Guru Ram Das — Fourth Sikh Guru and founder of Amritsar

Life and background

Bhai Jetha came into the household of the third Guru through marriage and was later given the name Ram Das. His wife, Bibi Bhani, was the daughter of the previous Guru and she played a notable role in the community. Guru Ram Das moved the Sikh centre northward and established a new settlement originally called Ramdaspur, built around a sacred pool. That pool, the Amrit Sarovar, became the focal point for the town that developed into present-day Amritsar (Punjab, India).

Teachings, hymns and community initiatives

Ram Das composed devotional hymns that are included in the Sikh scripture and he is traditionally credited with composing the Lavan, the four hymns used in Sikh marriage ceremonies. He emphasized seva (selfless service), congregational singing, and the social traditions that bind Sikh congregations—practices that influenced subsequent Gurus and institutions. He promoted organized community kitchens (langar) and invited traders and craftsmen to settle in the new town to support a functioning, diverse community (seva, langar).

Legacy and succession

Guru Ram Das laid foundations that shaped Sikh religious life and the physical center of Sikhism. He chose his youngest son, Guru Arjan Dev, as his successor, and the work begun in Ramdaspur continued under that next leadership. The site he established later became the location for the Harmandir Sahib and the city known today as Amritsar (Harmandir, Amritsar).

Notable facts

• Often identified by his birth name Bhai Jetha and later the name Ram Das (name).
• Composed hymns now part of the Sikh canon and central rites such as the Lavan (Lavan).
• Established a town around the Amrit Sarovar that grew into Amritsar (Ramdaspur, Amrit Sarovar).

Today Guru Ram Das is remembered for combining spiritual devotion with practical institution-building, leaving a legacy visible both in Sikh worship and in the urban and communal structures he helped to create.