Guru Nanak Jayanti 2024: This year Guru Nanak Jayanti is being celebrated on 15 November 2024. This year will be the 555th Jayanti of Guru Nanak. Guru Nanak is believed to be the first Guru of Sikhism. Guru Nanak Dev was born on Kartik Purnima 1469 in Talwandi Nankana Sahib. About 551 years ago, the first Sikh Guru was born on this day in a village called Rai Bhoi Di Talwandi near Lahore, which now falls in Pakistan.
What is the history of Guruparv?
Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism, was born according to the Vikram Samvat calendar on the full moon date of Cuttack in 1469 at Rai-Bhoi-Di Talwandi in the present-day Sheikhupura district of Pakistan, which is now Nankana Sahib.
It is a gazetted holiday in India. According to the controversial Bhai Bala Janamsakhi, it is claimed that Guru Nanak was born on the full moon (Poornamashi) of the Indian lunar month Kartik. Sikhs have been celebrating Guru Nanak’s Gurpurab around November for this reason and it is ingrained in Sikh traditions.
However, some scholars and organizations believe that the birthday should be celebrated on the day of Vaisakhi, which falls on April 14 according to the original Nanakshahi calendar passed by Sri Akal Takht in 2003, while many people and organizations want to maintain the traditional date by celebrating the full moon (Poornamashi or Purnima) of the lunar month Kartik. The original Nanakshahi calendar follows the tradition and celebrates it on Kartik Purnima due to the demand of various Sikh saints.
Facts about Guru Nanak Jayanti:
He promoted the unity of mankind. He was one of the most traveled people in history. Women in India had very few rights during Guru Nanak’s time.
Widows were often burnt alive and were not allowed to remarry. Guru Nanak Dev Ji preached against this discrimination and tried to improve the respect of women.
Guru Nanak Dev Ji is respected in many different cultures and therefore has been given many names. In Afghanistan, he is generally called Nanak Pir. He is also known as Nanak Rishi in Nepal, Baba Nanak in Iraq, Nanak-Charaya in Sri Lanka, and Nanak Lama in Tibet. These are just a few examples.
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What is the meaning of Langar?
Guru Nanak Dev Ji started the Sikh concept of Langar as a child over 500 years ago. Langar means “community kitchen”, every Gurdwara (Sikh temple) in the world has an open kitchen that distributes free food to everyone, every day, regardless of religion, gender, age, or status.