Guru Arjan
Arjan Dev (Panjabi: ਗੁਰੂ ਅਰਜੁਨ ਦੇਵ; * 15 April 1563 in Amritsar; † 30 May 1606 in Lahore) also Arjun Dev, was the fifth Guru of the Sikhs. His father was the fourth guru, Ram Das. He took over the guru office from his father in 1581.
Arjan Dev emphasized more and more the demarcation from other religions, whereas the first Guru, Guru Nanak, wanted to reconcile. Instead of saying "There is no Hindu, and there is no Muslim" (There are only human beings; Guru Nanak) he said "We are neither Hindus nor Muslims".
Guru Arjan had compiled the sacred scripture of the Sikhs, the Adi Granth.
Arjan Dev started the construction of the Golden Temple in Amritsar. As more and more Muslims converted to Sikhism and Arjan Dev had a great influence, the emperor Jahangir was critical of the development and had Arjan Dev tortured to death in 1606. His grandson Tegh Bahadur became the ninth Guru and his great-grandson Gobind Singh the tenth and last Guru of the Sikhs.
Reference data (person): GND: 119305747 | LCCN: n50003350 | VIAF: 59320006 |
Ten Gurus of Sikhism
1st Nanak Dev | 2nd Angad Dev | 3rd Amar Das | 4th Ram Das | 5th Arjan Dev | 6th Har Gobind | 7th Har Rai | 8th Har Krishan | 9th Tegh Bahadur | 10th Gobind Singh
Questions and Answers
Q: Who is Guru Arjan Dev?
A: Guru Arjan Dev is a Sikh guru who became a Guru on September 1st 1556.
Q: Why did he become a Guru?
A: He became a Guru because of the amount he sacrificed for himself.
Q: What did he lay down the foundations for?
A: He laid down the foundations for the Harmandir sahib, which means “The Golden Temple”.
Q: Where was the Harmandir sahib built?
A: The Harmandir sahib was built in the middle of the second sacred [pool] in Ramdaspur.
Q: Why did Guru Arjan Dev order that the Harmandir sahib be on the lowest ground in the pool?
A: Guru Arjan Dev thought that it should not be the tallest building in town so he ordered it to be on the lowest ground in the pool.
Q: What did Guru Arjan Dev help with besides laying down foundations?
A: Guru Arjan Dev helped a lot around and dug wells.
Q: When did Guru Arjan Dev pass away?
A: Guru Arjan Dev passed away on May 30th, 1606.
