Guru Gobind Singh Ji (Patna, Bihar, India, December 22, 1666 – October 7, 1708) was the tenth and last of the Ten Gurus of Sikhism and became Guru on November 11, 1675 following in the footsteps of his father Guru Teg Bahadur Ji. Before Guru Ji died, he nominated Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji or SGGS as the next perpetual Guru of the Sikhs. This Granth is more than a holy book for the Sikhs.

Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji (also sometimes written as 'Govind') was the last of 10 Sikh Gurus, who were the founders of the Sikh religion. The part played by this Guru in the development of the Sikh faith has been monumental. The First Sikh Guru was Guru Nanak dev Ji.

Guru Gobind Singh exemplified the teachings of Sikh principles during his lifetime. The beauty in his life was that he not only taught the teachings, but he felt the pain of sacrifice in upholding those beliefs and teachings. Gobind lost his father, mother, and all four of his sons to a religous war, fought against the Mughal emperor of the time, Aurangzeb. Aragnzeb demanded that all Sikhs either convert to Islam or be killed. It was in this fight for spiritual survival the Guru Gobind felt the pain of loss.

Guru Gobind Singh Ji also tied all loose ends for Sikhism. He proclaimed himslef the last living Guru (indeed, this was in Nanak's plan), and established the SGGS, a compilation of the Gurus' writings, as the eternal guru for the Sikhs. However, it was only spiritual authroity that was bestowed upon the Guru Granth. Temporal authority was given to the Sikhs as a whole. Guru Gobind also established the Sikh baptism ceremony, the partaking of amrit.

The following is a summary of the main highlights of Guru Ji's life:

• Compilation of the Dasam Granth Sahib: has 1428 pages
• Author of various important Banis which Sikhs recite daily : Jaap Sahib, Chaupai, etc
• Built the various Gurdwaras - Kesh Garh Sahib etc.
• Developed Anandpur Sahib as a Sikh Centre of Excellence.
• Enhanced the Structure of Sikh Society by introducing various administration systems
• Extreme personal sacrifice for Society : Father Martyred for protection of Kashmiri Hindus, All four sons sacrificed to the Mughal and Tribal Forces.
• Sent Zafarnama to Aurangzeb.

External links

• Complete website on Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji
• Biography with pictures on sikh-history.com
• Video - Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji
• A wealth of information about Guru Gobind Singh Ji,
• AllAboutSikhs.com,
• Sikhs.org,

Audio

• Sukhmani Sahib Mp3,Real Audio, Real Audio download

Also see Sikhism and Sikh Pages