Guru Nanak Jayanti 2026 गुरु नानक जयंती

Why Guru Nanak Jayanti is celebrated

Guru Nanak Jayanti is the most important gurpurab for Sikhs. It marks the birth of Guru Nanak Dev Ji, the first of the ten Sikh Gurus and the founder of the Sikh faith. Sikhs call the day Prakash Purab, the festival of light, because they believe his birth brought spiritual light to a world troubled by division and blind ritual. In 2026, Sikhs mark the 557th Prakash Purab of Guru Nanak.

Guru Nanak taught that there is one God, the creator of all, who lives in every being. He opened his teachings with the words Ik Onkar, meaning God is one. He rejected discrimination based on caste, religion or gender and said that a sincere, honest life matters more than rituals.

His teachings rest on three simple rules that Sikhs still follow: Naam Japna, remembering God's name; Kirat Karni, earning a living by honest work; and Vand Chhakna, sharing what one has with others. The free community kitchen, the langar, where everyone sits together on the floor and eats the same food, grew from these teachings. For Sikhs and for many others, the day is a reminder to live with humility, honesty and service.

History and story of Guru Nanak Jayanti

Guru Nanak was born in 1469 at Rai Bhoi di Talwandi, a village near Lahore that is now called Nankana Sahib, in Pakistan. His father, Mehta Kalu, worked as a village accountant, and his mother was Mata Tripta. His elder sister, Bebe Nanaki, was among the first to recognise his spiritual nature. Some early accounts place his birth in the month of Vaisakh, but the Sikh community has long celebrated it on Kartik Purnima.

As a boy, Nanak asked questions that puzzled his teachers and elders. As a young man, he moved to Sultanpur Lodhi, where his sister lived, and worked as a storekeeper. Sikh tradition says that one morning he went to bathe in the Kali Bein stream and did not return for three days. When he came back, his first words were that there is no Hindu and no Muslim, a message that all people are equal before God.

Over the next two decades, Guru Nanak undertook long journeys, known as udasis, with his companion Bhai Mardana, who played the rabab while the Guru sang. Tradition says he travelled across India and to Sri Lanka, Tibet, Mecca and Baghdad, speaking with Hindu sages, Muslim saints and ordinary people. He composed his teachings as hymns in simple language that common people could understand.

In his later years, Guru Nanak settled at Kartarpur on the bank of the Ravi, now in Pakistan. There he farmed with his own hands and built a community based on prayer, work and sharing. Before his death in 1539, he named his disciple Bhai Lehna as his successor, who became Guru Angad Dev. Guru Nanak's hymns, including the Japji Sahib, form a key part of the Guru Granth Sahib.

How Guru Nanak Jayanti is celebrated

Celebrations begin weeks earlier with prabhat pheris, early morning processions in which groups walk through the neighbourhood singing hymns. Two days before the gurpurab, gurdwaras start an Akhand Path, a non stop 48 hour reading of the Guru Granth Sahib, which ends on the morning of the festival.

On the day before the gurpurab, a nagar kirtan moves through the city. Five Sikhs representing the Panj Pyare lead the procession, carrying the Nishan Sahib, the Sikh flag. The Guru Granth Sahib is carried in a decorated palki. Groups sing shabads, bands play, and gatka teams display the Sikh martial art. People along the route clean the road and offer water and snacks.

On the gurpurab itself, the day starts at amrit vela, the early hours before dawn, with the singing of Asa di Var. Kirtan, katha on the Guru's life and the recitation of his hymns continue through the day. Karah prasad, a sweet made of wheat flour, ghee and sugar, is offered to all. Langar is served to thousands of people of every faith, and volunteers cook, serve and clean as seva.

In the evening, gurdwaras and Sikh homes are lit with lamps, candles and lights. Families visit gurdwaras, and some light fireworks. Many people also take part in blood donation camps and charity drives on this day.

Guru Nanak Jayanti across India

The Golden Temple in Amritsar and the gurdwaras of Delhi, such as Bangla Sahib and Sis Ganj Sahib, draw huge crowds. Gurdwara Ber Sahib at Sultanpur Lodhi holds major celebrations. Groups of Indian pilgrims travel to Nankana Sahib in Pakistan, and since 2019 the Kartarpur Corridor has allowed visits to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur.

Uttarakhand has its own link to Guru Nanak. Gurdwara Nanakmatta Sahib in Udham Singh Nagar district and Gurdwara Reetha Sahib in Champawat district mark places the Guru visited, according to Sikh tradition, and both hold large gatherings on the gurpurab. In Dehradun, the Sikh community takes out a nagar kirtan through the city and gurdwaras serve langar to all. The same full moon is also Kartik Purnima, when many Hindus take a holy dip in the Ganga at Haridwar.