. He composed Anand Sahib, the “Song of Bliss,” recited in Sikh liturgy to this day, and is credited with approximately 907 hymns in the Guru Granth Sahib. He discouraged practices such as sati (widow immolation) and purdah (veiling), and organized the Sikh community into manjis (administrative districts).
Legacy
Guru Amar Das is remembered as an institutional builder whose langar reforms and social teachings made equality a matter of daily Sikh practice. Anand Sahib remains part of standard Sikh worship.
Verification notes
- Audited against Wikipedia (September 2026).
- Dates (1479–1574), the Anand Sahib attribution, the ~907 hymn count, and the manji organization are per Wikipedia.
- Anecdotes such as Akbar sharing the langar are traditional; their historical framing is debated.